Sometimes our experiences in the world or online can be upsetting. When that happens, it’s best for us to refocus and channel our energies into a positive outlet. Supporting a cause that we care about is often a good use of our focus: whether we volunteer for them, donate to them, or just raise awareness for them.
Here are a few organizations worthy of support. There are many others. If you think of an important cause that you want to let people know about, please leave a comment.
Fair Fight – This is the organization founded by Stacey Abrams to combat voter suppression in Georgia and across America. This organization is doing critically important work and helping sidelined communities to get their voices heard.
Friends of Trees – This nonprofit plants trees in city spaces and natural areas. According to their website, they have planted 850,000 trees and shrubs in the Pacific Northwest since 1989. You can help out by donating, by volunteering to plant trees, or by donating a tree!
No Kid Hungry – Too many children grow up with food insecurity due to the socioeconomic inequities of our country. “No Kid Hungry” believes that no child should go hungry. They fund programs of before-school breakfasts, after-school meals, and summer meals so kids can get fed even when school is out of session.
Planned Parenthood — With a network of more than 600 clinics, Planned Parenthood has been an essential provider of women’s healthcare services and sex education for more than 100 years. They provide access to safe, reliable health care, with an emphasis on preventative care, such as contraception, testing, and screening.
ACLU – The ACLU is at the forefront of the legal battle for the soul of our society. Their cases in defense of civil liberties sometimes go all the way to the Supreme Court. Some of the causes the ACLU is involved in include LGBTQ+ rights, immigration, racial justice, voting rights, and capital punishment. These people are out there fighting for us, every day.
Habitat for Humanity – Habitat for Humanity builds and renovates houses for low-income families. They reduce homelessness one family at a time by simply giving people a place to live, turning needy families into homeowners.
Outside In – Outside In provides health care, counseling, information, and STI testing services for homeless people and at-risk groups in Portland, Oregon.
Oregon Food Bank – The Oregon Food Bank works with a network of local partners to distribute food through some 1,400 food assistance sites. They also advocate for public policy changes to address the root causes of food insecurity.
Your local animal shelter – This depends on where you live. Homeless puppies and kittens need love, too.
Southern Poverty Law Center – The SPL Center’s mission to promote tolerance and justice while eliminating disenfranchisement includes monitoring the activities and growth of designated hate groups, and tracking acts of violence committed by those groups. It’s disturbing, but it’s important work. Your donation helps them shine a light in the darkness.
Red Cross – When there is a humanitarian disaster anywhere in the world, the ICRC is often the organization coordinating relief efforts: providing food, shelter, medical supplies, and emergency medical care to people at the moment of their direst need. Here in Oregon, when so many people had to evacuate their homes and flee the wildfires in September, the Red Cross was there, providing cots and blankets and meals and comfort to evacuees. They do good work, and they always need blood donations, so you can make a donation even if you don’t have any money.
Photo credit: Joel Muniz via Unsplash
