5 Manassas Nonprofits To Support This Holiday Season

MANASSAS, VA — If you’re like many of your Manassas 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 Manassas area.

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

1. House of Mercy: House of Mercy provides food assistance and runs a thrift store and donation center to support its work. During the Christmas season, the nonprofit does a toy drive.

2. Boxes of Basics: This nonprofit provides clothing to children in need in Manassas, Manassas Park and Prince William County. Monetary donations are accepted in addition to clothing donations.

3. Northern Virginia Food Rescue: Reducing food waste, hunger and the environmental impacts of food waste are the focuses of this nonprofit. It works with grocery stores, restaurants and food distribution sites to collect unwanted food. The community can help with financial contributions or donations to its wish list.

4. Manassas Volunteer Fire Company: For over a century, this volunteer fire department has provided firefighting services. Volunteers who work other jobs typically fill in the volunteer roles to supplement the City of Manassas fire and rescue. Its sister organization Greater Manassas Volunteer Rescue Squad offers EMS services.

5. Manassas City Public Schools Education Foundation: This nonprofit seeks community and business support to improve education for K-12 public schools. Among its programs are scholarships for graduating high school students and workforce preparedness programs.

If you can't make a financial contribution, many organizations have volunteer opportunities. For more ways to help nonprofits in Manassas, check out Volunteer Prince William's ongoing list of volunteer opportunities.