Local Nonprofits Guide: How to Give Back in Miami

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Local Non-Profits (Featured) (900 x 300 px) (2)

We love this time of the year! The holiday season inspires people to give back and bless others, so what better time to bring back our guide to local nonprofits than on Give Miami Day! 

As part of Miami Mom Collective’s mission to encourage, equip, and empower moms in our city, we want to make it easier for you to support families, moms, and children in need.

Inspired by the love and compassion we feel for them and based in our ongoing research, we have updated our guide as a resource to highlight the amazing work that nonprofit organizations are doing to help, and easy ways to support them.   

You may choose to participate in Give Miami Day this Thursday, November 16th, or get involved in different ways year-round. Any little bit of help counts and can turn into a wonderful blessing for both the giver and the receiver. 

For over 50 years, Branches has been providing life-changing opportunities for hardworking families to break the cycle of poverty. Branches provides two-generational, long-term, holistic services to children and families at three sites across Miami-Dade County – Branches Lakeview (North Miami), Branches South Miami, and Branches Florida City. 

Branches’ signature programs include: 

  • The Grow & Climb Program, which helps students K-12 succeed in school and life through after-school academic and enrichment activities. Through Branches, elementary students develop a love for learning, and middle and high school students focus on college readiness and career preparation. Activities include literacy and mathematics tutoring, intensive SAT/ACT test prep, FAFSA guidance, general academic support, character building opportunities and a four-year scholarship for post-secondary education. 
  • The Achieve Programs serve children and families on their path to financial wellness and include one on one financial coaching, financial education for children, micro-business development, transportation solutions, VITA free tax preparation, Community IDs, and emergency services.   

Branches serves over 450 students daily through its Grow & Climb student programs, and over 15,000 individuals through its Achieve financial wellness programs.

The mission of the Marine Toys for Tots Program is to collect new unwrapped toys and distribute those toys to less fortunate children at Christmas. Its goal is, through the gift of a new toy, help bring the joy of Christmas and send a message of hope to America’s less fortunate children.

In Miami alone, the program supported 126,250 children in 2022 by distributing 237,244 toys.

Back in 1991, the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation was created at the behest of the Marine Corps to better execute the Toys for Tots Program by assisting the U. S. Marine Corps in providing a tangible sign of hope to economically disadvantaged children at Christmas.

This assistance includes providing day-to-day leadership and oversight of the Program, raising funds to provide toys to supplement the collections of local Toys for Tots Campaigns, to provide promotional and support material and defray the costs of conducting annual Toys for Tots Campaigns.

Safe Families for Children

Safe Families for Children is a volunteer-driven nonprofit that hosts vulnerable children and creates extended family-like supports for families facing a crisis such as homelessness, hospitalization, or domestic violence. Their goal is to keep families together (or reunite them) in order to reduce the number of children entering the child welfare system.

This organization has a global presence and a tangible footprint in our city thanks to the Miami chapter. There are many ways to get involved:

  • Be a Host Family to make a lasting impact on a child in need and possibly change the trajectory of a family
  • Be a Family Friend to encourage and strengthen families in crisis by performing small tasks. 
  • Be a Family Coach to help parents get back on their feet.
  • Be a Resource Friend to provide items to families struggling with life challenges. Donating these items can help meet critical needs of families.
Heartbeat of Miami

This organization provides help to women and couples with an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy through the gospel and the message of hope. They provide services that empower women with education so that they can make an informed decision: pregnancy tests, sonograms, pregnancy consultation and education, ongoing support and referrals, prenatal referrals, adoption referrals, post-abortion counseling, parenting preparation for moms and dads, material goods from their baby boutique, women’s wellness, and opportunities to learn about healthy sexual values and personal growth. All services are free and confidential.

Parent to Parent of Miami is the only non-for-profit community parent resource center for families of children and adults with disabilities located in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

With the help of Parent to Parent of Miami’s specialized team, parents and professionals can find information, workshops, and other resources to help make decisions about early intervention, early childhood, education, vocational training, employment, college opportunities, as well as the laws that protect the rights of children and young adults with disabilities.

Parent to Parent of Miami, Inc. began in 1986 with one heart-felt wish, may families have an easier time than we did obtaining the services and support needed to raise their children. 

The organization serves over 2,000 families every year through these diverse funding sources and your direct support and generous donations.

RMHC

Can you imagine a family experiencing the suffering of a seriously ill or injured child? Besides the emotional and financial weight of their situation, many families need to also endure long commutes or trips to get their child treated and spend long seasons apart given the distance between the hospital and their home. Sometimes siblings spend months without seeing their sick brother or sister. 

Since 1982, the Ronald McDonald House in South Florida has been providing a “home away from home” to more than 350 families a year with sick children that are receiving treatment at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Located right across from the hospital, this House provides home-cooked meals, private bedrooms, and playrooms for children at no cost, allowing families to stay together through such difficult times. 

There are many ways to support this wonderful cause. Click here to find out the different in-person programs and online initiatives available.

Miami Diaper Bank

According to the National Diaper Bank Network, 1 in 3 U.S. families in America can’t afford enough diapers to keep their baby or child clean, dry, and healthy.

Since there are no state or federal programs that support the purchase of diapers for low-income families, these parents often find themselves having to decide between purchasing diapers or providing food for their little ones. 

Thankfully, we have Miami Diaper Bank in our city to spearhead the collection and distribution of diapers and other diaper-related products to families in need.

In addition to providing clean diapers to families, the organization’s objective is to generate awareness among our community on the terrible consequences many parents and their babies in need of diapers experience and the importance of diaper donations across Florida.

Ways you can support Miami Diaper Bank:

  • Donate your leftover diapers or make a monetary donation.
  • Host your own diaper drive to collect donations or playdate to spread awareness. 
  • Follow & Share about Miami Diaper Bank on social media.
  • Volunteer at a Miami Diaper Bank event. Sign up for the Volunteer Email Newsletter: diapers@miamidiaperbank.com
Team Respect at Booker T Washington High School

Team Respect has been a significant part of Booker T. Washington High School football since 2005. In a nutshell, Team Respect is committed to doing everything possible to mold high school football players into men who will take a stand for that which is right, while becoming the change we desire in our communities–especially in the City of Miami.

Partnering with Team Respect is about seeing more young men reach their fullest potential. Miami is a city with problems, but Team Respect is an organization with answers.

Touching Miami With Love

For nearly twenty-five years, Touching Miami with Love has been serving the needs of the children, youth, and families of Overtown and West Homestead.

Their long-term programs focused on students. The organization serves around 400 on a weekly basis and follows children from kindergarten to adulthood, nurturing them holistically in spirit, mind, and body.

Their initiatives include group literacy, fitness, social-emotional learning, and weekly devotional time. The organization also has in-school case management support with instructional advocates to support student achievement as they meet with teachers, counselors, and school staff. All students have homework support including access to technology. Those students needing additional academic support get individualized reading intervention and math tutoring with staff tutors.

habitat-logo-square-or-circle

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami is an ecumenical ministry that transforms lives and communities by providing low-income families with affordable home ownership opportunities.

The organization builds and renovates homes, which families purchase at a low sales price with a 0% interest loan. They engage people of conscience within the community by providing volunteer and financial support opportunities to accomplish the building of homes and communities in partnership with low-income families.

Additional Nonprofits Supporting Women, Children, & Families in Miami

Know a nonprofit organization that we missed?

This list is certainly not an exhaustive list of all the amazing initiatives happening in Miami to support families and children. If you know of an organization that is not listed, please comment below so that we can learn more and help enrich the lives of many in Miami.