Looking to give back? These local organizations are asking for help on Giving Tuesday

For a lot of us, the holiday season brings with it a spirit of generosity and a desire to do something positive for others. On Tuesday, organizations throughout the city are giving opportunities to do just that.

The Tuesday following Thanksgiving and Black Friday is often called Giving Tuesday. It’s a day meant for giving back in whatever form, and has turned into a major fundraising day for nonprofit organizations. If you have the resources and want to support organizations doing important work in Kansas City, we’ve got you covered.

We asked around and pulled together a list of some local organizations that are raising funds this Giving Tuesday. We know there are more organizations doing critical work in our community than the ones we included on this list. If you want to let us know about one, just email us at kcq@kcstar.com.

This story is from The Star’s new Service Journalism team. We’re here to share information that makes it easier to navigate local challenges and participate in the Kansas City community. Have a question for us? Fill out the form at the bottom of this story.

Giving Machines

Six organizations are teaming up to make giving easier with the help of the Giving Machine. Starting Nov. 30, local organizations such as The Don Bosco Centers, Hope House, Operation Breakthrough, Hope Faith Ministries, along with worldwide charities Church World Service and UNHCR will be featured in vending machines in Crown Center. The machines will have items that people can choose to donate to an organization.

All of the donated funds will be used for the designated organization to buy the item that you pick in the vending machine. The Giving Machines can be found below the Ice Terrace, which is near the entrance to Sea Life Aquarium and Legoland Discovery Center.

G.I.F.T.

Kansas City G.I.F.T. stands for Generating Income For Tomorrow. The group raises money to give out grants to Black-owned businesses on the east side of Troost Avenue. With a tagline of, “If 15,000 people donated $10 a month,” G.I.F.T. has raised close to $500,000 and created 28 new jobs since starting in 2020. It uses the money to give grants of either $10,000, $25,000 or $50,000 to small businesses each month.

What’s G.I.F.T.’s Giving Tuesday goal?

G.I.F.T CEO Brandon Calloway wants to add 400 more people to donate at least $10 a month. He said the money raised will help the organization’s longevity, so they can keep giving grants for years to come.

How to donate

You can donate at the link here, or you can text GIFTKC to 44321.

Want to follow their work?

You can follow G.I.F.T.’s Facebook page.

“Not only are we up and running, but we’re proven,” Calloway said. “We’ve already started to see some success. Being able to continue this work in year two, three, four and five, and do it bigger, just allows us to ensure that we’re creating more jobs and taking bigger steps in turning the East side into a place of economic viability.”

Nurture KC

Nurture KC is a nonprofit assisting pregnant parents in the 14 zip codes with the highest rate of infant mortality across the metro. The organization serves over 700 participants -- made up of mothers, fathers and newborns -- each year. That includes making sure they’re enrolled for health insurance, providing diapers, car seats, cribs and any other support to ensure someone has a healthy pregnancy.

Executive director Tracy Russell said the support the organization provides parents is individualized: if there’s something a family needs, someone on her staff just goes out and gets it.

What’s Nurture KC’s Giving Tuesday goal?

They will be doing an online campaign on Facebook for Giving Tuesday. They have two matching donors, McInnis Group and Brown Button Estate Sales. Russell’s goal for the campaign is to reach $10,000. Since Nurture KC gets money from the federal government’s Healthy Start program that comes with certain restrictions and limitations, campaigns like this one allows the organization to provide services that may fall outside the limits of government funds to best meet the needs of the parents they serve.

How to donate

You can donate here.

Want to follow their work?

You can follow their Facebook page. You can also volunteer at Nurture KC.

NourishKC

NourishKC is a nonprofit that works to provide freshly made lunches to anyone in need of a meal through its Kansas City Community Kitchen program. The organization provided nearly 90,000 healthy meals in 2020. Christian Esteban, the executive director, told the Star the Community Kitchen just opened up its dining room to 50% capacity.

What’s NourishKC’s Giving Tuesday goal?

On Giving Tuesday, the organization is raising funds to be able to continue running its Community Kitchen and its other work to eliminate food insecurity in Kansas City. Esteban anticipates a growing need next year for food and items such as to-go containers and cleaning supplies.

How to donate

You can donate here. They also accept donated products like trash bags, sandwich bags and batteries.

Want to follow their work?

You can follow their Facebook page. You can also volunteer to serve food or rescue food items that would otherwise be thrown away.

Scraps KC

Scraps KC is a creative reuse center and store that sells donated craft supplies that would otherwise have been thrown away. By providing a place to donate and then purchase supplies, the organization keeps tons of those materials out of landfills. It also hosts education events about the environment and homelessness in Kansas City, and provides meals, volunteer opportunities and survival supplies to unhoused people in the city.

What’s Scraps KC’s Giving Tuesday goal?

Scraps KC is hosting a “Getting Tuesday” event on Tuesday Nov. 30, both virtually and in their midtown location. To support the organization, you can buy a ticket to the event and then participate in a series of activities. Prizes will be awarded too.

How to donate

You can get a ticket to Tuesday’s event, make a financial donation to Scraps KC, donate scraps and materials or volunteer.

Want to follow their work?

You can follow on Facebook or Instagram.

KC Pet Project

KC Pet Project runs Kansas City’s animal shelter, caring for more than 10,000 animals a year. The organization helps coordinate pet adoptions and leads other pet safety projects in the area.

What’s KC Pet Project’s Giving Tuesday goal?

KC Pet Project is using Giving Tuesday to raise money for a new project called Healthy Pets KC. The program would provide low-cost veterinary services in the community for people and their pets who need it. The organization is hoping to fundraise to buy a new vehicle to make these services more accessible.

How to donate

You can donate here.

Want to follow their work?

You can follow KC Pet Project on Instagram or Facebook.

United Way of Greater KC

United Way is a nonprofit organization that connects, funds and supports the work of other nonprofits and social service programs in the Kansas City area, with focuses on health, education and financial stability. It also coordinates a database of resources in the area and helps connect people to those resources through 211.

What’s United Way’s Giving Tuesday goal?

This Giving Tuesday, United Way is raising money for a project called Loads of Love KC which provides laundry supplies to local schools to help more kids have clean clothes. United Way cited a stat that one in five students doesn’t have easy access to clean clothes in the United States, which can cause kids to miss school. After Giving Tuesday, United Way plans to install washers and dryers in more than 20 Kansas City schools.

How to donate

You can donate to Loads of Love KC using this link.

Want to plug into their work?

You can follow United Way of Greater Kansas City on Facebook.