5 Tinley Park Nonprofits To Support This Holiday Season

TINLEY PARK, IL — If you’re like many of your Tinley Park 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 Tinley Park area.

1. 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.

2. Tinley Wish: Tinley Wish is a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) organization whose goal has ALWAYS been to help Tinley Park residents who are going through unimaginable times. For the last 25+ years, a small group of first responders has brought a little joy and happiness to Tinley Park residents facing undeniably tricky times.For the last 25 Christmas' we have done this because of generous donations by the young and old alike, as well as by those in the business community. Donate here.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. The Bridge Teen Center: The Bridge Teen Center is an innovative grassroots nonprofit community center that was designed around the interests and needs of teens in the suburbs. It opened in Orland Park in 2010, and has served over 13,500 different teens and families from 128 Chicago Southland and Northwest Indiana communities. ITs mission is to provide free programs during after-school and unsupervised hours where students can develop mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually in a safe environment. The vision of The Bridge Teen Center is to provide teens with a place to find hope, purpose, and direction. Find out more.