KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Christmas is the season of giving and East Tennessee is giving back in various ways.
Different organizations in our region are living up to the name of The Volunteer State. During the season, you can donate to each cause on their respective websites.
Day 1: Street 'X' Change
For years, a newspaper was available at most Knoxville street corners. It told stories of people experiencing homelessness with articles focused on issues related to living life without an address.
Eddie Young, the paper's publisher, founded the paper with a mission — to give marginalized people a chance to speak and to advocate for change. Through the Street 'X' Change, he hopes people may reconsider ideas they previously believed about homelessness.
Day 2: Joy of Music School
The Joy of Music School is a nonprofit whose mission is to provide quality music education for financially disadvantaged, at-risk youth.
If you want to use your musical ability to give back to the community, you can volunteer to teach music. You can also volunteer to help with special events or serve on the committee.
Day 3: Toys for Tots
Toys for Tots serves Knox County, Anderson, Roane, Loudon, Blount, part of Sevier and a small part of Morgan counties. In 2022, the organization distributed over 45,000 toys, supporting over 4,000 children.
If you would like to donate, the last day for toy drop-offs is Friday, Dec. 15. Or, if you would like to request a toy, you can fill out a form they have on their website.
Toys for Tots will distribute the toys from Monday, Dec. 18 to Thursday, Dec. 21.
Day 4: Mission of Hope
Every year, Mission of Hope helps families in rural Appalachia who need it most.
Since 1996, thousands of children have also received toys, jackets and personal care items every Christmas thanks to the organization.
Day 5: The VERB Kind
On a mission to change the lives of incarcerated youth, Haley Hunt founded The Verb Kind four years ago. Today, volunteers with the nonprofit are mentoring kids and teens behind bars in Tennessee for the first time. At The Verb Kind, giving back isn't complicated. It's all about spending time with young people who are serving time.
For Angela Divine, life centers on second chances. Divine is the founder and director of East Tennessee Miniature Horse and Donkey Rescue.
Her organization runs on volunteers and is fueled by donations. She describes the work done in her stable as a 'labor of love.'
The stable focuses on helping miniature horses and donkeys recover from serious conditions like cruelty, hoarding and lack of care. One of the donkeys they just helped recover is called Tutti. She was found nearly dead. Now she's alive, healthy and a miracle story for Divine.
Day 6: Museum of Appalachia
Founded in 1969, The Museum of Appalachia has been an oasis of East Tennessee history since its inception.
The museum houses over 250,000 artifacts amassed over half a century and hopes that their visitors leave with a knowledge and appreciation of what life was once like in our area.
Day 7: Second Harvest Food Bank
Second Harvest Food Bank serves the 18 counties in East Tennessee through partnerships with area food banks.
Through donations, they can provide three full meals for every dollar donated.
For their "Double Your Donation" event, every dollar pledged to Second Harvest will be matched by local donors.
Day 8: YWCA
YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley are gearing up for a Fill the Sleigh event. They are collecting new, unwrapped toys, clothing, and other gifts or supplies suitable for women, students, and families of all ages. The last day to donate is Monday, Dec. 11.
The organization has been a leading force in community change. With a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.
Day 9: Horse Haven of Tennessee
Since forming in 1999, Horse Haven of Tennessee has cooperated with law enforcement to care for horses that have been seized during criminal abuse and neglect cases. Over 1,300 horses have been nursed back to health since they started.
Their mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home neglected or abused equines through programs of shelter, adoption, education and assistance.
To help the cause, you can donate on their website for veterinary support or you can volunteer to help take care of the horses daily.
Dedicated in November 2008, the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial sits in World's Fair Park. It consists of pillars etched with the names of over 6,000 fallen heroes who died in military service from across 35 counties in our area.
The names of those immortalized date back to World War I.
Major support for the Memorial has come from Knox County, the City of Knoxville, the State of Tennessee, the Federal Government and hundreds of individuals, businesses, and groups.
You can donate to the cause to ensure the upkeep of ETVM here.
Day 11: Random Acts of Flowers
The non-profit collects donated flowers from weddings, memorial services and florists, re-packages them, then delivers them in donated vases to patients in hospitals and senior centers around the Knoxville area.
Day 12: Knox PAWS
Knox PAWS (Placing Animals With Seniors) is a program that matches senior adults with senior pets from a regional shelter.
The seniors apply, and if chosen, Knox PAWS helps them with adoption fees, veterinary care, pet supplies and even grooming service.
They even take seniors to shelters to find their perfect pet.
Day 13: TnAchieves
Homework, jobs, college applications, and much more can be part of the stress of senior year.
TnAchieves helps students get a leg up on higher education by offering higher education opportunities for Tennessee high school students by providing last-dollar scholarships with mentor guidance.
Day 14: Mobile Meals
Mobile Meals is the Meals on Wheels program in Knoxville and Knox County working to combat food insecurity among homebound and isolated older adults.
The Mobile Meals program serves mid-day meals five days a week, including Christmas and Thanksgiving to citizens age 60 or older who cannot cook for themselves and have no one to prepare meals for them.
If you would like to volunteer or donate to the cause, you can check out their website here.
Day 15: Love Kitchen
The Love Kitchen provides meals and emergency food packages to homebound, homeless and unemployed people of all races and faiths. They work with local agencies to provide meals and donate services in the hope of promoting the self-sufficiency of those they serve.
You can get involved by participating in their fundraisers and food drives, volunteering or donating to their website here.
Day 16: Wreaths Across America
For this year's Wreaths Across America Day, people placed a wreath on every grave site at the Knoxville National Cemetery.
"You can never really do enough or say enough to show thanks," Derek Jarrard said.
Co-organizer Misty Williams has coordinated the event for 10 years. She said this is their third year in a row covering 100% of the cemetery.
"This is the third year we have covered 100%," Williams said. "So each veteran has a wreath, which is a big deal. It shows you how people in this area in this community, they're just very veteran-friendly. They're willing to come out on a cold day in December, to honor the people that are here."
Organizers asked people to place the wreath and then speak the name of the veteran they were honoring.
Day 17: Knoxville Children's Theatre
Since 2008, the Knoxville Children's Theatre has given kids the opportunity to express their creative side on the big stage.
Their mission is to provide their actors the opportunity to acquire and hone in on skills that enhance creative thinking, personal responsibility, leadership and teamwork.
The Oak Ridge boys’ and girls’ basketball programs took children in need shopping at Walmart for the holidays.
For 14 years, the Wildcats have raised money for their “Creating Christmas Memories” program that allows underprivileged children to shop for toys, clothes and other Walmart products.
Head coach for the boy’s team, Aaron Green, came up with the idea when he first arrived at Oak Ridge back in 2010.
"I get pretty emotional,” Green said. “You don't really know how many kids don't have anything this time of year.”
Day 18: Athletes in Ministry
Brian Ford founded Athletes in Ministry, or A.I.M., in 2015.
A.I.M. gives students a chance to showcase their sportsmanship while keeping their faith at the forefront. Ford has worked with more than a thousand student-athletes since A.I.M. began.
Karns native Emily Ann Roberts teamed up with the Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign, offering a handmade throw blanket as an incentive for people to help.
Day 20: Hand Up for Women
Hand Up For Women has been helping women in East Tennessee get a fresh start for more than 20 years.
Their mission is to make sure those who seek them, regardless of age, race, or socioeconomic status are well-equipped to wisely manage their lives and sustain adequate employment to meet their needs and secure their family’s future.
Day 21: Blackheart Sports
The Blackheart Foundation gives resources to kids who might have thought they wouldn't be able to make it to college.
For student-athletes, Blackheart offers training in the sports they play.
Bells are ringing this holiday season as the Salvation Army's iconic Red Kettle bell ringers play a huge role in the holidays.
The funds raised directly impact those in East Tennessee.
Day 22: Appalachian Bear Rescue
Appalachian Bear Rescue is located in Townsend and helped its first black bear almost 30 years ago.
The nonprofit takes bears that wouldn't be able to survive on their own, nurses them back to health, and then lets them back out into the wild.
Day 23: Boys & Girls Club
The Boys and Girls Club of the Tennessee Valley celebrated 80 years of making it their mission to enable all young people, especially those who need it most, to reach their full potential. The club teaches kids between Kindergarten and 12th grade everything from STEM to the arts.
Day 24: Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries
Since 1960, the Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries has worked to rescue those in need through Christian outreach of building relationships, providing assistance and restoring lives.
One of the ministers has spent the past few Christmases bringing necessities to the unhoused and reminding them that they are loved, no matter how they got there.