Spirit of Giving: 7 Nonprofits To Support In Natick

NATICK, MA—It's easy to find a charity. Swing a stick and you'll hit some organization, somewhere, raising money for some cause. But many want to keep it truly local, and help the neighbors around you or the charities that operate right in your community.

The season of giving is upon us. After we smash into people with our carts and knock everyone over at the retail stores for Black Friday, and sit online grabbing red hot deals on Cyber Monday, we turn our thoughts to #GivingTuesday.

Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season on Nov. 28. Since its inaugural year in 2012, #GivingTuesday has become a movement that celebrates and supports giving and philanthropy with events throughout the year and a growing catalog of resources, said the organization.

Here is a list of seven nonprofit organizations operating or helping in Natick. Learn more about them.

1. A Place to Turn: A Place To Turn was established in 1979. The founders were among the first to recognize that economic hardship exists in the suburbs and is not exclusively an urban problem. The food pantry began as a fledgling entity in the basement of a private home, moved briefly to St. Patrick Church in Natick, and in 1981 settled at its present location in a small cape on the grounds of the Hartford Street Presbyterian Church in Natick.
2. Angels of Hope: the mission at Angels of Hope has always been to provide the best possible medical, psychological, and social care to as many of the millions of orphans in Uganda as is possible. Clinics are staffed by nurses with excellent skills and experience who work, not just to care for the immediate needs of the patient, but to understand their psychological needs, keep watch for signs of physical abuse/ and or long term illnesses and to keep accurate files on each patient.
3. Natick Service Council: an independent, non-profit organization that connects, engages and collaborates with the community to support Natick neighbors who are experiencing hardship or economic uncertainty by promoting self-sufficiency.
4. BINA Farm Center:BINA Farm Center (BFC) brings together individuals with and without special needs by offering a variety of inclusive enrichment programs that help them to both thrive personally and make their best contribution towards the communities in which they live. BFC provides a comprehensive therapeutic and recreational environment utilizing Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies, Vocational Training Programs and Creative and Complementary Therapies for children and adults with physical, developmental and emotional challenges.
5. Thom Child and Family Services: offers an array of services to families, children and other professionals. Research findings continue to demonstrate that comprehensive, high-quality early intervention services are able to minimize the effects of medical and environmental risks, diagnosed disabilities and developmental delays. The intervention teams deliver these services within the context of families and communities.
6. Kids Connect: tutoring program serving the youth of Natick providing educational services in math, including geometry and algebra, language arts, chemistry, physics and Spanish. Workshops in related topics and small groups in middle school subjects are also offered. Kids Connect provides tutoring on a sliding scale basis and is open year round to students in grades K through 12.
7. Stray Pets In Need: Mission is to promote the well-being of animals and responsible human-animal relationships. Stray Pets in Need was formed in 1991 to promote the well-being of animals and responsible human/animal relationships. Each year more than 400 animals are placed in new, carefully selected adoptive homes.

What nonprofit do you support? Tell us about it in the comments section.

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