‘Tis the season to give back in New Jersey. This holiday season, our state features countless ways to contribute to a multitude of charitable organizations, whether you are looking to volunteer, participate in or attend a special event, or walk with your children in an organized race. If you feel more comfortable writing a check, this NJMOM Holiday Charity Guide also has plenty of diverse suggestions for New Jersey non-profits that could use your contributions to directly impact our local communities this season.

Show us how your family gives back during the holiday season in New Jersey by tagging #NJMOM and @njmomhq for a chance to be featured.

#NJMOM 2016 Holiday Charity Guide:

Special Events:

● Nov 17: Ladies Night Out benefitting St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry
Dolce Hotel, 300 N Maple Ave, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
● Nov 20: Pirates & Fairies November in Neverland benefitting Love4Luke in his battle against childhood cancer.
Coastal Sports, 5 Gardner Road, Fairfield, NJ 07004
● Nov 25: Hugs for Brady Holiday Light Show benefitting Hugs for Brady Foundation, Helping kids with cancer.
DeVry University Campus, 630 Route 1, North Brunswick, NJ 08902
● Dec 2: Holiday House Tour & Gift Boutique, a self-guided tour of private homes in the Two River area of Monmouth County benefitting Visiting Nurse Association Health & Hospice Program
Click here to pre-register for the House Tour. The Gift Boutique is free and open to the public.
● Dec 3: Holiday Dinner Dance benefitting Visiting Nurse Association Health & Hospice Program
Spring Lake Golf Club, 901 Warren Ave, Spring Lake, NJ 07762
● Holiday Express: The Holiday Express mission is to deliver music, food, gifts, financial support and friendship to those with the greatest need for the gift of human kindness during the holiday season and throughout the year.
For a full schedule of performance events throughout New Jersey, visit Holiday Express on the web.

Runs, Walks & Races:

● Nov 20: Six Flags Great Adventure Santa Run 5K benefitting Holiday Express
Six Flags Great Adventure, 1 Six Flags Blvd, Jackson, NJ 08527
● Nov 20: Great Swamp Devil Run 5K & 15K benefitting Lord Stirling School, a nonprofit organization serving at risk youth for 50 years.
Lord Stirling School, 99 Lord Stirling Road, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
● Nov 20: 19th Annual 5K Stampede through Clifton benefitting the Clifton Recreation Department’s youth programs & Special Olympics uniforms
Clifton City Hall Complex at Lester Herrschaft Center, 900 Clifton Avenue, Clifton, NJ 07013
● Nov 24: Gobble Wobble 5K & ½ Mile Drumstick Dash benefitting Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children of Ocean County and the Stafford D.A.R.E. Program
Stafford Municipal Building, 260 East Bay Ave, Manahawkin, NJ 08050
● Nov 24: Ashenfeiter 8K Classic & The Tom Fleming Mile benefitting The Glen Ridge Educational Foundation, a not for profit 501(c)3 organization
Glen Ridge High School, 200 Ridgewood Avenue, Glen Ridge, NJ 07028
● Nov 24: CEA/Johanna Foods Turkey Trot benefitting CEA Employment Services & Johanna Foods
Flemington, NJ 08822
● Nov 24: Morris Township Turkey Trot benefitting Interfaith Food Pantry & Literacy Volunteers of Morris County
Ginty Field Complex, Woodland Ave, Morris Township, NJ 07960
● Dec 3: AMBS Reindeer Run 5K & 1M benefitting Academy of Most Blessed Sacrament Curricula & Co-Curricula Activities
High Mountain Road School, 765 High Mountain Rd, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
● Dec 3: St. Catharine School Christmas 5K benefitting SCS Athletics
St. Catharine School, 301 Second Avenue, Spring Lake, NJ 07762

Food Drives:

Donate goods or volunteer your time at any one of these New Jersey Food Pantries and Food Banks. While Food Banks are large storage facilities equipped to house thousands of pounds of products, Food Pantries differ in their smaller outreach operations that often distribute independently and directly to its community members. Food Banks and Food Pantries are both essential to help end hunger in New Jersey.

Food Banks:

● Community Food Bank of New Jersey: 31 Evans Terminal Rd, Hillside, NJ 07205 and 6735 E Black Horse Pike, Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234
● CUMAC: 223 Ellison St, Paterson, NJ 07505
● Food Bank Network of Somerset County: 9 Easy St, Bound Brook, NJ 08805
● Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties: 3300 NJ-66, Neptune City, NJ 07753
● Food Bank of South Jersey: 1501 John Tipton Blvd, Pennsauken Township, NJ 08110
● Franklin Food Bank: 60 Millstone Rd, Somerset, NJ 08873
● Glassboro Food Bank: 123 High St E, Glassboro, NJ 08028
● Lacey Township Food Bank: 102 Station Dr, Forked River, NJ 08731
● Mercer Street Friends Food Bank: 824 Silvia St, Ewing Township, NJ 08628
● Norwestcap: 201 Broad St, Phillipsburg, NJ 08865
● Old Bridge Food Bank: 1 Old Bridge Plaza, Old Bridge, NJ 08857

Food Pantries & Soup Kitchens:

● Cathedral Kitchen: 1514 Federal St, Camden, NJ 08105
● Catholic Charities: 1200 Delsea Dr # 1, Westville, NJ 08093
● Center for Food Action: 316 1st St, Hackensack, NJ 07601
● Flemington Area Food Pantry: 154 Route 31, Flemington, NJ 08822
● Freehold Area Open Door: 39 Throckmorton St, Freehold, NJ 07728
● Greater Tuckerton Food Pantry: 148 N Green St, Tuckerton, NJ 08087
● Hands of Hope Food Pantry: 2136 Woodbridge Ave, Edison, NJ 08817
● Human Needs Food Pantry: 9 Label St, Montclair, NJ 07042
● In Jesus Name Charities: To schedule a drop-off, email InJesusNameCharities@gmail.com or call (201) 792-2112
● Interfaith Food Pantry: 2 Executive Drive, Morris Plains, NJ 07950
● Jackson Women of Today: 95 W Veterans Hwy, Jackson, NJ 08527
● Keyport Ministerium Food Pantry: 42 Elizabeth St, Keyport, NJ 07735
● Lunch Break: 121 Drs James Parker Blvd, Red Bank, NJ 07701
● Ocean City Community Food Cupboard: 501 E 8th St, Ocean City, NJ 08226
● The People’s Pantry Relief Center: 1769 Hooper Ave, Toms River, NJ 08753
● Rahway Food for Friends: 1221 New Brunswick Ave, Rahway, NJ 07065
● Saint Peter’s Haven: 380 Clifton Ave, Clifton, NJ 07011
● Trenton Area Soup Kitchen: 72-1/2 Escher St, Trenton, NJ 08609

Toy & Goods Drives:

Donate goods or volunteer your time at any one of these New Jersey Toy and Goods Drives.

● Project Self-Sufficiency Holiday Toy Drive: The annual goal of the Season of Hope Holiday Toy Drive is to collect 20,000 new and unwrapped toys for distribution to children and teens.Items can be dropped off from November 1 – December 23, Monday – Thursday, 9:00AM – 8:00PM and Friday 9:00AM – 4:00PM.
127 Mill Street, Newton, New Jersey 07860
● In Jesus Name Charities: In conjunction with Faith Communities of Hoboken, In Jesus Name Charities collects food and clothing items. To learn how to schedule a donation appointment, volunteer for the labor bank, or learn where specifically your check donation will be going, visit them on the web.
Hoboken, NJ 07030
● Pajama Program: The New Jersey Chapter of Pajama Program provides comforting, nurturing bedtime and literacy support to children through donations of pajamas and books, and by reading with children at designated reading centers. To learn how to donate and volunteer, visit them on the web.
New Jersey Drop Off Locations
● Howell Holiday Giveaway: Every year, dedicated volunteers collect gifts for hundreds of less fortunate families in Howell’s own backyard. For drop off dates and volunteer information, visit them on the web.
PAL 115 Kent Road, Howell, NJ 07731
● Operation Sleighbells: Through the Family & Children’s Services signature program, you can adopt a family, host a collective drive, donate new gifts or monetary gifts and gift cards for impoverished children this Christmastime.
191 Bath Avenue, Long Branch, NJ 07740
● Samaritans Purse: Operation Christmas Child: National Collection Week for shoe boxes of customized, age-appropriate holiday presents is November 14 – 21.
To find your nearest drop-off location, visit the Shoebox Drop-off Locations
● HomeFront: In addition to financial contributions, there are many other ways you can help. Donate household goods, food and clothing through their Resource Network. To break out of the cycle of poverty, families not only need a roof over their heads, they also need food on the table, beds to sleep in and clothes for their kids and for their job.
1880 Princeton Ave, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648

Charitable Offers:

● Pay It Forward Holiday Card Photo Shoot: On December 6, Poetic Moments Photography, based in Jackson, NJ, is hosting a free photo shoot for families who might not be able to afford a professional photographer this year. Sign up to reserve your spot today for this charitable act by a New Jersey photographer who specializes in family photography. Click here to sign up.
● Community Vines: Community Vines and its inaugural vintage Rumon Red wine is a collaborative endeavor between Marilyn Schlossbach, James Foley of Seamus wines and Shore Point Distributors. A portion of sales from this vintage will be donated to the Foodbank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties and Lunch Break, New Jersey-based nonprofit organizations that, among other things, fight hunger in New Jersey communities.
Rumsen Red can be purchased at Langosta Lounge in Asbury Park, and other locations throughout the Jersey Shore.
● Grateful Bites Bakery, Cafe & Restaurant: Ability 2 Work is the revolutionary non-profit that operates Grateful Bites. 100% of the proceeds from Grateful Bites support the differently-abled in job sampling, training and employment. Every purchase and donation at Grateful Bites goes to supporting an inclusive approach to autism by Ability 2 Work. Pie-A-Paloola is their biggest fundraiser of the year; order two Thanksgiving pies and get a free breakfast (all organic!) To pre-order, visit their website.
42 NJ-12, Flemington, NJ 08822
● JBJ Soul Kitchen: JBJ Soul Kitchen is a non-profit Community Restaurant, run by the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, that serves paying and in-need customers. One hour of volunteer time earns a dining certificate that feeds the volunteer and up to 4 family members.
207 Monmouth Street, Red Bank, NJ 07701

Volunteer or Donate to these important New Jersey Charitable Organizations:

● TRUE Mentors: TRUE Mentors is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded to help children develop healthy, strong relationships that allow them to reach their full potential.
123 Jefferson Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030
● Infinite Love for Kids Fighting Cancer: With the goal to continue fulfilling research grants, this family-run charity works to make it possible for researchers and doctors to discover less toxic treatments for our children which will ultimately give them new pieces to the cancer cure puzzle. Purchase the new single “Fighter” performed by Taylor Tote, Hannah Gorsegner, and Natalie Grace Gorsegner to contribute to the cause.
Learn what you can do by visiting their website. Middletown, NJ.
● Michael’s Feat: The Michael Gerard Puharic Memorial Fund, Inc. is a local 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to providing comfort and easing the burden for parents carrying and caring for seriously ill newborns.
Learn how to volunteer and where to donate by visiting their website. Matawan, NJ.
● Moms Helping Moms: Moms Helping Moms Foundation provides low-income families in New Jersey with the essential baby items that they need to give their children a safe, happy and healthy start.
Learn about ways to volunteer and donate by visiting their website. North Plainfield, NJ.
● Asbury Park Music Foundation: The foundation’s youth initiative brings music and opportunity to youth thereby transforming lives and investing in the future of the Jersey Shore. They are raising money for programs, instruction, lessons, and instruments.
To donate to Asbury Park Music Foundation, visit their website. Asbury Park, NJ.
● Food for Thought by the Sea: Food for Thought provides local youth and adolescents with an opportunity to learn about the hospitality and the culinary industry. We achieve this with educational initiatives that support the environment and its local purveyors with affordable meals in our give-back food programs.
Donate to Food for Thought’s latest endeavor, Community Wheels Food Truck, by donating to their crowd-sourcing campaign. Asbury Park, NJ.
● Salvation Army Seasonal Assistance: Be a part of Salvation Army’s timeless red kettle tradition by greeting holiday shoppers and spreading Christmas cheer. Bring your friends, family and coworkers to sing and join us by ringing a bell for donations in front of your local grocery store, library or city sidewalk.
Visit the Salvation Army website for an individual or group application.

Show us how your family gives back during the holiday season in New Jersey by tagging #NJMOM and @njmomhq for a change to be featured.