The holiday season is among us and we can't help but notice that the malls are packed and the streets are filled with people and parcels. This Holiday season why not do something different by donating your time or what you would spend on a gift and give to a great charitable organization. One of my favorite holiday memories growing up was volunteering at the local food bank with my mom and younger brother. Volunteering has always been part of my mom's life, so she made it be part of ours; it is her constant state of unselfishness that I admire. I have listed 5 charitable organizations below that are among my favourites. It was very hard to choose only five as I wish I could do for many more.

Read below and make this holiday season unconventional. Reach out, get educated and pick your own favourite NGO to donate your time or send your charitable donation to.

Second Harvest

Two Toronto women developed Second Harvest in 1985 as a way to address the growing problem of hunger in Toronto. Their vision was to provide meals so that no one in our community ever has to go hungry.

From these humble beginnings, collecting and delivering unused fresh food from the city's restaurants and small grocery stores to shelters across the city, Second Harvest has grown to provide enough fresh and frozen foods for over 15,000 meals every day. They collect perishable food that would otherwise go to waste and distribute it to approximately 250 social service programs in the Metro Toronto area. Their amazing volunteers maintain Second Harvest and they are always looking for more. They often host events and programs so keep an eye out in your local Sobeys this upcoming holiday season, as they will be running food drives. You can donate in 3 ways, by making a charitable donation of cash or by donating food or with your time.

http://www.secondharvest.ca/
http://www.secondharvest.ca/donate/index.php


Free the Children

Free the Children is a NGO that I have had some experience with. They have the most amazing team of dedicated workers who are ALL trying to make a difference. Their programs range from speaking to schools and they develop individual trips overseas to build life experiences for youth. They have currently brought over 500 school and water projects to communities around the world. They show you how $25 dollars can be used to buy a child's school kit or plant ten trees at a school; they also show the higher end of the donation list where you could actually build a school or a schoolroom. This is a great cause and you can feel the energy and spirit put into the organization just from their site.

http://www.freethechildren.com/
http://www.freethechildren.com/donate/gifts/

Greenpeace

Greenpeace is a global campaigning organization that acts to change attitudes and behavior, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace by supporting sustainable agriculture, catalyzing an energy revelation, creating a toxic free future, protecting the worlds remaining ancient forests, working for disarm ant and peace and defending our oceans They have been campaigning against environmental degradation since 1971 and have played a pivotal role in some of the biggest environmental issues of our time. Greenpeace is worldwide organization and there donations can be used in the Country your from or elsewhere.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/supportus

Art Starts

Art Starts is a non profit organization committed to arts-based community development in the city of Toronto. Their mission is to build healthier communities using the arts. They use art as a way to promote social change in at-risk neighbourhoods. They also function as an advocacy and referral organization for the artists with whom they work with.

Art Starts offers 6 current programs in different locations around the GTA. They have been featured in a variety of different media pieces and I would like to give them the attention they deserve, read more about them and donate bellow.
http://artstarts.net/
http://artstarts.net/donate-to-art-starts/


519

The 519 is a community center on Church Street dedicated to creating a supportive environment by responding to the the needs of the local neighborhood and the broader Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTTQ) communities. They supply resources and opportunities to foster self-determination, civic engagement and community participation.

One of my favorite programs the 519 runs is the AVP (Anti Violence Program) Since the legalization of same-sex marriage many in the LGBTQ communities have felt that homophobic hate crimes and harassment are a thing of the past; but according to Static's Canada LGBTTQ individuals still experience a higher rate of violence than there Hetero peers.
You can donate online and there is a breakdown of what exactly a donation can do.

http://www.the519.org/
http://www.the519.org/donate