5 Nonprofits Near The North Fork To Support This Holiday Season

NORTH FORK, NY — If you’re like many of your North Fork 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 North Fork area.

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

1. Center for Advocacy, Support and Transformation (CAST): Since 1965, CAST has been serving vulnerable and low-income individuals and families on the North Fork of Long Island. CAST provides a critical safety net helping address food, housing, employment, and healthcare insecurity with dignity and compassion. CAST serves a diverse population that includes children, older residents, people living with disabilities, single parents, veterans, the working poor, and people seeking employment. CAST is committed to helping people achieve economic security through education and workforce training. CAST offersmany programs and services, including various food relief and nutrition programs, benefit application and emergency assistance, a sharing room with clothes and household items, advocacy and referrals, a wide array of education programs for children and adults, including an early literacy program, summer program, afterschool program, ENL, computer and citizenship classes, a culinary skills program as well as an arts and culture program, and much more.

2. The League/ North Fork Animal Welfare League: The North Fork Animal Welfare League is a 501c3 non for profit no-kill animal shelter with two locations on the East End of Long Island in both Southold and Riverhead Towns. Founded in 1963. "The League welcomes animals of all kinds, but at our core, is people like you, who care about their own animals and the animals in our community," the organization says. The North Fork Animal Welfare League’s mission is to inspire compassion for all living things, to provide shelter to animals in need, and to promote adoptions, animal welfare, and responsible pet ownership in our community.

3. Kait's Angels: Kait’s Angels, created in memory of Kaitlyn Doorhy, provides financial support, emotional assistance, and other services to people with health issues, employment interruption, and other emergencies. The organization sponsors age-appropriate school assemblies that deliver positive messages of reinforcement to young people in the community, deliver constructive inspiration through our various social media platforms, and aspires to ensure a progressive environment full of opportunity for our North Fork community.

In honor of Giving Tuesday, Kait’s Angels will match all donations made through December 3. The contributions will be used to purchase gift certificates for the annual Toy Drive, ensuring even more support for our community. To donate for Giving Tuesday, click here.

4.North Fork Environmental Council: The NFEC's mission is to provide members, the community and representatives "with the tools, experience, science and guidance necessary for them to make informed decisions about our people and our environment."

5. Maureen's Haven: Maureen’s Haven Homeless Outreach is dedicated to supporting the homeless on the East End of Long Island. "We offer supportive services, programs, and access to case management, and our guests can enjoy a meal, get clothes, and have access to basic needs at our day center year-round. We also provide a safe, warm temporary shelter to homeless individuals, from November through April, utilizing volunteer houses of worship and congregation volunteers. The host facilities and supporting organizations provide much more than a place to sleep and a nutritious meal. They provide support through embracing the values of human dignity, respect, service, compassion, teamwork, diversity, and love," the group says.