From blankets to blood to a one-ton truck – you likely have something someone else could use; 'tis the season to give it. While looking through back issues of CATALYST recently, I stumbled across an amazing couple of pages in the December 1994 issue. Diane Olson had compiled a huge list of needs from non-profit and charitable organizations across the valley. I thought this was a great idea and decided to begin the tradition again this year.
The Utah Non-Profits Association was kind enough forward my call for wish lists to their email listserve. Within minutes I had a dozen responses, and over the next couple of days they just kept coming in.
As Diane in her list over a decade ago mentioned, chances are at least one of these organizations has touched your life. (Or perhaps they will.) They need our support all year long, but now’s the time of year we seem most inclined to give. So do it—commit some of your time, or money, or stuff, to one or more of these groups. It keeps the good energy flowing. It says “thank you.” It says we have a community going on here. Happy Holidays.
(All addresses are in Salt Lake City unless otherwise noted.)
Midvale Family Health Clinic
7852 S Pioneer Street (340 West)
Midvale, Utah 84047
561-2211
The Midvale Family Health Clinic provides primary health care to the uninsured or underinsured, low-income families or anyone in the greater Salt Lake area who, due to language or cultural barriers, is unable to obtain medical care.
They are currently looking for donations of small medical devices such as oto-opthalmoscopes, glucometers, electronic thermometers, a clinic telephone system, and other useful and functioning clinic equipment. They also invite volunteer translators, and Hispanic-speaking and volunteer medical providers to donate a few hours per week at the clinic.
Gateway to Canine Partnerships
40 North 800 West
359-2228
www.gatewayservicedogs.org
Gateway To Canine Partnerships trains people with disabilities to train their own service dogs including hearing dogs, bracing and retrieving dogs, seizure alert dogs, mobility dogs and psychiatric and companion dogs. They are in need of a new personal computer, laptop computer, PowerPoint projector, dog and cat supplies including food, collars, leashes, crates and toys, electric wheelchairs, a volunteer editor for GCP’s “Paws For Reflection” newsletter and volunteers who want hands-on experience to learn how to become dog trainers and work with their clients.
Salt Lake City Film Center
210 East 400 South #9
746-7000
The Salt Lake City Film Center brings the world of film to local audiences through community screenings and discussions, outreach programs, and visiting artists and professionals. They collaborate with various educational and community organizations to promote a diversity of ideas, to provide forums for under-represented groups, and to develop new audiences for film. They are need a printer/scanner for their office as well as a PC laptop and are willing to exchange membership benefits for this material support.
Common Ground
Outdoor Adventures
335 North 100 East
Logan, Utah
(435) 713-0288
cg@cgadventures.org
Common Ground Outdoor Adventures provides outdoor recreation for youth and adults with disabilities. Activities include camping trips to national parks, canoeing, skiing, river rafting and much more. Common Ground’s wish list includes Pentium III or better computer, river rafting dry bags, XL winter jackets, ski helmets (new), postage stamps, and copier paper.
Friday’s Kids Respite
475 West 260 North
Orem, Utah 84057
494-9837
On Friday evenings, families bring their special needs children to the Friday’s Kids facility, where the children are watched and cared for one-on-one by volunteers. This time gives parents a much needed break from the strains of 24/7 care giving. Friday’s Kids need of an office chair, a digital camera, and candidates willing to serve on their Board of Directors.
Work Activity Center
1275 West 2320 South
977-9779
deb.jenson@workactivitycenter.org
The Work Activity Center provides support and employment training for adults with developmental disabilities. Programs include job placement, residential assistance, recreation and transportation. The Center needs a digital camera, multiline telephones (Echelon system) for about 30 office extensions, conference chairs, employee lockers, and basic art and office supplies. They also welcome volunteer art, dance and music teachers, Special Olympic coaches, and those willing to help with online and graphic design.
ShelterKids Inc.
177 West Price Ave.
269-7506
tmcpherson@slco.org
ShelterKids Inc, in conjunction with Salt Lake County Division of Youth Services, provides needed items and community donations to youth ages 0-18 served by the Salt Lake County Division of Youth Services, an agency serving children, youth and families in crisis with immediate safety, shelter and support. They have numerous free counseling services and substance abuse prevention programs. They are looking for donations of backpacks filled with gifts for their teens who will be sheltered here and unable to be with their families for the holidays. The packs should be new and can include items such as curling irons, blow dryers, straighteners and gift certificates for CD’s, movies and books for girls. Packs for boys can include cologne, watches, wallets, gift certificates and personal CD players. They are also looking for toy donations and volunteers for a “Christmas Store” through the Christmas Box House, where foster youth can get free gifts to give to their loved ones.
People Helping People
205 North 400 West
583-5300
People Helping People is dedicated to reducing the number of children living in poverty by teaching low-income single mothers how to earn a living wage. Their free workshop, mentoring and coaching services give women the skills, confidence and encouragement to achieve their full potential in the workforce. Three times per year they hold an awards night ceremony to reward clients who have earned a certificate of achievement in one of the areas of their program. These clients each receive a gift bag full of donated items. Please help fill these bags! Popular items include grocery store gift certificates ($10 will buy a turkey, $5 buys milk, bread and eggs for one week), pizza gift certificates and personal care items such as shampoo and make-up.
Bad Dog Rediscovers America
230 South 500 West #220
322-3816
Bad Dog Rediscovers America is a local non-profit organization that changes lives of youth through the creative arts. Children of all ages and diverse backgrounds attend after-school programs that include drawing, painting, sculpture, and creative movement. Bad Dog needs a slide projector (new or used), a portable CD player, and gift cards for art supplies and equipment (such as Michael’s, Utrecht, Home Depot).
Utah Hemophilia Foundation
880 East 3375 South
484-0325
A support service for people with bleeding disorders, including groups for adults and children, weekend education conferences, and financial assistance to help with the costs of treating and managing bleeding disorders. Their wish list includes a board room table and chairs in good condition and nice chairs for their reception area.
Utah Food Bank Services
1025 South 700 West
887-1266
volunteerinfo@utahfoodbank.org
Utah Food Bank Services addresses the unmet needs of low-income individuals, families, seniors and persons with disabilities. They need volunteers this holiday season to help make hygiene kits for their recipients in the Food Box Program. Clients receive a monthly supplemental food box year-round. Items included in the kits may include items such as washcloths, soap, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes. Or you could make “fun kits” for their Kids Cafe recipients with items such as coloring books, crayons, hat, scarf, gloves, small games and candy.
Friends of Alta
PO Box 8126
Alta, UT 84092
742-9719
www.friendsofalta.org
Friends of Alta protect the environment of Alta, including watershed and wildlife habitat areas, preserving Alta’s unique character and heritage; and encouraging stewardship and sustainability. They also support the protective policies of the Town of Alta, Salt Lake City’s watershed management policies, and the U.S. Forest Service’s policies and their stewardship of the area’s public lands. FOA would be grateful for these in-kind donations: digital camera for conservation easement monitoring, gas cards for travel expenses, rewritable CDs, HP inkjet print cartridges #28 and #56 and recycled paper.
Valley Mental Health Foundation
4460 S. Highland Drive, Suite 450
273-6392
Valley Mental Health serves over 20,000 of our community’s most vulnerable population: those living with a severe and persistent mental illness. They provide quality health care, affordable housing, meaningful employment and educational opportunities to assist clients in improving their physical and emotional well-being in order to strengthen their personal, family, and community life. For their adults and seniors living at or below the poverty line, Valley Mental Health Foundation requests towel sets, personal hygiene items, bedding, winter clothing essentials, and small household appliances. For their children and youth clients they request new, age-appropriate games, movies (VHS/DVD), art & crafts supplies and gift cards for local recreational activities.
The Salt Lake Art Center
20 S. West Temple
328-4201
www.slartcenter.org
For 75 years, the Salt Lake Art Center has encouraged the presentation of artwork by contemporary visual artists, offering the public thought-provoking exhibitions, lectures, guided discussions, publications and classes. Admission is always free. They wish for a one-ton cargo van to use for community outreach, educational programs and to transport artwork and power tools for exhibition installations.
March of Dimes—Teddy Bear Den
757 E. South Temple, Ste. 120
746-5540
The Teddy Bear Den is an incentive program that provides free baby care products to low-income pregnant women. It encourages adequate prenatal care and furthers the March of Dimes’ mission of preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. The program targets the populations most likely to have inadequate health care, lack financial support, or face language and cultural barriers to receiving prenatal care. The Teddy Bear Den needs donations of infant products: diapers, sized newborn to 4, are especially appreciated. Also needed are infant bath care products, baby bottles and cups, baby wipes, layette clothing items sized 0-24 months, and volunteers to assist clients (Spanish-speaking is a plus).
Ronald McDonald
House Charities
(Intermountain Area)
935 E. South Temple
363-4663
www.rmhcslc.org
Since opening their doors in 1988, Ronald McDonald House Charities in Salt Lake City has counted on the local community to help provide a refuge and “home away from home” for over 23,000 families of children who must travel from afar to the Salt Lake area receive hospital care not found in their community. Donations of phone and gift cards, new family board games and new preemie baby clothes are needed for their holiday wish list. Volunteer groups are also needed to provide and prepare meals.
Navajo Santa
P.O. Box 58365
Salt Lake City, Utah 84108
www.navajosanta.org
Navajo Santa delivers food, clothing, household items and toys to the Utah Navajo Reservation. Cash donations are used to purchase food, toys and clothing for Utah Navajos.
Four Corners School of Outdoor Education
95 West 600 South (POB 1029)
Monticello, Utah 84535
435-587-2156
FCS provides place-based learning experiences about the Colorado Plateau bioregion for all ages through service, education, adventure, and conservation outdoor programs. The wish of FCS is to be able to provide winter clothing for all their students such as fleece/waterproof/fiberfill coats, long underwear, hiking boots, and warm hats and gloves. They are also in need of leather work gloves, safety glasses, hard hats, and ear plugs for their youth employment program. Kids (age 6-11) and adult sizes (ages 16-21) are appreciated.
SL County Animal Services
511 West 3900 South
269-7499
Salt Lake County Animal Services is the largest municipal animal shelter in Salt Lake County. They provide shelter, food and care for nearly 10,000 stray, lost or abandoned animals each year. They currently need volunteers willing to give a little time this holiday season to assist with shelter-related duties. They are also always happy to accept donations of the following items: blankets and towels, dog and cat toys, dog and cat beds, food, treats, dishes, leashes, and collars. The toys and treats collected will be distributed in stockings for the shelter animals on Christmas morning.
Utah Clean Energy
363-4046
www.utahcleanenergy.org
Utah Clean Energy works to speed the transition to a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable energy future, through the promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Having moved into a new office this year, they are in need of the following donated items: 6-8 matching board room chairs, large area rug (in good condition), digital camera, and a conference phone.
Ogden Nature Center
966 W. 12th Street
Ogden, UT
621-7595
www.ogdennaturecenter.org
The Ogden Nature Center is a 152-acre wildlife sanctuary and nature education center. This urban oasis has over 1.5 miles of walking trails, ponds and rich habitat. The center offers nature classes and workshops for students of all ages. The Ogden Nature Center needs: blenders for paper-making in their “Trees” program, a rolling storage bin to carry display materials to community shows, an antique dresser to display clothing in their gift shop, coffee pot, coffee grinder and coffee cups, a working truck for sanctuary maintenance and grounds work, color ink cartridges for an HP Photosmart 8150 color printer, professional glossy photo paper, 8.5 x 11 inches.
Crossroads Urban Center
347 South 400 East
364-7765
www.crossroads-u-c.org
Crossroads Urban Center is a 40-year-old social service agency serving low-income residents of the greater Salt Lake area. They operate Utah’s busiest emergency food pantry, a free- to low-cost thrift store, the Community Food Co-op of Utah, and advocacy programs for people in need. They need turkeys, hams, and holiday food items of all kinds for their Christmas food distribution on December 22. They also need blankets, sleeping bags, coats, boots, and warm clothing to help people get through the winter, and a Macintosh G4 or G5 computer for the food co-op. Contact Glenn Bailey at extension 126.
Utah Health Policy Project
455 East 400 South, Suite 312
433-2299
www.healthpolicyproject.org
Utah Health Policy Project (UHPP) is a non-partisan research and advocacy organization dedicated to creating quality, affordable, comprehensive health care coverage for all Utahns. This holiday season they are wishing for a new computer (preferably Pentium 4), a digital camera, and a portable projector for their laptop. They are also looking for Medicaid recipients, uninsured individuals, and small business owners who are willing to tell us their stories about accessing health care in Utah.
Literacy Action Center
3595 South Main Street
265-9081
www.literacyactioncenter.org
The Literacy Action Center teaches English-speaking adults to read and write. These adults are functionally illiterate and live in Salt Lake and Davis counties. They need 3 white erase boards (3’ x 4’ or larger), 1 electric pencil sharpener, and 4 tall bookcases for their adult literacy classroom. They also appreciate donations of white erase markers, board cleaner, #2 pencils, spiral notebooks, 3-ring binders, and reams of white photocopy paper. They are also looking for the donation of printing services in April 2007 for their 2007 Adult Learner Writings book.
SL County Aging Services
2001 South State Street #S1400
Salt Lake County Aging Services is the arm of Salt Lake county government responsible for providing programs and services on behalf of the 116,000 residents of Salt Lake County who are age 60 and over and their caregivers. Aging Services mission is to foster independence for Salt Lake County’s older generations. Aging Services is looking for items to put in 72-hour emergency kits including travel-sized moist towelettes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo and blankets, flashlights with batteries, food bars, work gloves, light sticks, whistles and breathing masks.
I.J. and Jeanné Wagner Jewish Community Center
2 North Medical Drive
581-0098
www.slcjcc.org
The JCC enriches the life of the Jewish community and the community at large by offering educational, cultural, and recreational opportunities in a place where people of all backgrounds, cultures and beliefs gather in peace and understanding. They need a 12-passenger van, special needs scholarship funds, summer camp scholarship funds, theatre sound system for main social hall, sponsors for Junior Jazz teams and table sponsors for annual fundraiser “Shalom on the Range” in May 2007.
Alta Community Enrichment
742-9712
www.altaarts.org
ACE provides arts, culture and education programming to the Little Cottonwood community for free or at little cost. Presenting music, art classes, avalanche awareness, movies, children’s programs, yoga and Wildflower & Snowflake Festivals. They are growing and are in need of two more 30” x 72” grey plastic folding tables for use at their events.
Utah Parent Center
2290 East 4500 South,
Suite 110
272-1051
www.utahparentcenter.org
UPC helps parents help their children and young adults with all disabilities live included, productive lives as members of their community. Since the Autism Society of Utah joined them three years ago, they have become the statewide specialists on autism spectrum disorders. The UPC is looking for office supplies, copy paper, underwriters for meals for their annual parent conference Family Links and general financial donations.
Catholic
Community Services
250 East 300 South, Suite 380
977-9119
www.ccsutah.org
CCS provides over 400,000 services to the poor of Utah each year regardless of their race, religion, disability or ethnicity. Some of those services are providing new homes for refugees, sheltering homeless women and children, serving 800 lunches a day, distributing food baskets to low-income families, offering recovery services to those suffering drug and alcohol addiction, and helping the elderly. CCS needs donations of food for holiday boxes, pan sets and twin beds and bedding.
Clog America
11416 Skylux Avenue
254-6947
Clog America is an arts organization of dancers and musicians. They represent the USA through American music and dance in international dance festivals throughout the world (over 45 major festivals over the past 16 years from China to Brazil to Russia and back again). They need 2,000 small bottles of water to hand out to the children participating in their educational outreach program. They desperately need a Kydd electric upright bass to use in travels to international festivals, as traveling with an acoustic bass has become impossible.
Indian Walk-In Center
120 West 1300 South
486-9985
www.indianwalkincenter.org
Since 1974, the Indian Walk-In Center has been serving the American Indian community as well as our most vulnerable in-need community members living along the Wasatch Front. The Indian Walk-In Center provides wellness and social lifeway services, and confirms family and community strengths with respect to culturally appropriate values and heritage of American Indians and Alaska Natives. They wish for unwrapped gifts to give every child who attends their Christmas Youth Pow Wow on Friday, December 15. They anticipate over 300 children between the ages of 1 and 18. Gifts of new blankets as well as personal or kitchen items for stocking stuffers are also appreciated. Also, their pantry needs grocery store-style shelving and a commercial-grade fridge and/or freezer. A gift that would keep on giving year-round would be energy-saving window coverings for their community auditorium.
StageRight Theater Co.
5001 South Highland Drive
272-3445
www.stageright.org.
For 20 years, StageRight Theater Company has been dedicated to bringing classic theater to audiences along the Wasatch Front. They need a permanent location, sewing machines, a touch-screen cash register and a 15’ wooden ladder.
The American Red Cross
465 South 400 East
6616 South 900 East
323-7007
www.utahredcross.org
The mission of the American Red Cross is to provide relief to victims of disaster, provide almost half the nation’s blood supply, and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. They need blood donors as well as first aid and CPR instructors. u