5 Nonprofits Cranberry Residents Could Support This Holiday Season

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, PA — If you’re like many of your 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 area.

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

• Humane Animal Rescue Pittsburgh: One of Pittsburgh's largest nonprofit organizations dedicated to the welfare of animals, pets and the community. Human Animal Rescue operates two low-cost, high quality veterinary medical centers. In an average year, more than 6,500 animals are treated and more than 7,000 spay and neuter surgeries are performed in these facilities.

• Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank: The organization works with a network of 1,000+ partner agencies across the 11 counties it serves to not only make sure no one has to go hungry, but also to stabilize lives and confront issues of chronic hunger, poor nutrition and health. The food bank also is a primary driver in comprehensive anti-hunger endeavors at the regional, state and national levels.

• Crisis Center North: The organization is a counseling and resource center that provides services to victims of domestic violence and their loved ones via counseling, therapy, case management, legal and medical advocacy, and economic empowerment services. In addition, the center provides community trainings on topics related to intimate partner violence and teen dating violence, as well as prevention education programming to local schools.

• Pittsburgh Musical Theater: Provides quality, affordable musical theater to the region, educating youth in the arts, and employing and developing local talent. The organization offers many different classes for acting, singing dancing and other theater arts, as well as provides professional productions of musical prominently featuring local talent for the Pittsburgh community to enjoy.

• 412 Food Rescue.: Since its inception in 2015, 412 Food Rescue has recovered over 14 million pounds of food, redirecting it from landfills to people experiencing food insecurity. The organization provides food to more than 600 nonprofits in Southwestern Pennsylvania that is made available to more than 100,000 people annually.