<p>I really love Mary’s Meals. I also donate to local homelessness orgs and the local children’s hospice.</p>
<p>I never heard of Heifer before either. They look great.</p>
<p>Doctors Without Borders, Feeding America, and The Carter Center.</p>
<p>+1 on Heifer International.</p>
<p>Are we willing to include the Stephen Colbert super PAC.</p>
<p>Hahaha on the Colbert super PAC! We can probably wait a few years on that one!
We give to Doctors Without Borders too.</p>
<p>Sponsor a Guinea Pig - they work with rescues across the country and find some of the toughest cases. </p>
<p>Best Friends Animal Society - I was long looking for a no-kill organization to sponsor. Unlike most other organizations, they keep and don’t euthanize unadoptable animals, and they help all sorts of critters - dogs, cats, pigs (the farm kind), etc.</p>
<p>Local children’s hospital, Relay for Life, food pantry, schools, NPR, and Afghan Women’s Writing Project.</p>
<p>I like the Boys and Girls Club, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Imagine No Malaria.</p>
<p>The Breakthrough Collaborative. Helps low income kids with college potential staring in middle school with academic summer school and school year programs to get them prepared to go to college. In addition to adult teacher/mentors, they hire a staff of college students as well (most of whom want to be teachers) for the summer school programs. They have programs in about 30 cities. They also provide support for college and financial aid counseling when the kids reach the college application process. The program in our city has been going for about 8 years, and has sent the first few classes of kids off to college. Not every kid makes it, but I think pretty much none of them would make it to college without this program.</p>
<p>The program is funded almost entirely through donations from businesses and individuals (there are minor government components, like free lunch provided during the summer program). I give money, and also volunteer every year with our local program to help hire teachers and select sixth grade students to enter the program. One of my kids taught for 3 summers through them (English & Social Studies), and I think it was one of the most challenging and exhilerating experiences of her life.</p>
<p>The Red Cross, our local food pantry and whatever arts organization is currently paying D.</p>
<p>Planned Parenthood and Compassion, Intl.</p>
<p>Another person who has never heard of Heifer, but I’m going to google it right now. All these people here support it, must be great!</p>
<p>Edited to add…interesting program at Heifer. I wonder if they’ll let me send romani a goat. Okay, a Llama.</p>
<p>I’ve also supported Heifer International and an organization that does similar work, WorldVision. Also Habitat for Humanity, Make A Wish Foundation, my local NPR station, and my local SPCA. </p>
<p>So many wonderful organizations here. I wish my donation budget could be larger!</p>
<p>I want a llama!!!</p>
<p>ETA: Actually what I really, really want is a pet pig.</p>
<p>the Jr and Sr high youth from our church went to the Heifer Int. Ranch in Arkansas for a week last summer. They had a great time and learned a lot. We have a tall tube in the foyer at church for people to put their spare quarters in. When it is full there is $500 in it, then it gets sent on to Heifer Int.</p>
<p>United Way…and the branches of it when it comes to working with and volunteering in the local community.</p>
<p>I’m a big fan of Heifer and Food for the Poor. Food for the Poor is a very well-run organization and apparently is one of the “leanest” charities, meaning most of every donation is put to the donor’s intended use rather than overhead, marketing, etc.</p>
<p>[Food</a> For The Poor | Helping the Poor, Charitable Giving, International Relief | Serving the Poorest of the Poor](<a href=“http://www.foodforthepoor.org/]Food”>http://www.foodforthepoor.org/)</p>
<p>If you “like” their Facebook page you will start receiving their “Did you know?” posts about hunger/poverty issues around the world, which are always really eye-opening.</p>
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<p>I live in Dallas proper, not a suburb. There is a woman in my neighborhood who has a very large pet pig, which she puts on a leash and walks daily. I always see cars driving down the street and screeching their brakes when they see her to gawk.</p>
<p>Volunteeres of America!</p>
<p>Another Planned Parenthood here and I support our local missions/homeless shelters.</p>
<p>“I want a llama!!!”</p>
<p>My around the corner neighbor when I was in high school had a pet Llama, Larry, and this was in the suburbs of Syracuse! He was adorable and sweet and loved to be petted.</p>
<p>We support the arts, and make annual contributions to all of our alumni associations. All household and clothing donations go to a local group that provides programs to the developmentally disabled in our area.</p>