7 ways to give back in North Carolina this holiday season

This holiday season, North Carolinians are focusing on more than presents and good times. Learn about these ways you can give back in NC this year.

As the holidays draw closer, people across North Carolina are checking items off their shopping lists, planning menus for parties and gatherings, and maybe getting their favorite “ugly sweater” out of the closet. But the holiday season isn’t just about having fun and enjoying treats. It’s also a time to be grateful for what you have and give back to those less fortunate.

But what does “giving back” in North Carolina look like? While everyone loves the idea of cutting a big enough check to ensure a great holiday season for everyone in the state, that’s just not feasible. That said, there are ways to help, regardless of your age, budget, location, or skills. Here are some of the ways you can pitch in this season:

1. Help keep North Carolinians fed

No matter the season, hunger hurts. This year has been particularly challenging for North Carolinians dealing with food insecurity, as the government shutdown delayed SNAP payments throughout November. Across the state, though, there are ways to ensure that those struggling with food assistance can feed their families.

One vital resource for North Carolinians struggling with food insecurity is a local food bank. Food banks depend upon donations, including both food and cash donations, to help them source items from retail and wholesale outlets. Some prominent North Carolina food banks you can support include the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, which operates six branches; MANNA FoodBank in Asheville; and Feeding the Carolinas, a united network of 10 food banks in both North and South Carolina. Or, stay hyperlocal, and look up the food bank nearest to you.

2. Ensure someone stays warm this winter

With the first cold snap of winter coming early this year, many people across North Carolina are worried about how they’ll stay warm until spring. Luckily, there are ways you can help.

Some ways to give back focus on heating assistance, helping North Carolinians keep their homes warm through the winter. For example, the Warmth for Wake program, which runs in Wake County from October through March every year, provides firewood and space heaters to those in need, while in Timberlake, the Share the Heat donation project can help cover heating bills.

Other ways to help include donating warm winter clothes in good condition, like coats, hats, and gloves. Clothing drives can be found across the state, so check for convenient donation points near you—the One Warm Coat website can help you find places to donate coats via a ZIP code search.

3. Help clean up North Carolina’s coast

The beaches of the Tarheel State are beautiful, historic, and in need of your help. Beach cleanup initiatives usually involve a group of volunteers collecting trash and disposing of it safely, ensuring the beaches remain beautiful and free of anything that might pose a risk to local wildlife. Check out the board at Volunteer OBX to find the most urgently-needed volunteer opportunities on the Outer Banks. Or, if you want to get your own group together, the North Carolina Coastal Federation can help you organize a cleaning party.

4. Give blood to someone who needs it

Becoming a blood donor is a tremendous gift you can give to help people recovering from serious accidents or undergoing critical surgery. While not everyone is eligible to donate blood (check the current guidelines to see if you meet them), if you are, it can be a wonderful way to give back and help someone.

Blood drives, where large numbers of people give blood, often in temporary, pop-up donation sites, are generally time-limited, but some sites accept blood donations year-round. Check for a Community Blood Center near you, a Red Cross donation site, or ask your local hospital system.

5. Help spread holiday cheer to children in need

We all know how much children love the holidays, but unfortunately, some families are struggling to provide their children with basic necessities, let alone presents and seasonal treats. That’s where you come in.

Carolina Cares is a registered charity dedicated to helping individuals and families in need across the Research Triangle. For Christmas 2025, they’ve set up donation sites at a variety of convenient locations, and you can find wish lists on their website to ensure you’re donating items the kids and teens served by the charity will enjoy. This is just one example, and there are likely local organizations you can support wherever you are, as well as national organizations like Toys for Tots, which has branches across the Tarheel State.

6. Donate to vital research efforts

Some of the most important causes out there require highly specialized work, and that’s the case for crucial medical research. While you can’t exactly roll up your sleeves to conduct medical research on your own time, you can be a part of this important effort by donating to North Carolina medical charities.

The Research Triangle in North Carolina has its name for a reason; it’s home to organizations like the UNC Health Foundation, which supports both research and patient care, and the Rare Cancer Research Foundation in Durham. Your donations to causes like these can help find treatments and even cures that can benefit thousands of people in North Carolina and around the world.

7. Volunteer with furry friends

Helping humans is great, but our four-legged pals need love too! Your county government is a great place to find volunteer opportunities at a local animal shelter. Wake County, for example, calls on volunteers to help feed, walk, train, and groom shelter animals, or help with administrative work at the shelter. Private animal charities, like the Animal Protection Society of Durham, which manages its own nonprofit shelter, are also often in need of volunteers, including public education and administrative support, as well as working directly with the animals.