5 Nonprofits Near Westhampton-Hampton Bays To Support This Season

WESTHAMPTON-HAMPTON BAYS, NY — If you’re like many of your neighbors in Westhampton and Hampton Bays, 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 Westhampton and Hampton Bays area.

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

1. Human Understanding & Growth Services (HUGS, Inc.): Human Understanding & Growth Services, Inc. (HUGS, Inc.), a New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) licensed agency, provides individuals, families, schools, and communities with prevention education strategies aimed at reducing high-risk behaviors among individuals while fostering wellness and positive attitudes to improve all areas of life. HUGS Inc. delivers programs supported by national experts and research as having a proven effect on reducing risk factors and building protective factors in individuals who receive them. HUGS staff provides customized workshops, presentations, assemblies, parent education, and training designed to address to diverse needs of Suffolk County communities including alcohol and drug trends and substance misuse, gambling, societal pressures, resilience, team-building, leadership, and empowerment.

2. Live Your Cor: "Live Your Cor" is the mantra of the Live Your Cor Foundation. The Live Your Cor Foundation was created in memory of Westhampton Beach High School graduate Cory Hubbard. Cory was killed by a hit-and-run driver while crossing the street in College Park, Maryland. The goal of the foundation is to "pay it forward" by providing financial assistance to families who have suffered adversity or a personal hardship.

3. Hampton Bays Beautification Association: The organization, founded in 1985 by a few community-spirited people interested in beautifying their town, now has over 1000 members and sponsors supporting this aesthetic effort. HBBA lends beauty to the scenic landscapes and provides both fun and pleasure to the lives of its members and the community.

4. Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center: The Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the rehabilitation of wild animals impacted by encroachment of humans on their habitat.

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.