7 Austin Nonprofits Who Nourish, Educate & Help Those in Need

Giving Tuesday is celebrated on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving every year to encourage global generosity and service, and it’s a great opportunity to support local nonprofit organizations right here at home. This widely honored day encourages people to donate funds or offer volunteer services to organizations that are making significant contributions to the health and well-being of the city. Here are seven Austin nonprofits doing incredibly important work to nourish, educate and help those in need.

Austin Pets Alive!

Austin Pets Alive! is working to save local animals that are at the highest risk of euthanasia through adoption, fostering and volunteer work. The iconic organization has saved more than 100,000 animals’ lives since 2008, and they do so with the incredible support of the Austin community. There are so many avenues for animal lovers to donate to APA! – you can sponsor a kennel or condo for a deserving animal, give an in-kind donation of supplies for the shelter or simply donate dollars to the cause. And if you’re ready to welcome a pet into your life, you can adopt or foster a dog or cat in need of a safe and loving home.

Caritas of Austin

On a mission to end homelessness in this city, Caritas of Austin tailors each of their clients’ plans to best suit their needs and improve their overall well-being. The process starts with stable housing, but also includes food programs, education classes, career development and assistance for veterans. Locals can donate money, food essentials and care kits, or they can volunteer their time to this Austin nonprofit by serving lunch in the community kitchen, helping with donations and pick-ups, providing administrative support to the staff or directly working with clients.

Sunday Lunchbox

Sunday Lunchbox is tackling the issue of food injustice in Austin. Through the Sunday Lunchbox Family program, families can register for weekly access to the organization’s menu of minimally processed and locally sourced food, available to them at no cost. Sunday Lunchbox partners with local farms like Joe’s Microgreens, Farmhouse Delivery, Farmshare Austin, Urban Roots, Hope Full Farms and Pisgah Peaks Ventures to ensure the quality of the available food. Plus, through the Bumps & Bruises program, the Sunday Lunchbox team rescues produce that’s close to being considered waste or excess and transforms it into family-friendly foods. Locals can make a one-time or recurring donation on their website, or volunteer in person to help Sunday Lunchbox as they feed an average of 46 children per week.

Keep Austin Fed

The goal of Keep Austin Fed is to distribute nutritious surplus food to their neighbors in Austin. In 2022, Save the Food and Keep Austin Fed merged, and in that single year, they rescued over a million pounds of surplus food. Keep Austin Fed began in 2004, and as they come up on the 20 years in operation, they’re as determined as ever to feed locals while decreasing the amount of food that ends up in landfills in this country. To help this Austin nonprofit in person, register to become a food rescue runner to pick up excess food from participating businesses and distribute it to recipient partner organizations to feed those in need. Those who are interested can learn more about donating food, supplies and money on Keep Austin Fed’s website.

Dell Children’s Foundation

According to the foundation, Dell Children’s Medical Center has seen more than 1.7 million patients in the last decade, and approximately 70 percent of Dell Children’s patients are under-insured or uninsured, making the impact of Dell Children’s Foundation important beyond belief. The medical center needs community support to continue providing care to every patient who steps through their doors, no matter their financial status. Dell Children’s wants to make it possible for families to get the best care close to home, and there are many ways to contribute to this worthy cause. Becoming a corporate sponsor, creating a fundraiser or becoming a Monthly Partner in Care are just a few opportunities to get involved.

Inside Books Project 

This fully volunteer-led organization has sent more than a quarter million free books to incarcerated people in Texas since its inception in 1998. Inside Books Project, the only org of its kind in Texas, receives book requests from incarcerated individuals, then selects and sends books that best fit those requests. Because the nonprofit has no paid staff, all donations go straight to their mission of encouraging literacy in the lives of the incarcerated. They also accept gently used books and educational materials to send to prisons in the state. 

Latinitas

This Austin nonprofit organization empowers girls to pursue STEM education through weekly after-school programs, summer camps and virtual coding bootcamps. Latinitas makes space both physically and virtually for girls to learn more about media and technology, empowering them to pursue careers in these historically male-dominated fields. The multi-faceted nonprofit also has its own podcast and digital magazine that delve into the experience of Latina women, girls, and nonbinary people. Austinies can get involved in the mission of Latinitas by giving monetarily, donating an in-kind good or service or volunteering their time to programs.