5 Oak Forest Nonprofits To Support This Holiday Season

OAK FOREST, IL — If you’re like many of your Oak Forest neighbors, you may spend a good part of the holiday season with your credit card in hand buying gifts for family and friends. Coming up soon is a chance to give back to the local community.

Giving Tuesday, which in 2024 falls on Dec. 3, is a day dedicated to supporting nonprofit and community groups. Since 2012, nonprofits worldwide have used the Tuesday after Thanksgiving to galvanize fundraising, rally volunteers and add momentum to their causes.

Maintaining funding is a constant challenge for many nonprofits that fill gaps and meet other needs in the Oak Forest area.

1. Project Fire Buddies: Project Fire Buddies brings joy to kids struggling with critical illnesses, with firefighters who volunteer to offer support and give back to those children. Local chapters focus on building relationships with their fire buddies. Members of PFB visit Fire Buddies in their homes, often times arriving in a parade of fire vehicles with lights blazing and sirens blaring. They bring gifts for birthdays and holidays, play games, provide tickets to concerts and special events, and attend important events in the children’s lives. PFB has also helped families to secure much-needed medical supplies and devices. Find out how to donate.

2. Sleep In Heavenly Peace: A national 501(c)(3) with local branches. The nonprofit builds and delivers beds to local children who do not have a bed. SHP's mission is to end child bedlessness and ensure that no child sleeps on the floor. SHP partners with communities to build bunk beds, mattresses, pillows, and bedding from raw materials. They also host events called Build Days, where organizations, churches, businesses, and individuals can partner to build beds. Donate here.

3. Together We Cope: A prevention agency based in Tinley Park, Together We Cope provides resources to families in temporary crisis, enabling them to stay in their homes. Since 1982, Together We Cope has been bridging the gap for south suburban residents in 27 communities by supplying food, shelter, clothing and referrals, empowering them to return to self-sufficiency. With over 200 volunteers, generous community donations of food, clothing and household goods, and groceries purchased from the Greater Chicago Food Depository, TWC serves more than 1,500 families each month. Donate here.

4. Crisis Center for South Suburbia: The Crisis Center for South Suburbia is a non-profit community organization that provides emergency shelter and other essential services for individuals and families impacted by domestic violence and addresses the societal issues that contribute to domestic violence. The crisis center offers a 24-hour hotline and other victim services, including emergency shelter, housing, prevention, outreach, advocacy and education. Make an online donation here.

5. Peoples Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) of Tinley Park: PAWS is a no-kill animal shelter dedicated to the protection of domestic animals and to prevent animal cruelty in the surrounding communities. PAWS provides shelter to abandoned, lost and relinquished pets, adoption and community education. The shelter strives to prevent the overpopulation of pets by offering spay/neutering services. To adopt a pet (there are a lot of kittens this year) or to make a donation, visit PAWS of Tinley Park.