5 Ellicott City Nonprofits To Support This Holiday Season

ELLICOTT CITY, MD— If you’re like many of your Howard County 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 Ellicott City area.

Here are five local nonprofits to consider getting behind on Giving Tuesday:

1. Blossoms for Hope: Beautifies the community with 2,900 Kwanzan Cherry, red bud and Native Dogwood trees blossoming throughout Howard County and the region. Contributes more than $750,000 to the community for cancer-related and other causes, including to the Claudia Mayer/Tina Broccolino Cancer Resource Center, Gilchrist, Arc of Howard County, Camp Attaway, Zaching Against Cancer, Bryanna's Love, Respite Retreats, Ohana of Howard County, First Generation College Bound, Ellicott City Partnership and others.

2. Special Olympics - Howard County: Special Olympics Howard County (SOHO) is a volunteer-driven organization that provides a year-round sports training and competitive program for over 900 Howard County children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in 22 sports programs

3. Community Action Council: Focuses on early childhood education, energy assistance, food assistance, housing assistance, and weatherization assistance to help guide a family from crisis to stability and ultimately to self-sufficiency
4. Merriweather Arts & Culture Center: A not-for-profit community organization dedicated to growing arts, culture and community in Merriweather Post Pavilion and throughout Downtown Columbia.
5. Small Miracles Cat & Dog Rescue: Small Miracles Cat & Dog Rescue is a private, nonprofit, no-kill shelter dedicated to providing the best possible care and finding forever homes for as many homeless cats and dogs as we are able. We have found homes for more than 12,000 cats since our founding in 2006 and more than 7,000 dogs since we expanded to serve dogs in late 2011.