Giving Tuesday: 5 Livermore Nonprofits That Could Use Your Help

LIVERMORE, CA —There’s no single way to show generosity on Giving Tuesday, which falls this year on Tuesday, Dec. 2, but several nonprofits in Livermore are counting on end-of-the-year donations and support.

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday all focus on consumerism, while the idea behind GivingTuesday is to galvanize fundraising, rally volunteers and add momentum to their causes.

Since 2012, nonprofits, community and grassroots groups, and mutual aid networks worldwide have used the #GivingTuesday hashtag to encourage fundraising, rally volunteers and add momentum to their causes, according to the nonprofit of the same name behind the movement.

Local nonprofits remain heavily dependent on donor support. Charitable contributions increased 2.9 percent from June 2024 to June 2025, according to the Fundraising Effectiveness Report analysis.
Notably, although total dollars raised have increased, year-to-date performance among supersize donors has been softer than in 2024, making small contributions more important than ever.

In the United States, Giving Tuesday is led by hundreds of communities, networks and coalitions.
Here are five nonprofits in Livermore that depend on community support (donations should be made directly to each of the nonprofits below).

We know this is just the tip of the iceberg for worthy local nonprofits. We tried to highlight a diverse range of nonprofits we haven’t listed before that we feel are doing important work in the community. For a full list of local nonprofits, visit the Tri-Valley Nonprofit Alliance’s directory, and see last year’s list. If you’d like us to spotlight the good work of a particular organization, feel free to get in touch by emailing michael.wittner@patch.com.

1. Kids Bike Lane

Kids Bike Lane partners with charities, community groups, civic organizations, corporations and individuals to provide bikes for under-served youth in Alameda and Contra Costa counties to promote a healthy, active, and joyful lifestyle.

2. NAMI Tri-Valley

NAMI Tri-Valley is the local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. They offer meetings, support groups, classes, resources, and advocacy devoted to improving the lives of people impacted by mental illness.

3. Open Heart Kitchen

Open Heart Kitchen is dedicated to eliminating hunger in the Tri-Valley, both by feeding the hungry and by working to eliminate the poverty that causes hunger. Open Heart offers free community meals, a meal delivery program for seniors, a 19,000-square-foot food distribution kitchen, an overnight shelter, and the Vineyard Resource Center, offering 23 permanent supportive apartments.

4. Quest Science Center

Quest runs numerous free outreach events and online projects to get local kids interested in science. They run programs like the Tri-Valley Innovation Fair, spotlighting discoveries and innovations made by local companies and individuals; Science @ Stockmen’s Park, a series of free, family-friendly science activities, and numerous student-run programs devoted to climate change awareness and advocacy.

5. Tri-Valley Haven

Tri-Valley Haven provides shelter, counseling, food, education, support groups, and resources for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, homelessness, and substance dependency.

The Giving Tuesday movement encourages “radical generosity,” the concept that the suffering of others should be as intolerable to us as our own suffering, according to the movement’s website.
Giving Tuesday was created in New York City in 2012 with a simple goal: to encourage people to do good. Over the past nine years, the idea has grown into the global movement it is today.
Last year, Giving Tuesday participants raised a record-breaking $3.6 billion from 36.1 million participants, bringing the total raised on the day since 2012 to $18.5 billion.

SEE ALSO:

• 5 Livermore Nonprofits To Support This Holiday Season