Guide to Giving 2021

Many thanks to the Arlington Community Foundation for its help in compiling this resource. An apple 🍎 next to a nonprofit’s listing indicates the availability of college internships or student service-learning opportunities for local schools.

AHC Inc. 🍎 ✏

AHC provides quality affordable housing to more than 3,000 low-income families. AHC also offers onsite educational programs and social services to help residents build more stable and successful lives.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: Arlington County
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $35 provides literacy-building after-school activities, including audiobooks, listening devices and vocabulary puzzles.
❱❱ $150 provides emergency groceries to a family struggling with new hardships.
❱❱ $500 supports a college field trip or mobile tech devices for high school students.
Volunteer opportunities: Volunteers provide homework and studying support to elementary and middle school students, and mentor college-bound high school students. They also teach life skills and SAT prep, and provide organizational support, including staffing AHC’s food distribution sites, delivering school backpacks and serving holiday dinners.

Animal Welfare League of Arlington

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington provides resources, care and protection so that animals and animal-lovers can stay happy, healthy and together at home. Amid the pandemic, AWLA has directed more resources to its Pet Pantry (which provides free pet food to families experiencing hardship), vet assistance grants and its H.E.L.P. (Housing Emergency Lifeline for Pets) program for families affected by Covid-19.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: D.C. metro area
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $10 provides one rabies vaccination.
❱❱ $25 covers an animal’s care at the shelter for one day.
❱❱ $100 funds a spay or neuter surgery before adoption.
❱❱ $200 provides specialty care to a pet in need.
Volunteer opportunities: Volunteers help educate future pet owners, match animals with adoptive families and keep animals happy during their shelter stay. Some train to work with dogs, cats or small companion animals. Others foster animals in their homes.

Arlington Community Foundation 🍎

Arlington Community Foundation helps individuals, businesses and organizations in Arlington carry out their charitable giving, both in the short term and through permanent legacy funds. As a grant-maker, convener and leader of programmatic initiatives, the Community Foundation strives to strengthen local nonprofits, encourage better understanding of the needs of Arlingtonians, and address the most critical issues of our time. Since 1991, ACF has awarded thousands of grants and scholarships and created a source of diverse and flexible philanthropic capital that can address changing community needs.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: Arlington and beyond
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $500 funds a small community grant.
❱❱ $1,500 provides one college scholarship or a prompt-response grant (e.g., a replacement washer and dryer for a homeless shelter).
❱❱ $10,000 or more can start a permanent scholarship fund or charitable giving fund (to be named by the donor) to support the donor’s charitable interests.
Volunteer opportunities: Volunteers assist with fundraising events, community outreach and professional services, and serve on grant or scholarship review committees. The youth-led Arlington Youth Philanthropy Initiative (AYPI) awards grants to youth-initiated service projects and nonprofits.

Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) 🍎

The Arlington Food Assistance Center feeds neighbors in need by providing dignified access to supplemental groceries. Since 1988, AFAC has remained dedicated to its simple but critical mission of obtaining and distributing groceries, directly and free of charge, to people living in Arlington who cannot afford to purchase enough food to meet their basic needs.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: Arlington County
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $250 provides milk and eggs to 100 families in one month.
❱❱ $750 provides fresh fruits and vegetables to 55 families in one month.
❱❱ $1,350 provides groceries to an AFAC family for one year.
Volunteer opportunities: Volunteers organize food drives (all ages) and help with re-bagging bulk purchases of produce at AFAC’s warehouse (12 and up).

Arlington Free Clinic

Arlington Free Clinic provides free, high-quality medical and dental care to low-income, uninsured Arlington County adults. Since 1994, the clinic has been filling the gap in health care access for the community’s most vulnerable residents. Covid-19 has made this mission more important than ever.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: Arlington County
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $250 procures 10 blood pressure cuffs for patients’ at-home health monitoring, or five cases of liquid food supplements for a cancer patient.
❱❱ $1,000 covers 16 emergency dental visits for patients whose oral health needs cannot wait.
❱❱ $10,000 covers three months of generic medications. Most medications (about $3 million worth each year) are donated to the clinic, but some cannot be accessed for free. AFC patients, including those diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes or cancer prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, still need access to life-saving medications.
Volunteer opportunities: AFC is always looking for volunteer physicians (primary/specialty), nurse practitioners, nurses, dentists and Spanish interpreters. Psychiatrists/psychiatric NPs, licensed counselors, dental hygienists and exercise instructors are especially needed right now.

Arlington Neighborhood Village

Arlington Neighborhood Village allows older Arlington residents to continue living in their own homes and community, safely and independently, with assistance and social support from local volunteers. ANV’s discounted membership program supports more than 80 seniors.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: Arlington County
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $35 supports membership for a lower-income senior for one month.
❱❱ $200 supports membership for a lower-income senior for six months.
❱❱ $2,000 funds a technology class to teach seniors how to use computers for telehealth, secure online banking, entertainment, and emailing family and friends.
Volunteer opportunities: Volunteers run errands, shop for groceries, pick up prescriptions, provide transportation to medical appointments and connect with seniors via friendly telephone and in-person visits to reduce feelings of social isolation and depression. Volunteers also help with IT, website maintenance, communications, marketing, fundraising, office support and special programs.

Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing 🍎

The Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing is committed to developing innovative, attractive and safe apartment buildings. Currently, APAH provides more than 2,000 homes to lower-income individuals and families at 18 properties, with another 1,000 pipeline apartments in active predevelopment. The nonprofit is working to integrate health, workforce success, education, community engagement and housing to achieve better outcomes for all. The pandemic has brought added strain, and low-income neighbors are still disproportionately impacted by job and income loss. This summer, more than 400 households could not pay rent, and many struggled to put food on the table. APAH has committed to not evicting any families at its affordable properties for financial reasons during the pandemic, and is providing emergency financial assistance to residents. However, its Resident Emergency Fund has been stretched thin to meet immediate needs.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: D.C. metro area
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $50 pays for a week of transportation to and from work for a parent.
❱❱ $100 buys emergency groceries for a single parent who is between paychecks.
❱❱ $250 finances the co-pay for subsidized child care for one child.
❱❱ $500 pays the average monthly ledger for a household that has fallen behind on rent.
❱❱ $1,000 covers holiday expenses for a family of five.
Volunteer opportunities: Assistance is needed with family engagement activities, grocery distribution, literacy programming, affordable housing advocacy and volunteer management/recruitment. APAH offers internships and community service projects for student groups.

Arlington Thrive

For more than 45 years, Arlington Thrive has been the financial safety net for Arlington County. By providing cash assistance to vulnerable households, Thrive prevents evictions, medical catastrophes and undue chaos and crisis for neighbors in need. Since the onset of the pandemic, Thrive’s Arlington Emergency Relief Fund has provided more than 4,000 families with rapid financial assistance for acute needs—such as rent payments, medicine, uninterrupted power and water, internet access or transportation assistance.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: Arlington County
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $100 pays for a prescription for a homeless individual.
❱❱ $250 covers medical care or emergency dental work for an uninsured Arlington resident.
❱❱ $1,000 restores utility service for six families who, due to temporary unemployment, are unable to pay for their heat and/or electricity.
❱❱ $5,000 pays the rent for five Arlington families facing eviction so they do not become homeless.
Volunteer opportunities: Thrive is currently seeking volunteers with experience in public policy (including housing policy), fundraising, communication strategies and graphic design. Opportunities exist for both one-time and regular service in the form of committee membership, office assistance and working directly with families in need of assistance.

Arm & Arm

Arm & Arm provides peer-to-peer behavioral health services (support, training, mentoring) to individuals re-entering the community following incarceration, military service, homelessness, substance abuse recovery and/or mental health challenges.
Headquartered: Alexandria (with a location in Arlington)
Serves: Arlington and the D.C. metro area
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $75 covers a peer mentoring support session for one individual.
❱❱ $550 provides Game on the Line immersion training (cognitive and somatic coping skills) for one individual.
❱❱ $750 pays for one individual to receive 72 hours of Peer Recovery Training (for state certification).
❱❱ $960 funds a focus group for 4-5 participants struggling with severe traumatic experiences.
Volunteer opportunities: Volunteers are needed for outreach to raise awareness of social isolation, opioid addiction, mental health issues and Covid-19 vaccination and testing, as well as connecting with at-risk youth. Arm & Arm facilitates a monthly Shop Talk forum on issues relating to community inclusion.

Aspire! Afterschool Learning 🍎

Aspire! Afterschool Learning provides daily after-school and summer programs to underserved students who are most impacted by the educational opportunity gap—which has widened amid the pandemic and school closures.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: South Arlington
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $30 provides one day of after-school and literacy support for one student.
❱❱ $60 provides a literacy learning kit for a new student.
❱❱ $100 covers one year of STEM learning supplies for one student.
❱❱ $160 funds one week of after-school and literacy support for one student.
Volunteer opportunities: Aspire! offers
full-time service opportunities for community members and students over age 18 through its AmeriCorps partnership. Volunteers are also needed to provide in-person reading and homework support for young learners.

Borromeo Housing Inc. 🍎

Borromeo Housing maintains an education-first, safe, transitional housing program for single homeless mothers (ages 16-22) and their children. BHI’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty two generations at a time by empowering residents to achieve self-sufficiency through education. Families living at BHI attend school and take part in life skills training, parenting classes and counseling, with the goal of being able to live healthily and independently. BHI is more than 93% privately funded, relying heavily on donations, and is bracing for a surge in need due to pandemic hardships.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: D.C. metro area with an emphasis on Arlington County residents
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $50 provides a month’s supply of diapers for one child.
❱❱ $100 provides a month’s supply of groceries and toiletries not covered by federal assistance (WIC) for a family.
❱❱ $250 provides educational supplies for two young mothers to attend school for one semester.
❱❱ $1,000 funds a month of shelter care for one family, including utilities and household goods.
❱❱ $10,000 pays the safe home’s residential mortgage for five months.
Volunteer opportunities: During normal operations, volunteers serve as guest chefs, infant care supply coordinators and skills presenters (weekly), and mentors. In this time of social distancing, BHI needs volunteers to do yard work, provide meals and drop off supplies. Individuals with skills that can be taught over Zoom can participate in one of BHI’s “Virtual Group Nights.” Grant writers and researchers are also needed to pursue funding opportunities. Student internships are available.

Bridges to Independence 🍎

Bridges to Independence leads individuals and families out of homelessness and into stable, independent futures. Its vision is to break intergenerational cycles of poverty by empowering today’s struggling families to be tomorrow’s successful community members. Bridges operates Arlington County’s largest emergency family shelter. It also maintains programs focusing on rental subsidies, workforce development and financial empowerment, and youth programs that emphasize confidence, skill-building and job readiness. Bridges recently merged with the Bonder & Amanda Johnson Community Development Corp. and now provides referral services through its community services center in Green Valley. Current needs include gift cards (for food and personal supplies), financial donations to cover utilities and rent, and job coaching support for those seeking employment opportunities.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: Arlington County
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $100 provides dishes, linens and household items for a family moving out of the shelter and into a new home.
❱❱ $250 covers utility and phone bills for a family of three for one month.
❱❱ $500 helps a family avoid eviction by covering an unexpected auto repair or medical emergency.
❱❱ $1,000 pays one month’s rent for a single mom and her two kids in an affordable housing unit.
Volunteer opportunities: Bridges welcomes both in-person and virtual volunteers of all ages to coordinate food drives and deliveries, organize storage spaces, serve on committees, move furniture and tutor or mentor youth. Student internships and service opportunities are posted in the nonprofit’s newsletter, social media feeds and online.

BU-GATA

BU-GATA partners with other community organizations to produce, preserve and advocate for affordable housing in Arlington County. It also encourages youth civic and leadership development through its Buckingham Youth Brigade (BYB) program, which is geared toward underserved teens ages 14-18.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: Arlington County
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $50 provides snacks for weekly homework help and tutoring sessions.
❱❱ $100 provides materials for a youth skills-building workshop.
❱❱ $400 supports a college field trip and other educational trips for BYB students.
Volunteer opportunities: Virtual and in-person tutors (18 or older) are needed assist with youth programs.

Capital Caring Health 🍎

As the region’s largest nonprofit provider of hospice and advanced illness care, Capital Caring Health is there for patients and families 24/7.
Headquartered: Falls Church
Serves: Arlington County, as well as a broad swath of Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $50 buys toys and games for a pediatric patient and their siblings.
❱❱ $250 covers two registered-nurse virtual visits to a hospice patient.
❱❱ $1,000 provides personal protective gear for 75 nurses.
❱❱ $10,000 covers 25 days of acute hospice care for two patients at one of Capital Caring’s inpatient centers.
❱❱ $50,000 buys a decontamination machine to thoroughly clean patient rooms and centers.
Volunteer opportunities: Essential services include comfort and companionship for individuals facing advanced illness; respite support for family members; art or music therapy; and counseling for those facing the loss of a loved one. Volunteers also sort, price and sell donated items in the nonprofit’s thrift store in Arlington. Capital Caring offers internships and opportunities for student service-learning hours.

Communities in Schools NOVA

Communities in Schools empowers students to stay in school and achieve in life. School-based counselors bring resources into schools to remove barriers that put students at risk of dropping out.
Headquartered: Alexandria
Serves: Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $250 provides school supplies for 10 students.
❱❱ $1,000 covers supplies and snacks for an after-school serving 50 students.
❱❱ $5,000 funds paid internships for high school students.
❱❱ $10,000 funds dental, hearing and vision exams for 500+ families.
Volunteer opportunities: Tutors and homework buddies work with students at partner schools. Volunteers also serve as guest speakers at career events and assist with outreach, marketing and development.

Culpepper Garden 🍎

Culpepper Garden provides quality affordable housing, assisted-living services and programs to lower-income seniors. It currently offers 273 independent-living units and 73 assisted-living units in a caring community where older adults are able to age in place with dignity and independence.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $100 covers one month of toiletries and incontinence products for residents.
❱❱ $250 provides one month of water and nutritious snacks for resident activities and events.
❱❱ $500 provides household items and technology assistance to formerly homeless seniors moving into the independent-living residence.
❱❱ $700 provides seven days of supportive services for one frail, low-income, assisted-living resident who can no longer afford the cost of care.
Volunteer opportunities: Volunteers 18 and older are needed to provide technology assistance to residents. Donations of face masks are also appreciated. Internships and service opportunities for middle school, high school and college students are available.

Doorways 🍎

Every day in Arlington, thousands of families, youth and survivors live in unsafe and unstable environments. These vulnerable community members continue to be disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and its economic fallout. Doorways provides advocacy, shelter, housing and services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as for youth and families experiencing homelessness, helping our most vulnerable neighbors survive crisis and rebuild their lives.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: Arlington County and the City of Falls Church
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $100 provides art and play therapy to children in Doorways’ emergency shelters, housing and counseling programs, fostering healing after trauma.
❱❱ $250 helps a family graduate from Doorways’ shelter to its HomeStart supportive housing program, funding essentials like a new bed or kitchen supplies.
❱❱ $1,000 provides academic, financial and career counseling to a young person transitioning from homelessness.
❱❱ $2,500 funds one week of emergency shelter for a family escaping domestic violence.
Volunteer opportunities: Volunteers 18 or older who have graduated high school are needed to assist with shelter coverage, children’s activities, interpretation, administrative support and fundraising. Individuals working directly with clients must complete at least 40 hours of training and a background check. Community groups, including youth and children, can help by organizing collection drives and fundraisers.

Dream Project

Founded in 2011, the Dream Project empowers students whose immigration status creates barriers to education by providing access to college scholarships, mentoring, financial aid, family engagement and advocacy. This year the nonprofit awarded 100 scholarships of $2,500 each, for a total of $250,000.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: Virginia
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $50 covers the cost of a college visit for one student.
❱❱ $100 allows one Dream Scholar to attend the Dream Summit conference.
❱❱ $500 allows one student to participate in a professional coaching program.
❱❱ $2,500 funds a Dream Scholarship for one student.
Volunteer opportunities: Volunteers serve as mentors to Dream Project students, serve on committees and assist with fundraising events.

EcoAction Arlington 🍎

EcoAction Arlington protects air, water and open spaces by promoting stewardship of our natural resources and by connecting citizens to sustainable lifestyle solutions. The work is community-based and designed to empower individuals with resources, training and collaboration. EcoAction Arlington offers regular education programs (both virtual and in-person) and volunteer service opportunities.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: Arlington County
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $250 buys and plants one tree.
❱❱ $1,000 covers materials for energy- and water-efficiency improvements in the homes of 25 low-income families.
❱❱ $10,000 provides hands-on environmental education programs for 4,000 Arlington students.
Volunteer opportunities: Single-day projects include stream cleanups, invasive plant removal and storm-drain-marking. Service projects can be customized for business, community and school groups. The Energy Masters program (a one-year commitment for volunteers 16 and older) trains volunteers to make energy- and water-saving building improvements in affordable-housing complexes. High school students also hold positions on the nonprofit’s board of directors and can complete senior experience internships in May/June.

Edu-Futuro

Edu-Futuro empowers disadvantaged Latino and other immigrant children, youth, first-generation college students and families to succeed and fully contribute to their community. The nonprofit emphasizes education, leadership, parent engagement and workforce development to break the cycle of poverty and overcome the achievement gap. Since the pandemic outbreak, Edu-Futuro has provided individual case management to program participants who have lost their jobs due to the health and financial crisis, including emergency financial assistance for rent, utilities, food and other needs.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: D.C. metro area
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $100 covers one month of internet access for a student whose parents lost their jobs due to Covid-19.
❱❱ $300 buys a Chromebook for a student who does not have a computer at home and needs it for distance learning.
❱❱ $500 covers a stipend for a low-income high school student to hold an internship before beginning college.
❱❱ $1,000 provides two college scholarships for underserved students.
❱❱ $1,500 covers the rental fees of two buses, enabling 90 underserved students to tour a college campus.

Encore Learning 🍎

Encore Learning is dedicated to providing high-quality, lifelong learning at a reasonable cost for anyone over 50 in the D.C. metro area, via daytime college-level courses, clubs and special events. Courses are taught by working and retired scholars and business professionals. Demand for virtual activities during the pandemic has sparked a greater need for technical expertise. Encore Learning and its donors also support the Arthur W. Gosling Scholarship, which awards $2,500 annually to an Arlington Public Schools graduate to attend George Mason University or Marymount University.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: People 50 and older in the D.C. metro area
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $175 funds an annual membership and one class per semester for a limited-income student.
❱❱ $850 buys a laptop for part-time staff.
❱❱ $5,000 covers the cost of one semester’s catalog production, including graphic design, printing and postage.
Volunteer opportunities: Encore Learning is a volunteer-led organization, with administrative support provided by part-time staff. Volunteers serve as course instructors who develop and teach semester-long courses over a 4- to 10-week period, in weekly sessions of 1½ to 2 hours. Volunteers also recruit new instructors; seek speakers and performances for special events; write and edit course catalogs; initiate and maintain clubs; advise on office technology; organize social functions; and recruit, train and support class aides. Encore Learning welcomes volunteers of any age and has worked with college students on academic projects.

Friends of Guest House

Friends of Guest House helps women successfully reenter the community from incarceration. Its mission is to provide formerly incarcerated women with the structure, supervision, support and assistance they need to move beyond who they were and become who they want to be.
Headquartered: Alexandria
Serves: Virginia
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $25 provides new underwear and pajamas for a woman just released from jail.
❱❱ $50 pays for one month of transportation to appointments and interviews.
❱❱ $100 funds one ticket home so a client can visit with her children and family.
❱❱ $250 covers supplies, study materials and fees for one client to earn her GED.
❱❱ $1,500 covers the cost of dentures, giving one client the confidence to successfully reenter the workforce.
❱❱ $5,000 funds one month of housing for all residential clients.
Volunteer opportunities: Mentors work one-on-one with residents, listening without judgment to help them set goals, learn new skills and develop the confidence, patience and perseverance needed to reenter the community successfully. Volunteers in the Workforce and Life Development Program also provide instruction on topics such as substance use and strategies for long-term recovery, mental health, job readiness, job search and interviewing strategies, coping skills, grief counseling, parenting, CPR and first aid, and computer skills. The class commitment is at least one hour per week (classes held weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.) and each session is 8 weeks. Volunteers receive orientation prior to teaching. Sessions are conducted in-person and masks are required. Volunteers must complete a background check and pay a one-time fee of $25.

Homestretch 🍎

Homestretch empowers homeless families to secure permanent housing and attain the skills, knowledge and hope they need to achieve self-sufficiency. The most pressing current needs are for food gift cards (Aldi, Giant, Safeway, Harris Teeter and Target), household cleaning products, toilet paper, large kitchen trash bags and dishwasher detergent.
Headquartered: Falls Church
Serves: Falls Church City and Fairfax County
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $250 buys shoes for 15 children or 10 gas cards or Metro cards ($25 each) for working parents.
❱❱ $300 buys a week’s worth of groceries for three families.
❱❱ $1,500 funds dental work for 2-3 homeless adults, or car repairs for parents who need their cars to get to work.
❱❱ $15,000 covers nearly all of one family’s housing costs for one year.
Volunteer opportunities: Volunteers tutor adults or children, teach life skills classes, prepare apartments for incoming families, organize donation drives, assist with property landscaping, help in the preschool or nursery, cook meals for the after-school teen program and provide pro bono expertise in their given professional fields. Service projects can be adapted to fit school service commitments or learning credits.

Just Neighbors

Just Neighbors supports immigrant communities in the DMV by providing high-quality immigration legal services to low-income immigrants, asylees and refugees. The nonprofit builds community through education, advocacy and volunteerism.
Headquartered: Annandale
Serves: D.C., Maryland and Virginia
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $50 allows a DREAMer to renew their work permit.
❱❱ $100 reunites an unaccompanied youth with their family.
❱❱ $500 helps a refugee family apply for lawful permanent residency (green cards).
Volunteer opportunities: Volunteers help with client intake (via phone), on-site reception, interpretation and translation services and legal casework. Immigration clinic volunteers (once a month in the evenings) help clients fill out documents and prepare their immigration applications. Office volunteers (Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.) help with casework and administrative tasks. Because cases require written translation of client statements, translators are occasionally needed. Volunteer attorneys and law students provide face-to-face counsel for low-income immigrants and refugees. Covid-19 vaccination is required for all in-office staff and volunteers.

Kitchen of Purpose (formerly La Cocina VA)

Kitchen of Purpose trains, certifies and places low-income immigrants in meaningful jobs in the food-service industry. Through its new kitchen incubator just off Columbia Pike, the organization also offers business development training to low-income food entrepreneurs, and opportunities to rent kitchen space. Most clients are women who have suffered from domestic violence, human trafficking or chronic unemployment. The culinary program has an 85% job placement rate.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: D.C. metro area
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $300 funds culinary student preparation of 50 healthy meals, which are donated to local families in need.
❱❱ $2,300 pays for licensing, certifications and a month of incubator services for a low-income entrepreneur (including counseling, commercial kitchen, equipment and capacity building training).
❱❱ $10,000 provides culinary training, uniforms, study materials, food management certification and job placement for one student.
Volunteer opportunities: Technical advisers are needed to offer expertise and support to aspiring culinary entrepreneurs.

Legal Aid Justice Center

Founded in 1967, Legal Aid Justice Center seeks equal justice for all by solving clients’ legal problems, strengthening the voices of low-income communities and rooting out the inequities that keep people in poverty. “We are both your neighborhood legal aid organization and a dragon-slaying civil rights organization, all in one.”
Headquartered: Offices in Charlottesville, Falls Church, Petersburg and Richmond
Serves: Low-income families and individuals throughout Virginia
What a donation can do:
Gifts of all amounts are appreciated. Unrestricted gifts support the mission by funding ambitious programs, leadership, internal equity, staff excellence and stability, operational support, technology, professional development, communications, fundraising, a healthy working environment, and a strong, supportive presence in low-income communities and communities of color.
Volunteer opportunities: Volunteers are help with food distribution in Culmore and Annandale every Thursday morning.

Literacy Council of Northern Virginia 🍎

The Literacy Council of Northern Virginia teaches adults the basic skills of reading, writing, speaking and understanding English so they can access employment and educational opportunities and more fully and equitably participate in the community. LCNV is currently providing both in-person and live-streamed group instruction.
Headquartered: Falls Church
Serves: Northern Virginia
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $85 provides a student scholarship.
❱❱ $100 trains two volunteer instructors.
❱❱ $500 supports five families in LCNV’s Family Learning Program.
❱❱ $1,000 provides distance learning to 22 students.
❱❱ $10,000 covers an intensive survival and job readiness literacy class for 10 refugee women.
Volunteer opportunities: Volunteer teachers lead classroom instruction 2-3 times a week per three-month semester. Class aides support learners in the classroom once or twice a week. Tutors provide supplemental instruction before or after class. Assessment specialists assess learners for appropriate program placement and measure their progress six times a year. Others help with class registration, outreach, office tasks and special projects. Unpaid internships are available to students over 18.

National Capital Treatment & Recovery 🍎

For nearly 60 years, National Capital Treatment & Recovery (formerly Phoenix House Mid-Atlantic) has provided high quality, evidence-based treatment to individuals suffering from substance use and related mental health issues. Patients gain the skills needed to manage their recovery and go on to lead independent, productive and drug-free lives. Services are offered regardless of a person’s financial resources. The continuum of care includes residential treatment facilities for adult men, women and young adults. The women’s residential program accepts mothers with young children. Outpatient programs include comprehensive patient services, individual/group counseling and education. Family involvement is encouraged through a weekly “Concerned Persons Conversations” group. The pandemic has imposed significant challenges for patients in treatment and recovery, including social isolation, lack of in-person support, sickness and/or death of loved ones, risk of unemployment, loss of insurance, delays in testing and access to a vaccine.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: Greater D.C. metro region
What a donation can do:
Donations to the Patient Assistance Fund or Young Adult Treatment Fund in Memory of John Buck financially support treatment costs for those who lack insurance or otherwise could not afford care.
❱❱ $250 funds therapeutic activities for residential patients.
❱❱ $500 pays for audiovisual equipment for telehealth sessions and residential patient education.
❱❱ $1,000 supports extended inpatient care for uninsured individuals.
Volunteer opportunities: Volunteers serve on NCTR’s board and committees and assist with marketing and fundraising. Internships are available for students enrolled in counseling programs.

New Hope Housing 🍎

New Hope Housing serves more than 1,600 people a year through its shelter, rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, support services and outreach programs for homeless individuals across Northern Virginia. Last year, NHH rehoused more than 250 people and worked diligently to protect homeless people from Covid.
Headquartered: Fairfax County
Serves: Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church and Fairfax
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $250 provides a new bed for someone moving out of homelessness.
❱❱ $1,000 provides a month of rent to help get someone safely housed.
❱❱ $10,000 funds up to 30 employment scholarships to help homeless shelter guests get better jobs through special training and courses.
Volunteer opportunities: Volunteers help with meal prep and delivery, tutoring, résumé writing, job search assistance, virtual game nights, building repairs and maintenance, landscaping, yard work and office tasks. Commitments can be one-time or ongoing. Internships and service learning hours available to students pursuing careers in social services, communications and marketing.

Northern Virginia Family Service 🍎

Northern Virginia Family Service empowers more than 35,000 individuals and families on their journey to self-sufficiency, providing the support and resources they need to thrive.
Headquartered: Oakton
Serves: Northern Virginia
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $50 provides a portable crib for one newborn.
❱❱ $100 covers health screenings for 50 children.
❱❱ $500 provides five nights of emergency shelter for a family in need.
Volunteer opportunities: Volunteers at the Clock Tower Thrift Shop in Falls Church help sort and organize donations, tag items for sale, restock the sales floor, accept and process donations and greet customers. Volunteers age 13-15 must be accompanied by a parent.

OAR of Arlington, Alexandria and Falls Church

OAR envisions a safe and thriving community where those impacted by the legal system enjoy equal civil and human rights. OAR journeys with individuals of all genders who are returning to the community from incarceration and offers alternative sentencing options to youth and adults to reduce incarceration. It seeks to dismantle personal racism and systemic racism in the criminal legal system and all systems.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: Arlington County, City of Alexandria and the City of Falls Church
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $100 provides transportation for five participants recently released from incarceration.
❱❱ $250 covers ID retrieval for at least six participants, which is needed to secure housing and employment.
❱❱ $500 covers up to three months of case management for one participant.
❱❱ $1,000 provides up to one month of transportation for up to 15 participants.
❱❱ $2,500 provides up to a year’s worth of reentry services for one participant.
❱❱ $10,000 covers the cost of one part-time employment specialist for one year.
Volunteer opportunities: Volunteers are needed for data entry, special events and to serve as court volunteers. Interested candidates must attend a 10-week (three hours per week) racial justice and liberation cohort.

PathForward

PathForward (formerly A-SPAN) envisions an inclusive and equitable community where all neighbors live stable, secure and independent lives, free from the threat of homelessness. PathForward’s mission is to transform lives by delivering housing solutions and pathways to stability. In July, the nonprofit launched its Medical Mobile Unit, combining street outreach with medical services to meet the needs of and build trust with those living on the street. PathForward currently needs supplies for mobile medical backpacks, as well as blood pressure cuffs, transportation to doctor visits, medications and supplies for foot and diabetes care.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: Arlington County
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $100 provides four round-trip rides for clients to doctors’ visits.
❱❱ $250 provides two clients with a month’s supply of life-saving medication.
❱❱ $750 purchases medical and wound-care supplies, as well as portable equipment for four medical mobile outreach backpacks.
Volunteer opportunities: Volunteers are needed to supply and deliver bagged meals to the Homeless Services Center in Courthouse, where kitchen staff, in turn, distribute meals to clients. Meals must be prepared off-site and delivered to the center’s open-air loading dock. Volunteers are also needed to knit blankets, socks, gloves and scarves.

Phoenix Bikes

Phoenix Bikes combines youth education programs with a full-service bike shop. Its free Earn-a-Bike program (now available as an after-school club at local middle and high schools) teaches bike repair skills to youth ages 12-17 and enables them to earn a bike for themselves. The nonprofit also hosts a weekly Earn-a-Bike class at its Arlington bike shop on Tuesday afternoons.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: D.C. metro area
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $25 provides one U-lock and helmet for an Earn-a-Bike program graduate.
❱❱ $30 provides a new floor pump for youth learning how to fix flat tires.
❱❱ $120 provides new cables (for shifting and braking) for 15 Earn-a-Bike students.
Volunteer opportunities: Phoenix Bikes is revamping its adult volunteer program this fall. Check the website and social media for updates.

Postpartum Support Virginia 🍎

Postpartum Support Virginia provides educational programs, outreach and recovery resources for women suffering from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs). PMADs are the No. 1 complication of pregnancy and childbirth, affecting more than 20% of childbearing women, yet for many remain undiagnosed and untreated. PSVa works to ensure that women are screened for PMADs and provides free social support groups, peer mentors and access to specially trained mental health professionals.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: All of Virginia, with 32 support groups statewide and training programs for nurses and mental health providers.
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $100 funds the operation of PSVa’s Warm Line for one week.
❱❱ $250 covers one month of free support group meetings.
❱❱ $500 covers a one-day nurse training session on how to talk about and screen for PMADs.
❱❱ $1,000 provides a full-day training session for peer mentor and social support volunteers
Volunteer opportunities: Trained volunteers lead support groups, serve as peer mentors and field calls to the PSVa Warm Line. Volunteers also assist with fundraisers, special events, community outreach, social media and administrative tasks. Internships and service hours available.

PRS and PRS CrisisLink

PRS provides behavioral health, crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to adults, youth and families. Its vision is to change and save lives by empowering hope, safety, recovery, wellness, independence and community integration. Services include the PRS CrisisLink hotline, textline and chat, as well as Recovery Academy day programs, employment support services, peer services and supported housing.
Headquartered: Oakton
Serves: Northern Virginia
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $100 funds program supplies for music therapy, art therapy, health and wellness, and coping skills for clients in Recovery Academy day programs.
❱❱ $250 sponsors training for one PRS CrisisLink hotline volunteer who can answer 450 calls per year.
❱❱ $500 provides five hours of skill-building sessions to uninsured clients needing assistance with medication management, housing and independent living skills.
Volunteer opportunities: Hotline/textline/chatline workers provide crisis intervention and suicide prevention services via phone, text or chat to community members contacting CrisisLink. Volunteers must be 21 or older, undergo intensive training and make a weekly commitment for a minimum of one year via remote call center. Volunteer opportunities also are available in PRS Recovery Academies and the administrative office.

Read Early And Daily (READ) 🍎

Read Early and Daily (READ) was created to address reading inequities faced by our community’s youngest and most economically vulnerable children. The Arlington nonprofit puts new, free, quality, culturally-relevant books into kids’ hands every month.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: Arlington
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $50 funds six months of participation in READ My Stories for a baby in need.
❱❱ $100 provides five uninsured pregnant moms-to-be with a bundle of five bilingual board books with reading tips.
❱❱ $500 funds a full year of participation in READ My Stories for five babies in need.
Volunteer opportunities: Adult volunteers deliver books to enrolled families, assist with administrative tasks and help out at community pop-up sales and school book fairs. READ loves working with young people and offers a variety of ways to volunteer, including (but not limited to) tracking inventory of new books, updating the website and assisting at community pop-up sales and book fairs. READ is happy to work with families to create parent-child volunteering opportunities for young children.

Rock Recovery

Rock Recovery provides affordable therapy services and support groups help people find freedom from eating disorders and body image issues. Since 2009, Rock Recovery has provided treatment and support services to hundreds of clients and families who couldn’t otherwise access the care they needed to heal.
Headquartered: Arlington (Rosslyn)
Serves: Rock Recovery provides virtual and in-person therapy services to residents of Virginia, D.C. and Maryland and virtual support groups to individuals nationwide.
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $30 provides two meals for a client in a meal support group.
❱❱ $50 sponsors one client’s screening fees.
❱❱ $100 provides one individual therapy session.
Volunteer opportunities: Rock Recovery is always looking for volunteers to help with events and fundraising. Click here to learn more about volunteer opportunities and how to apply.

Virginia Hospital Center 🍎

A not-for-profit, independent teaching hospital, Virginia Hospital Center is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network—a national network of independent health care organizations. The Virginia Hospital Center Foundation ensures that patient needs are met with compassion and the most comprehensive, advanced level of care possible.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: D.C. metro area
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $100 covers prescription medications for 20 uninsured children.
❱❱ $250 funds OB Connect at-home care kits for economically vulnerable moms to receive prenatal care from home.
❱❱ $1,000 funds specialized certification for a trauma nurse in the Emergency Department.
❱❱ $5,000 underwrites the cost of continuing medical education for one of the hospital’s primary care practices.
Volunteer opportunities: The hospital’s Volunteer Services Group provides various kinds of support to patient representative services, inpatient hospital units, outpatient services and specialized services. Virginia Hospital Center Auxiliary members help with wheelchair transportation and gift shops, and staff information desks.

Wesley Housing

Wesley Housing supports some 3,300 low-income residents by creating affordable housing communities that foster personal development and self-sufficiency.
Headquartered: Alexandria
Serves: D.C. metro area (nearly a quarter of its portfolio is in Arlington County)
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $60 covers a week of Metro fares to help a resident get to work.
❱❱ $200 provides a month of food assistance for a senior.
❱❱ $500 covers a family of four’s wish list for the holiday season.
Volunteer opportunities: Translators fluent in Spanish, Amharic, Farsi, Korean and other languages ensure all residents have equal access to resources. Volunteers also facilitate the Holiday Help drive (sorting, wrapping and delivering gifts), assist with youth after-school and summer camp programs, tutor children, serve as aides in adult education programs, and provide event and marketing photography.

YMCA Arlington

YMCA Arlington serves more than 4,000 Arlington youths annually with child care, summer camps, sports, aquatics, tennis and other family programs. The Y offers wellness programs for all ages, and scholarships and financial assistance to those in need. Over the last decade, the Y has provided more than $950,000 in financial assistance to children, families and seniors. Its current outreach includes blood drives in partnership with the American Red Cross and produce/meal distribution in partnership with both Keany Produce and Child Care Resources.
Headquartered: Arlington
Serves: Arlington, Falls Church, parts of Alexandria and Washington, D.C.
What a donation can do:
❱❱ $1,750 covers five weeks of camp for one child.
❱❱ $2,500 provides nine months of before- and after-school care for a working parent.
❱❱ $5,000 provides one year of healthy living classes and activities for seven senior couples.
❱❱ $13,500 allows 25 teens to participate in the Model General Assembly.
❱❱ $25,000 provides free after-school enrichment programs at elementary schools in challenged neighborhoods throughout Arlington.
Volunteer opportunities: Volunteers assist with birthday parties, after-school programs and community wellness programming. Individuals with 1-2 years of tennis teaching experience are needed to help with the after-school junior tennis program.