5 Alexandria Nonprofits To Support This Holiday Season

ALEXANDRIA, VA — If you’re like many of your Alexandria 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 Alexandria area.

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

1. ALIVE: ALIVE helps residents in need with safety net resources, including food assistance. It runs several food hub locations and holds regular pop-up food distribution events. Another program is its ALIVE House, which houses women and their families in transitional situations.

2. Carpenter's Shelter: This organization serves hundreds of homeless individuals in Alexandria each year. It runs the 64-bed homeless shelter at 930 N. Henry Street and took over the Alexandria Community Shelter at 2355-B Mill Road in late 2023.

3. Animal Welfare League of Alexandria: This organization not only runs the city's animal shelter, but it also provides wildlife responses and services for pets and pet owners in Alexandria. In 2023, 1,545 animals were adopted from the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, and 2,868 animals benefited from its pet pantry. There are various ways to help, from monetary donations and volunteering to providing needed supplies.

4. Scholarship Fund of Alexandria: This scholarship fund helps Alexandria City High School graduates with financial need pursue higher education after high school. Since 1986, it has provided over $20 million in scholarships. Of the 841 Alexandria City High School graduates, 216 received some assistance from the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria.

5. The Child & Family Network Centers: This nonprofit provides early childhood education to over 100 children in income-qualifying families. Families also receive support services, including case management, to refer families to resources for areas of need.

For more ways to help nonprofits in Alexandria, check out Volunteer Alexandria's ongoing list of volunteer opportunities, check out some top nonprofits from the Spring2Action fundraiser, and save the date for the next Spring2Action day of giving on April 9, 2025.