Many of us may volunteer or donate at a charity from time to time, or even more regularly, should the opportunity arise. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting everyone’s livelihoods, many charities have been facing a shortage of staffing and funds recently. These organizations have worked tirelessly to help others, and with COVID-19, they are in greater need than ever of financial assistance year-round and likely for many months or years to come. 

If you can give financially, please consider these local charities. They offer services to help those in need, from serving the homeless to working with vulnerable children in foster care. Your aid will go a long way in helping others and building a stronger community. 

Fosterful

Fosterful is a nonprofit organization of qualified volunteers, partnering with child welfare offices across Vancouver, to care for and nurture children entering foster care. As social workers strive to secure a safe environment and long-term care for the children, Fosterful watches over them, ensuring they are safe and occupied through the whole process. They work tirelessly to minimize trauma in the children they serve while building relationships.

Fosterful’s vision is to establish and sustain sites throughout Washington and Idaho, until they eventually have a presence in all 50 states. They value the children they work with and hope to bring wider awareness to the community about foster care and the foster children’s needs. If you would like to help, please consider donating to this worthy charity.

Website: fosterful.org

Current Needs:

• Financial resources
• Toys and school supplies
• Clothing
• Personal hygiene items
• A backpack, duffel bags, or suitcase
• Volunteering of time

Clark County Food Bank

Clark County Food Bank serves its community by providing over 6.7 million meals (to the tune of over 8 million pounds of food!) per year. With over 100,000 hungry neighbors that could benefit from their services, the need for your time, food, and resources are greater than ever. The Clark County Food Bank partners with an impressive total of 43 nonprofit agencies across 130 distribution centers to feed the hungry across the region to collect food donations from individuals, stores, and farmers to distribute to the hungry.

Clark County Food Banks also uses financial contributions to purchase food for the hungry at wholesale prices. For every dollar donated, they can feed up to four meals to hungry families and individuals. If you would like to help, please consider donating online or in person at their office.

Website: www.clarkcountyfoodbank.org

Current Needs:

• Financial resources
• Volunteers
• Foodstuffs (particularly shelf-stable goods)

FR1ENDS of the CH1LDREN

FR1ENDS of the CH1LDREN has served Vancouver for over 15 years, empowering youth through building lasting relationships with professional mentors. They select children who could most benefit from a relationship with a long-term mentor, often those who face multiple systemic obstacles, and then pair them with a full-time paid professional mentor (called “Friends”). 

They then continue to work with their children for greater than 12 years, creating a relationship-oriented and individualized mentorship. Over the years, they’ll work with their youth in school, at home, and in the community. If you would like to help make a difference in the lives of these children, you can donate to help FR1ENDS of the CH1LDREN sustain and grow their operations. 

Alternatively, they offer a unique opportunity to contribute through a partnership with AmazonSmile, where Amazon donates a portion of the price of eligible purchases made on AmazonSmile when you select FR1ENDS of the CH1LDREN as your preferred charity. 

Website: friendsswwa.org

Current Needs:

• Financial resources
• Volunteers
• School supplies
• Fundraising

Council For the Homeless

Council For the Homeless is a nonprofit organization with a mission to end homelessness here in Vancouver, Washington by acting as advocates and offering leadership within the community. For temporary solutions, they organize emergency shelters for those with an immediate need, seasonal/severe weather housing, and longer-term transitional housing for those in danger of homelessness or in the process of exiting it. 

For a permanent solution, they offer affordable housing with intensive support for the most vulnerable in the community. In addition to housing services, Council for the Homeless offers grants of up to $10,000 for projects to end homelessness and support vulnerable neighbors. You can apply with your proposal and action plan if this is something you have a passion for. 

Website: www.councilforthehomeless.org

Current Needs:

• Clothes (particularly underwear and socks)
• Baby care supplies
• Toiletries (including feminine hygiene products)
• Financial resources
• Volunteer time

FISH of Vancouver 

Fish of Vancouver is a nonprofit organization consisting entirely of volunteers that have served their community for over 50 years. They provide food for the less fortunate in the community, five days a week, to families and individuals of all ages. 

Just in the past year, they’ve provided for more than 13,000 households – and greater than 35,000 individuals in these homes – by distributing over a million pounds of food. Their volunteers have clocked in more than 14,000 hours (to the tune of nearly 592 days) just in that one year alone. Furthermore, 27% of the recipients of their donations were children, and nearly a quarter of them were our elderly neighbors. 

You can donate now to FISH for Vancouver to help them purchase food to feed those in need. You can also contribute by selecting them as your preferred charity on AmazonSmile when you make a purchase.

Website: fishvancouver.org

Current Needs:

• Financial resources
• Voluntered time
• Foodstuffs (particularly shelf-stable goods)

Clark County Veterans Assistance Center

The mission of the Clark County Veterans Assistance Center is to provide a safe environment for veterans and their families to help them obtain any benefit, services, and resources they need. They offer financial aid through their Veterans Assistance Fund, as well as help with VA claims and applying for benefits. 

Furthermore, they provide clothing, food, and hygiene items for veterans and strive to meet the needs of any homeless veterans. Additionally, CCVAC can help find employment, housing, medical and dental care, among much more, to ensure any veteran’s needs are met. You can help CCVAC sustain and expand its services by donating online. 

Website: ccvac.net

Current Needs:

• Hygiene products and toiletries
• Financial resources
• Volunteering time

As you can see, there’s an immense need for donations within our community, and every little bit of help adds up to make a big difference. If you know of any other deserving charities that need our help, please leave a comment. And most importantly – thank you for helping look after our community!