Back to Tangible FreebiesCharities, Philanthropies, Non-profit
Non-profits and charities can provide the necessities of life for those who are in need. There are many other ways to get freebies which are more encouraged. This page is one of the last pages listed so that these charity resources would be reserved for those who actually need them.
This page also explains how you can donate to charities without having to donate money (donating for free). Lots of people are on a tight budget, but they can, and do, still contribute to help others.
Charities Providing the Necessities of Life:
Food
Free Restaurants
These eating places are essentially feed-forward Gift Economies
for Food. They have also been termed "pay-what-you-want" kitchens.
ShelterClothingHealth Care- See the Free Health Care page for descriptions of Medicare and Medicaid and also information on free health clinics.
Computer
A computer is listed here as a necessity for good reason. Obviously
if you're reading this, you have some access to a computer. But perhaps
the computer isn't yours and you could use one, or you know someone who
needs a computer. If you read all the pages on this site, you may come
to realize that having a computer, the right software, and internet access may be the key to having complete self-sufficiency.
- Use the Yellow Pages to find a non-profit computer recycling and repair company similar to Free Geek (Portland, OR).
Love
- Free Hugs Campaign was created to brighten the lives of people in an age of disconnectivity.
General Charities
These charities provide resources for multiple needs. See also directories of charities below.
Donate for Free
If you are in a position where you are unable to donate to charities monetarily, then there are plenty of other ways to help out.
Volunteer Your Time and Labor
Online Charities
This is probably the easiest and quickest way to donate without paying a dime. These websites earn from advertising and donate to charity when you click a button or play a game online.
Donate to Charities to Get Freebies
Beyond the satisfaction that comes from helping others, you can also get freebies to help your own budget by volunteering at a charity which can provide for your needs. By volunteering you help others and after a certain number of volunteer hours, you may be able to take from the donation pile.
Here is one example: your food budget is a little tight, so you volunteer at a soup kitchen. After providing 2-3 hours of volunteer service the kitchen may have no problem if you take a dish for yourself.
Here is another example: you need a computer and you can't afford one. You volunteer at a computer refurbishing non-profit who may even teach you how to build and repair computers and give you one for free after a certain number of volunteer hours.
Monetary Donation ResourcesIf you are able to provide monetary donations to charities, then these resources can help you make an educated and efficient donation.
You Can Choose Where to DonateThere are so many charities and non-profits for multiple causes. If you have a budget for donations then you may need to choose a cause that is the highest priority to you. Here are a few different examples of charities and non-profits:
SmallCanBeBig.org (Massachusetts) connects donors with families who are in need of a one-time donation to help them prevent foreclosure and homelessness.
ModestNeeds.org also connects donors with families in need. The donation is offered as a grant to help the family obtain self-sufficiency, employment, or independent living. Grants are also offered for starting non-profits.
FreeGeek.org (Portland, OR) refurbishes technology to provide computers, education and job skills in exchange for community service.
DonorsChoose.org is an online charity connecting the donor to classrooms in need.
The Perpetual Education Fund is a program that offers low-interest loans to students in third world countries to help elevate them from the depths of poverty. They are able to gain an otherwise unobtainable education and employment. They pay back the loan with is then used to help another student.
Where will you choose to give? There are many aspects to consider when choosing. Do you want to support survival or self-sufficiency? There are charities for both. Do you want to support animal rights or human rights? Do you want to help those in your own country or those in other countries who may have less resources? Does a charity you are thinking about teach doctrine or philosophies you don't agree with? Do they support practices you don't agree with? Which topic stirs the most emotions inside you: poverty, homelessness, hunger, domestic violence, abuse, disease, education, environment, etc.? Are you donating to an organization because you know its a good organization, or do you simply like the celebrities and politicians who endorse it? How much of your donation do you want to go to the cause and how much will you allow to go towards administration? Your choice of non-profit should weigh all of these options.
Charity Directories and Reviews
These sites have directories of large and small charities and also
gives reviews to help donors decide where to donate. It shows how much
of the donation will actually go to the cause vs the amount that goes
towards administration.
About this page:
I almost hesitated to include a page like this since the character
of it doesn't quite fit in with other "freebie" sources. When using the word "charity" with the word "freebie", the next word that may come to mind is "abuse". Charities aren't meant to help those who are "seeking freebies", they are meant to help those who are in need, which a big difference.
Every other
resource that I've listed on this site as a means to get items for free requires at least a small element work to get the
freebie. Perhaps that small element of required work is what allows
many of us to not only maintain our integrity when seeking a freebie,
but to also become excited about it. In that respect we've beaten the
system. We've found a way to get more for less, and therefore our work
is smarter, not harder. However, when a person has been reduced to the
depths of seeking a hand out, due to circumstances which may include unemployment or physical or mental illness, it is a tragedy. For those who find themselves reading this (perhaps by using Free Internet resources) and are in that situation, this
page is here to help you find a new beginning. The resources on this
page can help you get a boost, and start again. There is hope.
This is a free information website that strives to keep accurate and
thorough information, and the bottom line is that charities are a means
to get actual, tangible items for free. There are many pages of
this site that certain people won't be interested in. The Religious Freebies page will be for a select group
of people who are interested in religious items. Those who seek
to Get a Free Gadget will have a much different
motivation than those who seek freebies through Classified Ads. None the less, the information is there for anyone
who may want to use it or need it. This page was created with the same
reasoning. While most pages of this site are intended to help individuals live within a budget, this page is intended to help individuals with so little that there's no budget to keep. This page was also created with the hope that those who find
this compilation of charities will use it to find resources to give to if
they are in the position to give. Indeed, finding freebies can be
exciting, but a greater joy comes from being able to give and knowing
that someone was helped along the way.
Back to Tangible Freebies
Home Page | Tangible Freebies | Actually Freebies | Best Freebies of the Web
Do you have info that should be included on this page? Did you find
outdated info or broken links? Is something listed that isn't Actually
Free? Please use the Contact form to report what you know.