Here’s Amy’s annual charity roundup

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

Your donation may go further at a small local nonprofit than at a large charity.

This is a subjective list. 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.

World Central Kitchen (worldcentralkitchen.org):

This nonprofit, started by Chef José Andrés, inspired the world with their quick response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. According to The New York Times, “No other single agency ... has fed more people freshly cooked food since the hurricane, or done it in such a nurturing way.”

Donors Choose (donorschoose.org): Donors Choose connects classroom teachers with people who can help them. On the website, teachers post their classroom wishes, ranging from colored pencils and paper to winter coats for children who don’t have them. I just contributed toward five ukuleles for a classroom in Lincoln Elementary School in Dolton, Illinois!

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 quickly in a crisis, responding to natural disasters, but also to the desperate and human-scaled need for fresh water every day.

Feeding America (feedingamerica.org): If you type a ZIP code into this national organization’s search engine, you will find a local food bank within its vast network that will gratefully receive your donation dollars.

Wikipedia (Wikipedia.org): When was the last time you looked something up using this free encyclopedia? I thought so. Maybe it’s time to donate.