Struggling Nonprofits In Hope Giving Tuesday Provides Some Relief

HOUSTON, TX -- This holiday season nonprofit organizations across the Houston area, including Northwest Assistance Ministries (NAM), are struggling to balance increasing demands for services and assistance with shrinking budgets.

Tomorrow is GivingTuesday, a global movement that was created in 2012 as a simple idea of a day that encourages people to do good. With more families in need of assistance and fewer donations this time of year, NAM hopes GivingTuesday will inspire generosity and encourage people to give as much as they can.

Though the holiday season typically brings an influx of donations, so far this year that has not been the case and NAM is feeling the strain, especially surrounding its annual Holiday Blessings campaign. Each year NAM provides holiday meals for hundreds of families and thousands of toys for children who have pre-registered. With distribution dates rapidly approaching, NAM is desperately seeking donations to meet the demand, which includes raising an additional $380K by the end of the year, along with packing their food pantry and collecting new, unwrapped toys in the range of approximately $25 per gift for ages 0-12.

Many local families are barely scraping by and depending on NAM to provide relief. Nearly one-third of Houstonians, almost half of which are children, are facing food insecurities, a rate that is 4% higher than the national average. The Houston Food Bank, which partners with NAM and other local pantries, is dealing with a demand that’s up more than 30% from 2021. The Joanne Watford Nutrition Center, NAM’s food pantry, serves approximately 75 families daily.

Donations to NAM can be made online at https://www.namonline.org/donate. Toy donations may be dropped off at The Harrell Family Opportunity Center located behind NAM’s main building at 15555 Kuykendahl Road, Houston, Texas 77090, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. until Monday, December 5, 2022.

For more information and ways to help, please contact NAM’s Chief Advancement Officer, Brian Carr, at bcarr@namonline.org.

Northwest Assistance Ministries is a non-profit, community-based social service agency that strives to meet basic human needs through Neighbors Helping Neighbors. NAM provides assistance in areas such as food, shelter, health, education and domestic violence awareness and intervention. During its last fiscal year, NAM touched the lives of more than 136,000 people through its many programs and services.