Give the gift of reading. The Adult Literacy League (adultliteracyleague.org<\/a>) helps brave adults who never mastered reading or who use English as a second language. It\u2019s a powerful way to change a life. Just $25 can buy a student\u2019s first set of books while $152 covers the cost of all four sections of a GED exam. Or become a tutor yourself. You don\u2019t need expertise, and many tutors say it\u2019s incredibly rewarding. Have questions? Call 407-422-1540.<\/p>\n Give time as a group. Maybe you have a church group, book club or group of friends looking to serve together. Well, Orlando\u2019s Christian Service Center for the Homeless (christianservicecenter.org<\/a>) is looking for groups willing to serve meals on a regular, monthly basis. The gift of time can be as meaningful as money. Sometimes even more so.<\/p>\n Give a kid a safe place. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida (bgccf.org<\/a>) provides safe places for 13,000 kids to stay and study after school with mentors to boot. Families pay a nominal fee of $40 for an entire school year\u2019s worth of services that actually cost the nonprofit $2,500. So you could consider covering either amount \u2014 or anything in between.<\/p>\n Lift someone\u2019s spirits. For some people, the holidays can be painfully lonely, especially those struggling with mental illness. That\u2019s why, for more than 60 years, the Mental Health Association of Central Florida (mhacf.org<\/a>) has run \u201cProject Cheer,\u201d providing holiday-time care packages to those in behavioral hospitals. Just $20 covers the cost of a cheer package. The association hopes to deliver 500 of them this year.<\/p>\n Keep someone warm. Matthew\u2019s Hope Ministries in Winter Garden (matthewshopeministries.org<\/a>) helps those without homes learn job skills and get into permanent housing. And Matthew\u2019s Hope meets its clientele where they are \u2014 often on the streets where it\u2019s cold. A gift of $50 can provide winter clothes, including a hat, scarf and gloves.<\/p>\n Help neighbors in Seminole, Lake or Osceola counties. The Sharing Center in Longwood (thesharingcenter.org<\/a>) stocks a food pantry for families throughout Seminole County and is looking for donations to help keep its pantry full.\u00a0 The Neighborhood Center of South Lake (tncsl.org<\/a>) is looking for help both big and small \u2014 big donors willing to help purchase a $200,000 refrigerated truck and lots of donors willing to donate $15 to cover the costs of a week\u2019s worth of meals for kids in need. And the Hope Partnership in Osceola (thehopepartnership.org<\/a>) provides showers to those without homes and is looking for 25 people to give $60, enough to provide monthly showers for one person.<\/p>\n Help an animal. The Pet Alliance (petallianceorlando.org) cares for animals that would otherwise be neglected. And it takes a lot to feed, care and love on cats and dogs in six counties. So the alliance makes it easy to donate everything from pet food to cleaning supplies via the group\u2019s Amazon wish list at petallianceorlando.org\/ways-give\/wish-list\/<\/a><\/p>\n Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/Orlando Sentinel<\/p>\n The Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando takes care of thousands of pets in need of good homes. Help someone get to and from work. Transportation is a big challenge for those who work many of the low-wage jobs in Central Florida\u2019s service-sector economy. Many work full-time but can\u2019t afford their own cars. That\u2019s why the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida (hsncfl.org<\/a>) is always in need of bus passes. A $50 donation covers the cost of one 30-day bus pass from Lynx.<\/p>\n Help someone rebuild their life. Both the Victim Service Center of Central Florida (victimservicecenter.org<\/a>) and Harbor House of Central Florida (harborhousefl.com<\/a>) help people right after a crisis strikes. So both are always in need of gift cards to places like Publix, Walmart, Target, and Wawa. To help victims of traumatic crime after anything from a stolen purse to a home invasion, you can email e-gift cards to Marketing@VictimServiceCenter.org or drop off or mail physical cards to 2111 E. Michigan St., Suite 210, Orlando, FL, 32806. And to help those fleeing domestic violence, gift cards can be mailed to P.O. Box 680748, Orlando, Fl. 32868.<\/p>\n Give someone their identity back. IDignity (idignity.org<\/a>) is a unique and effective nonprofit that helps people who\u2019ve lost their driver\u2019s licenses and other IDs navigate what can be a byzantine system when you don\u2019t have legal help or basic documents. For $400, you can cover all the costs associated with helping these folks get back both their identity and their dignity.<\/p>\n Support a caregiver. It can be tough caring for a loved one with memory loss. That\u2019s why the Alzheimer\u2019s & Dementia Resource Center (ADRCcares.org<\/a>) helps caregivers with both emotional support and navigating the complicated health care system. Donations of any size can buy everything from informational books to paying for the staff who answer round-the-clock calls. You can also just spread the word about this good group to anyone who could use support.<\/p>\n Help someone end homelessness. Last year, the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida (centralfloridahomeless.org<\/a>) helped 2,800 people move into permanent homes. That\u2019s a big impact. A donation of $250 can cover virtually all the costs for helping one family begin that new, self-sufficient life.<\/p>\n Send someone to a special camp. Quest, Inc. (questinc.org<\/a>) provides an array of services to those with developmental disabilities, including the opportunity for adults to attend Quest\u2019s Camp Thunderbird. This week-long, overnight experience offers activities and fellowship tailor-made for a population that\u2019s often overlooked. A gift of $1,000 covers the cost of a full week of overnight camp. But any gift helps.<\/p>\n Support a veteran. The Camaraderie Foundation (camaraderiefoundation.org<\/a>) helps veterans dealing with \u201cthe invisible wounds of war.\u201d A gift of $100 covers one mental health session while $1,500 covers the cost of a \u201cFamily Fun Day\u201d for 100 veterans and their families. Or, if you\u2019re looking to serve, the foundation is always looking for new board members eager to roll up their sleeves and make connections in this community.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ZDSTXD6J2RHTBAPO3LZ7A5K5HA.jpg\")
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\n(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n