Spreading Holiday Cheer: Ways of Giving Back along the Main Line This Season

How to Give Back Locally This Season: Through Time, Help, & Donations

As the holiday lights begin to glow across the Main Line, the true spirit of the season becomes most visible not in decorations, but in giving. Local nonprofits, families, and community groups are coming together to offer their time, goods, and care to support neighbors in need. Below is a curated guide to giving back around the Main Line this holiday season, with tangible ways to get involved: whether through volunteering, donating, or participating in community-led events that spread warmth where it's needed most.

1. Support Food Security with Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NHN)

Ways to give:

• Volunteer your time: NHN runs weekly food distribution programs. Volunteers help sort and pack fresh produce, meat, and essential items every Thursday for delivery to 130+ local households.
• Saturday Pop-Up Market: Every Saturday from 11 AM–2 PM, NHN hosts a “pop-up” market at A Space for Neighbors (104 Holland Ave, Ardmore), where community members can help run arts & crafts for children while parents' “shop” for food and essentials.
• Tutor or mentor: Volunteer with NHN’s “E‑Squared / Homework Club” to help children with schoolwork.
  
  

Holiday-specific giving: EAT MUCH? Food Drive: Through December 31, NHN is collecting donations (funds go to buying fresh meat & produce) in support of their food security program.

Why it matters: Giving time or donations to NHN offers a direct way to support food-insecure families in the Main Line. It’s a powerful way to build connections and help stabilize families during the holidays.

2. Offer Hospitality & Stability Through Family Promise of the Main Line

Ways to give:

• Volunteer at host congregations: Family Promise of the Main Line needs volunteers to cook meals, provide childcare, read or play with children, and offer companionship overnight.

• In-kind donations: Contribute household items and essentials from their Wish List, including new linens, towels, kitchen utensils, and gift cards.

• Financial gifts: Donations help fund emergency shelter and self-sufficiency programs.
  
  

Holiday Event / Giving Moment: While Family Promise doesn’t always have a fixed holiday drive listed publicly, year-round donations of wish-list items are critical, and volunteers at host congregations are especially needed during the winter months when families may be staying overnight.

3. Give Essentials to Children with Cradles to Crayons (Greater Philadelphia)

Ways to give:

• Volunteer at the Giving Factory: Cradles to Crayons’s warehouse (4700 Wissahickon Ave, Philadelphia) invites volunteers to sort, inspect, and package gently used or new children’s items.

• Special event shifts: Sign up for their Special Event Volunteer times, which often happen during the holiday season.

• Donate items: Use their Amazon Wish List to send new items directly, or drop off new/gently used children’s essentials at one of their local drop-off points.
  
  

Why it matters: This is a hands-on, joyful way for individuals, families, or corporate groups to make a difference and to supply meaningful gifts (clothes, coats, school items) to children who may otherwise lack access.

4. Donate Clothing & Essentials Through the National Giving Alliance

Ways to give:

• New-item donations: The National Giving Alliance (based in Warminster, PA) accepts new clothing and essentials to distribute to families, children, and those experiencing homelessness.

• Financial support: Monetary gifts help them purchase new clothing in the sizes and styles needed most.
  
  

Holiday Moment to Give: While the NGA doesn’t always list a specific “holiday event,” its mission is ongoing and particularly resonant during the colder months, when the need for warm clothing and essentials spikes.

Why it matters: Donating new items ensures recipients receive dignity and quality, not just secondhand goods, during a season when warmth truly matters.

5. Join a Community-Driven Holiday Event

Holiday Main Line Networking Coat Drive: On December 16, the Main Line Networking group is hosting a festive holiday networking event at the Philadelphia Skating Club & Humane Society. Guests are asked to bring a new or gently used coat to support a local coat drive for families in need.

Phillies Season of Giving: While not exclusively Main Line, the Philadelphia Phillies’ “Season of Giving” campaign includes multiple holiday events and volunteering opportunities in the greater region, an inspiring way for businesses and residents to rally around larger-scale community giving.

How to Choose What Giving Looks Like for You This Season

1. Decide how you want to give — Time? Goods? Financially?

• If you have a few hours, consider weekly volunteering at NHN or a shift at Cradles to Crayons.

• If you want to donate: shop from a nonprofit’s wish list (Family Promise) or bundle a coat drive with your company or friend group.

• If you lead a business or team, host a volunteer event at the Giving Factory, or coordinate a food drive for NHN.
  
  

2. Pick the right scale — One-off or ongoing?

• One-day events like the coat drive or Un‑Gala offer entry points.

• Ongoing commitments (weekly volunteering or monthly donations) help nonprofits sustain their work year-round.
  
  

3. Get other people involved — Build community while giving:

• Invite colleagues to a holiday volunteer shift.

• Host a donation drive among neighbors or friends.

• Share these causes in your internal newsletter or social channels to amplify impact.
  
  

Take the Next Step

Choose one opportunity above that aligns with your time and resources, sign up, and encourage someone else to join. Together, our acts of giving become the fabric of a stronger, more compassionate community. This holiday season, giving back on the Main Line, PA, is more than an act; it’s a way to build connection, reinforce shared values, and uplift community. Whether it’s donating a coat, volunteering a few hours sorting food or toys, or hosting a group event, every contribution matters.