You cannot think of Christmas without thinking about children, since the two are connected. It’s difficult to think of kids going through the holidays or any other time of year in need.
Sometimes, we are so centered on holiday shopping and our own needs, that we forget that there are others in the world not quite as blessed as we are.
This is the season we ought to really consider sharing some of those blessings with children who are suffering in some form or another. While there are, unfortunately, a lot of bogus organizations out there, there are some children’s charities who have been in good standing for several years.
Here are four excellent charities geared towards aiding children in need:
Feed the Children
http://www.feedthechildren,org
Feed the Children is an international, non-profit Christian charity that has been around for the past 27 years.
Started by Larry and Frances Jones, Feed the Children provides food, clothing and medical care to children and families here in the U.S. and around the world. These are people who are in dire circumstances brought on by extreme poverty, natural disasters or other adverse conditions. One of their programs abroad deals with helping babies who have been abandoned by parents who could not take care of them anymore.
Feed the Children receives contributions from both corporate donors and individual donors and is a worthy organization who truly wants to help ease the suffering of others.
Visit their site for additional information on how to make a donation.
Covenant House is a privately-funded U.S. childcare agency, with locations in such cities as New York City, Los Angeles, Anchorage, Atlanta, Houston, Fort Lauderdale, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, Atlantic City, New Orleans, Detroit, Oakland, Philadelphia, Orlando and St. Louis, as well as some areas outside of the U.S.
They provide a number of services to homeless youth, including food, clothing,shelter, drug abuse treatment, education and more. A lot of these kids are housed by Covenant House in their crisis shelters, meaning that Covenant House offers a haven for young folks who might otherwise be out on the street.
There are, unfortunately, a lot more homeless children out there than we’d like to think about, so having organizations like Covenant House to help them is a great thing.
Visit their site for additional information on how to make a donation.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
http://www.stjude.org/
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital helps treat children who have cancer and other serious diseases. Since it’s a research hospital, they offer the most current, groundbreaking treatments available for physician-referred young patients, so they are receiving top care from specialists in their field.
Any child who is accepted into their treatment program receives the best of medical care, regardless of whether or not their family is able to pay. They also offer free lodging for families who live a certain distance away from the St. Jude facilities.
Your contribution helps pay for more research, as well as for these children and their families. What better thing to give your money to than a place that helps desperately ill children to get well?
Visit their site for additional information on how to make a donation.
World Vision http://www.worldvision.org
World Vision is another charity with a long, acclaimed history.
They offer contributors a chance to sponsor a child in one of the many countries they serve. Your monthly donation helps provide food, healthcare, education and better living conditions to a child in dire need. If you choose to just make a one time contribution, you can donate to their general fund.
While you can’t help everyone, you can do something to help at least one child and make a difference in his or her life.
Visit their site for additional information on how to make a donation.
Christmas Is About Giving!
To truly celebrate the holidays, giving to others is the best way to demonstrate the true purpose of this season. We get so lost in the commercialism surrounding this time of year that we forget that there are many people in the world who do not have our same advantages.
I hope you’ll take the time to check out these charities and make a donation to one of them. You will feel blessed just by being able to bless others.
Reference:
Charitable organization – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
