Happy Blogmas Day 7! Today I am going to be sharing my top charities to support this Holiday season. I am a big fan of donating and try to whenever I can. The holidays are about giving, so why not share a little extra love this time of year?

Here are my top picks for donations this year (but obviously most charities are amazing, but do your research!):

1. Steven Johnson Syndrome Foundation

link: http://sjsupport.org/

SJS is “Stevens Johnson Syndrome or Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis is a severe life threatening adverse reaction which can be triggered by almost any medication.” My friend was diagnosed with this last year, but thankfully has completely recovered. The reason I believe this is so important is not only funding, but awareness. When she was first feeling symptoms, her doctor wrongly diagnosed her with pink eye. This could have killed her. SJS isn’t as uncommon as you would think and it makes those who have it suffer. I 100% recommend going to their site to learn more and find out what you can do to help.

2. Feeding America

Link: https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank

On this site you can donate to local or national food banks. The holidays are filled with gathering and food (usually, not this year) and no one should ever go without the basics. Everyone deserves something to eat and you can help out. Learn more through the link.

3. St. Jude’s Children Hospital

Link: https://www.stjude.org/give/donate-to-childhood-cancer-and-research.html?sc_dcm=63836804372&sc_cid=kwp75674&source_code=IIQ190721002&gclid=CjwKCAiAwrf-BRA9EiwAUWwKXhG2Dx8QywD0NFHiR_pgAV9M-kjprF6UChkmzliDCQnPmap-yfssoBoCeXsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

St. Jude’s is a long time favorite charity of mine. Childhood Cancer and Illness is one of the hardest things anyone would have to go through. The strength of these children and their family is unmatched. Donating allows St. Judes to help children without their families paying millions out of pocket and giving so many a new chance at life. Click the link for more information and to donate.

4. Americans For The Arts

Link: https://www.americansforthearts.org/

This charity has the goals of allowing everyone to be able to enjoy and thrive in the arts no matter their background. Some people think the arts are silly, but as a human, I think they’re the most important part of life. Giving someone the opportunity to develop their talents and share their art with the world is a beautiful thing, and a lot of people are struggling during the pandemic, especially the arts. Learn more and donate with the link.

5. Black Girls Code

Link: https://www.blackgirlscode.com/donations.html

This charity is here to expose more opportunities for young black women in STEM. “Black Girls CODE’s ultimate goal is to provide African-American youth with the skills to occupy some of the 1.4 million computing job openings expected to be available in the U.S. by 2020, and to train 1 million girls by 2040.” STEM is already a hard field to get into, but being a POC can make it even harder, sadly. This organization is here to change that. Learn more with the link.

6. The Trevor Project

Link: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/about/

This charity is about giving crisis intervention and suicide prevention to the LGBTQ+ community. Lockdown forced many “out” individuals to move back home with non-supportive and even dangerous parents or situations. The Trevor Project has resources to help them work through this and find a new way of living even in these pandemic times. No one should be killed or harassed for being who they are. Find out more information and donate in the link.

If you have any specific charities you would like to inform me about please let me know!