5 Eatontown-Long Branch Nonprofits To Support This Holiday Season

EATONTOWN, NJ — If you’re like many of your Eatontown-Long Branch 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 Long Branch-Eatontown area.

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

1. Fulfill: The food bank of Monmouth and Ocean counties: Always seeking food and monetary donations. Scheduled a tour at the Fulfill headquarters in Neptune or Toms River. A one-dollar donation allows them to provide three meals to neighbors in need.

2. Monmouth County SPCA: Helping the animals of Monmouth County. Always looking for item drop offs, pet food drop offs, volunteers or monetary donations.

3. 180 Turning Lives Around: Helping women and children escape domestic violence relationships. Located in Hazlet, call (732) 264-4360

4. The Stephanie Nicole Parze Foundation: For teens and women escaping domestic violence and missing persons help. Founded in honor of a 25-year-old Freehold woman who was killed by her abusive boyfriend. How you can help: https://www.snpfoundation.org/

5. The Arc of Monmouth - Tinton Falls: The Arc of Monmouth is a non-profit serving people with autism, Down syndrome, and other intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) in Monmouth County. Learn how you can help: https://arcofmonmouth.or

6. SCAN, the Senior Citizens Activities Network. (www.scannj.org) This is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in the basement of Monmouth Mall. In operation since 1988, their mission is to combat social isolation among seniors in Monmouth and Ocean counties. They have more than 500 members who come to their 4,000-square-foot facility to take their free and low-cost programs, classes and workshops, such as the arts, fitness, languages, dancing, music, yoga and technology. They also hold free lunch-and-learn events to help seniors stay healthy and provide them with resources they need to successfully age in their homes. They also offer a benefit enrollment center that helps the neediest seniors in Monmouth County by connecting them to benefits they did not previously have, such as Medicaid, utility assistance and connection to food programs. If you want to help lonely local seniors, here is the link to their GivingTuesday campaign: https://scannj.org/giving-tuesday-december-3-2024/