About the Organization The Berkeley Food Needs seeks to build an accessible, food-secure future for Berkeley and beyond. As the largest food assistance organization in Alameda County, BFN believes food is a basic human right. BFN operates food pantries, delivers groceries to vulnerable households, and provides food to dozens of community organizations in the Bay Area to ensure all are able to access healthy, nutritious food. We rely on a network of over 500 volunteers annually to support thousands of community members each week. Join the Network to end hunger and food insecurity in Berkeley!
About the Organization Our mission is to awaken our communities to the power of holistic healing by offering top-tier herbal training programs, comprehensive herbal health services, and by cultivating a diverse and community-driven space for the wisdom of Herbal Medicine to thrive.
About the Organization With your support, we annually invest $1 million into grant, volunteer, and STEM programs that directly benefit our school community by meeting essential needs of students and families (including food security in schools), fostering safety & belonging, and a love of learning in students.
About the Organization Chartered in 1916, Berkeley is one of the oldest Rotary clubs in the world.
We do service — locally and internationally. We clean up parks, plant trees, remodel community centers and schools, provide scholarships and grants, run a free health care clinic, and more! Our club members have learned how to be global citizens by working shoulder-to-shoulder on long-term projects in Mexico, Guatamala, Russia, and beyond.
About the Organization Berkeley Symphony celebrates our unique and diverse community through music — creating live performances and educational programs to engage the curiosity, spirit, and intellect of our audiences.
Inspired by our home city’s long-standing legacy of innovation and inclusion, Berkeley Symphony presents unique and accessible musical experiences that respond to the shifting needs of our community. We believe that music is a living art form that must resonate with the cultural demands of our time and place. By courageously exploring diverse avenues of music and education, we create a greater sense of belonging.
About the Organization Berkeley Youth Alternatives is a community based organization. Our vision is to provide a secure and nurturing environment for all the children, youth, and families of our community. We desire to promote, to their fullest potential, the freedom to develop individual skills and visions of the world. BYA’s holistic services are designed to shift so-called “individuals at-risk” into “individuals with promise” by utilizing a continuum of care approach that emphasizes 3 core areas: Education, Health and Well-Being, and Economic Self-Sufficiency. To do this work, we create teams of diverse professionals from the fields of education, mental health, workforce development, and recreation that work collaboratively to meet the psycho-social, emotional, and economic needs of those most vulnerable in our community. We meet individuals where they are and build upon any gift, talent or ability that they possess. We inspire them to reach their full potential with staff who act as coaches and mentors that help individuals captain their own ships.
About the OrganizationBOSS helps people in crisis to build skills and social connection, access services and resources, and turn their lives around — people impacted by homelessness, disabilities, generational poverty, community or domestic violence, former incarceration and other crises. BOSS provides emergency shelter, housing, health/mental health services, education, training and employment services, child/family services, violence intervention/prevention, trauma recovery support for survivors of violence, and civic engagement. Our mission is two-fold: helping people in need right now, while working to end the root causes of inequity and injustice.
About the Organization We are a nonprofit that focuses on support people in the transition from unhoused to housed. We feed the community 365 days a year, feeding 250 people a day. We have a drop in that operated 365 days a year and provides showers, mail, laundry, storage, and respite as well as recourses. We also operate Berkeley winter shelter a well as Inclement weather shelter and 3 year around shelters. We believe in leading with love and accountability.
About the Organization Founded in 1969, the Ecology Center is a nonprofit organization located in Berkeley, California that focuses on improving the health and the environmental impacts of urban residents. We address critical issues through a model of education, demonstration, replication, and advocacy. We envision a world where human activity nurtures the ecosystems that we all depend on — a world of sustainable cities; empowered, resilient communities; zero waste and zero toxics; equal access to healthy food; sustainable resource use; and a safe and stable climate.
The Ecology Center’s mission is to inspire and build a sustainable, healthy, and just future for the East Bay, California, and beyond. We transform the ideals of sustainability into everyday practice. We deliver information you can act on, infrastructure you can count on, and leadership for lasting change
How to Support This holiday season, you can do your holiday gift shopping without contributing to the massive consumption of wasteful products sold in big box stores. We have carefully vetted the quality, sustainability, and origins of the products we carry in our store, and when you shop locally, you support the economy that enriches our local communities. You can celebrate the holidays and honor sustainability at the same time!
Green Giving Sale • November 19–22 • 10% off entire store • 15% off for members • Free gift for new members • Store Hours: Wed–Sat, 12 pm–6 pm
About the Organization Ensuring everyone in our community has a home through supportive and sustainable housing solutions. We envision a world where everyone has food and housing security in a caring community that they call home.
About the Organization Luna Dance & Creativity is a nationally recognized arts organization and the most comprehensive dance education provider on the West Coast. Founded in 1992, Luna promotes creativity and self-determination through the transformative power of dance, with a focus on serving children and families who are least likely to have access to arts education—including those in the dependency system, living in poverty, or with disabilities. As California’s only dance school grounded in a creativity-based pedagogy, Luna partners with schools, social service agencies, and cultural organizations to reach youth and caregivers across diverse communities. Luna’s unique approach integrates research in play, neuroscience, child development, and cultural responsiveness, fostering the choreographer in every child and nurturing the artist in educators, caregivers, and dancers. Through movement and creativity, Luna nourishes familial bonds, deepens community connections, and inspires life-long learners and future creative thinkers.
Last year, 130 families, 1,894 teachers, artists, and caregivers, at least 28,975 students, 4,056 with disabilities and special needs, from eleven counties across the country (Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sonoma, Shelby TN, Honolulu HI, and Kings NY), twelve public school districts (Berkeley, Fontana, Los Angeles, Miller Creek, Novato, NYC District #13 & #32, Oakland, Reed Union, Ross Valley, San Rafael, and Sausalito), six independent schools, and three universities (Cal State East Bay, University of San Francisco and College of Marin) received Luna’s programs and resources. Discover more at lunadancecreativity.org.
About the Organization Meals on Wheels of Alameda County is a nonprofit umbrella organization providing financial support, community outreach and strategic assistance to six independent Meals on Wheels programs. These programs deliver nutritious meals and perform daily wellness checks that support 2,700 homebound seniors to live independently with dignity. Our organization provides over $1.3m in direct assistance as well as one-time grants for special projects enabling Meals on Wheels programs to deliver over 700,000 meals annually.
About the Organization The Mental Health Association of Alameda County (MHAAC) is a nonprofit organization that has been advocating for individuals with mental illness in the Alameda, San Mateo, Marin and Sonoma Counties since 1958. Governed by a Board of Directors and staffed by qualified individuals who are trained in trauma-informed care and passionate about standing by people with mental health conditions, MHAAC runs multiple programs to help individuals and their families thrive. Serving over 24,000 individuals every year, we are proud to offer free support, education, and mental health resources to family caregivers.
About the Organization Social Justice & Equity in Early Childhood Education
Nia House is a non-profit Montessori School in the heart of West Berkeley. We are committed to providing children between the ages of 18 months and 6 years with an education centered around peace, understanding, acceptance, independence, community, and truth.
Our mission is to bring together children from different socio-economic backgrounds to grow and work in harmony and cooperation, and to actively work toward all of Dr. Maria Montessori’s concepts, especially that of peace through education.
About the Organization Pachamama Alliance is a global community working to protect the Amazon rainforest and create a just, sustainable future for all. With roots deep in the Amazon, we partner with Indigenous peoples to defend their territories while offering transformative programs that awaken people worldwide to take meaningful action.
Our work integrates Indigenous wisdom with modern solutions to address the interconnected crises of environmental destruction, social inequality, and spiritual disconnection. Through our transformational educational programs and Amazon-based initiatives, we inspire people everywhere to reconnect with the Earth, one another, and their sense of purpose—inspiring them to take meaningful action for the future of all life.
Your support protects vital rainforest ecosystems, empowers Indigenous communities, and inspires thousands to become effective changemakers. Join us in bringing forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence on this planet.
About the Organization Pacific Center for Human Growth is the Bay Area’s oldest LGBTQIA+ community center, providing affirming mental health services, peer support, and wellness programs for LGBTQIA+ people of all ages. Rooted in equity and inclusion, we center the voices of trans, nonbinary, and QTBIMPOC community members in everything we do. From clinical therapy to youth and elder support groups to community events and outreach, Pacific Center fosters belonging, resilience, and joy. This holiday season, your gift helps us continue creating spaces where everyone can be seen, supported, and celebrated.
About the Organization Scientific Adventures for Girls (SAfG) provides year-round, hands-on STEM education for transitional kindergarten through 6th-grade girls. We break down systemic barriers to STEM participation by offering culturally-relevant curricula, pairing young learners with diverse female and BIPOC role models, and fostering both 21st-century skills and lifelong engagement in science, technology, engineering, and math.
About the Organization Compassion is not just about helping those less fortunate than ourselves, it’s about the realization that we are all connected as one human family. That sense of compassionate service motivates all of Seva’s work, as we build sight-saving programs that support people around the world in their efforts to build healthy communities. Seva’s blindness-prevention programs span many cultures and countries.
Make a Gift of Sight this holiday season in honor of a friend or loved one, that person will receive a card featuring photography from around the world created exclusively for Seva. You can include a personal message in addition to Seva’s description of how your gift will change someone’s life.
About the Organization The 1947 Partition Archive is racing against time to document the last forgotten stories of those who experienced the colossal 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, as well as World War II in South Asia.
About the Organization Making Books a Birthright is our mission.
We partner with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to make their free books by mail for 0 to 5 year olds available to all children in 4 cities we serve: Berkeley+Emeryville and Richmond+San Pablo. Children may be enrolled from birth until age 4.5 years; their age and home address are the only eligibility criteria. Enrolled children receive an age-appropriate quality book every month until their 5th birthday, addressed to them - a detail of great interest and importance for toddlers. Imagination Library participation is shown to improve Kindergarten Readiness levels for that One Child, and whole communities of them. IL is the most joyful, efficient, and economical way to ensure children own books from the start. Research from around the world shows conclusively that ownership of books from birth predicts Kindergarten Readiness more accurately than any other metric. Help us get more books to more children: Donate today! It costs us less than $50/year to have 12 books delivered to a child. A gift book in the mail is just one small thing, but, it is a powerful thing, it is a Joyful thing. In our annual survey Joy at the mailbox is a top comment, along with words of gratitude. Imagination Library is funded by the Dollywood Foundation, no gov’t $’s are involved. The BBBP pays IL for books mailed to children we enroll; all other costs - books selection, publishing, printing, the Bulk Mail facilities IL has built to serve our entire Country, and live staff available for help every weekday are all value left on the table if there is no IL Partner serving an area. It’s a literacy boosting bargain.
About the Organization The Freight has become a world famous venue for music that celebrates cultures, connects communities, and inspires creativity.
We are a nonprofit community arts organization aiming to be a center for the discovery and exploration of music from around the world that welcomes curiosity, pushes boundaries, and champions inclusivity.
About the Organization The Berkeley Music Group (BMG) was founded in 2012 as a 501 c3 non-profit organization. We operate The UC Theatre as a community-minded multi-tiered independent live music venue with culturally diverse music programming featuring Local, National, & International Touring Artists, as well as transformative workforce development programs removing the barriers of entry/advancement for young adults from marginalized communities. We’re sustained by a blend of earned revenue (tickets and ancillary revenue sales) and contributed support from generous donors and local, city, and state grants.
The UC Theatre’s Concert Career Pathways workforce development program (CCP) (now in it’s 10th year) is a comprehensive workforce development training program designed to remove barriers to entry and provide to provide participants from marginalized communities with industry-relevant training, work-based learning experiences, and career placement support in the live music, performing arts, and nonprofit sectors. CCP is a nine-month workforce development program for young people ages 17 to 25, centered on hands-on, experiential learning that cultivates critical thinking, creativity, and the career skills essential to thrive in today’s job market. From training to job placement, we collaborate with Industry professionals who not only to teach/train/mentor the nuanced skills for a successful career, but also participate in our Profession Partner Network to drive job placement. In many cases our program gets a foot in the door for CCP Grads where a college degree could not.
About the Organization Waterside Workshops empowers youth through hands-on, paid learning in bicycle mechanics, wooden boatbuilding, and climate action. Complemented by year-round outdoor education, Waterside provides a safe, supportive environment where young people are heard, build confidence, develop job skills, and access the resources they need to lead healthy, sustainable lives.
About the Organization Women’s Cancer Resource Center is a Berkeley-based nonprofit serving Alameda and Contra Costa counties. We help women and gender-expansive individuals with cancer and their families find the information, care, and community support they need before, during, and after treatment.
WCRC provides free programs including multicultural and bilingual patient navigation, individual therapy, support groups, and health wellness classes. We also offer emergency financial assistance to help clients cover essential expenses during treatment and connect them with community resources that address barriers to care.
Each year, WCRC serves over 1,000 people across the East Bay and reaches thousands more through outreach and education. Our work focuses on improving access to care and reducing the inequities that affect women with cancer in our community.
Accepts BerkeleyBucks
