Opportunities to Give Locally

Thanksgiving is a time of gratitude, and giving back to our community! The Austin area has many opportunities to give locally, to get hands on, and to help someone in need in time for the holidays.

The Central Texas Food Bank offers opportunities all the way up to the day before Thanksgiving, November 23, 2017. They also offer Cooperate Giving for your business to give as a whole. This year, they have received a matching gift challenge, so every $10 given, will provide 80 meals this holiday season! You can donate to that here.

One of a kind, Austin Empty Bowl Project, is celebrating its 20^th anniversary on November 20^th at the Central Texas Food Bank. It’s the perfect combination of food, art and community with all benefits going to children’s hunger programs including Central Texas Food Bank, Meals on Wheels and More. Attendees purchase a handcrafted bowl for $20, local restaurants fill it with soup and you stay and enjoy the music. As an added benefit you get to keep the bowl! You can also volunteer to help with the event!

One way to get involved and be physically active is the Thundercloud Sub’s Turkey Trot, benefiting Caritas on Thanksgiving Day! You can also volunteer to help with the event.  All proceeds benefit Caritas of Austin, which supports local refugees, low-income families, and homeless people. Thundercloud has raised more than $3.1 million for Caritas since the event began in 1991.

Each Thanksgiving, Operation Turkey organizes local teams of volunteers throughout a community to cook, prepare, package and deliver thousands of hot meals and provide other necessities to people in need. In 2016, Operation Turkey hand delivered more than 40,000 meals to the homeless and less fortunate in 13 official cities and 6 states. This year their goal is 50,000 meals with even more locations.

The organization is 100% volunteer, with no paid employees, allowing all funds raised to go toward the cost of preparing, packaging, and delivering meals. There are many options to donate your time and get involved with this mission.

Each year, Meals on Wheels has hundreds of home-bound Austin clients signed to receive holiday meals. Not only are you delivering their Thanksgiving meal, but you are also giving them the comfort and company everyone should have on Thanksgiving. Great for families and friends, sign up to deliver as many meals that day as you can handle.

As you finalize your Thanksgiving plans this year, consider volunteering, or making a donation towards one of these wonderful causes to help the need in our community. The holiday season is a great time to give thanks for what we have and share with others around us.