Celebrate the giving season by donating

Dear Readers: In the spirit of this “giving” season, I present my annual roundup of charitable organizations readers should consider supporting.

Your donation may go further at a small local nonprofit than at a large charity. I reserve much of my own donation dollars for local organizations that give within my community of need. This year I made it a practice to also give to local organizations based in communities that were beset by natural (or human-caused) disasters. All contributions count. So do nonmonetary acts of kindness, such as shovelling a neighbour’s walk, bringing a casserole to a grieving person or simply abiding with someone in need through friendship.

In researching these charities, I am reminded of how fortunate we are to live in an era where generosity and helping those in need is a core value. This is a subjective list. Your own giving should reflect your interests and values. Most (but not all) of the organizations listed below have a top (four-star) rating on Charitynavigator.org, which is an excellent source for researching a charity.

Water Mission (watermission.org):

Founded by an environmental engineer and his wife in South Carolina in 2001, this Christian-based charity is on the ground in Puerto Rico, installing solar-powered water systems to provide fresh running water in hundreds of rural and isolated communities destroyed by Hurricane Maria.

World Central Kitchen (worldcentralkitchen.org):

This relatively tiny nonprofit, started by Chef Jose Andres, hit the ground running (and cooking) in Puerto Rico five days after Hurricane Maria, and started feeding people immediately. To date, they have served well over 2 million meals to Puerto Ricans. According to the New York Times, “No other single agency — not the Red Cross, the Salvation Army nor any government entity — has fed more people freshly cooked food since the hurricane, or done it in such a nurturing way.”

Music City Cares Fund (cfmt.org):

This fund was established very quickly after the devastating mass shooting in Las Vegas in October, where 58 people were killed and more than 500 wounded. All donations to this fund (100 percent) go to support Las Vegas nonprofits helping shooting victims.

Feeding America (feedingamerica.org):

Type a ZIP code into this national organization’s search engine, and you can find a local food bank within its vast network which will gratefully receive your donation dollars. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat and brown sausages on all sides. Set sausages aside. Add onions and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring often, until the onions start to soften, about four minutes. Add cabbage and cook, stirring it gently, for a couple of minutes.

Add stock, beans, thyme and bay leaves. Return sausages to the pot and bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Lower heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Discard bay leaves and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot in heated bowls, each serving topped with grated cheese.

Serves 6.