This volunteer-run nonprofit helps cats and dogs in the Bismarck-Mandan area, working to ease pound overcrowding and help rescued animals find suitable homes.
Their work brings together rescue, foster care, adoption and education. Donations help provide food, supplies and care while animals wait for a home.
Organization details checked against the official website on October 22, 2026. All links open in a new tab. Donations are handled directly by the organization.
Safety & support · Twin Cities
Supporting Women. Rebuilding Lives.
Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own home. I’m highlighting Cornerstone for its work helping survivors find safety, support and a path forward.
Cornerstone: support through crisis and beyond
Based in Bloomington and serving the Twin Cities, Cornerstone supports survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, human trafficking and other crimes. Its work includes emergency shelter, advocacy, help with protective orders, therapy and support for children and families.
Cornerstone also operates Minnesota Day One, connecting survivors with services statewide. Donations help sustain the organization’s work with survivors and their families.
Services checked against Cornerstone’s official website on October 22, 2026. Donations go directly through its giving page. No formal partnership is implied.
Children · Reading & nutrition · Minnesota
Open books. Full bellies.
Every child deserves the chance to become a confident reader, with books to explore and enough good food to get through the day.
For the children’s causes here, my education focus is reading: helping kids build the skills to read and putting books into their hands. Alongside that is something just as basic: proper nutrition, during the school week and when school is out.
These organizations offer practical ways to support those goals in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and across Minnesota.
Reading Partners Minnesota: time and support to learn
Reading Partners Minnesota works with schools and communities to provide individualized reading tutoring. Trained volunteers help students practice foundational reading skills with a structured curriculum, in person or online.
This is the reading instruction side of the picture: regular attention and support for children who need help building their skills and confidence. You can support the Minnesota program financially or explore becoming a volunteer tutor.
Start Reading Now: books they choose, books they keep
Minneapolis-based Start Reading Now funds free book fairs for children in first, second and third grades. Children choose new books to take home, helping them build personal libraries and keep reading over the summer.
There’s something special about choosing a book because it interests you, then knowing it’s yours. This is a way to help more children have that experience.
School meals matter, but children need to eat on weekends, too. Roseville-based Every Meal works with schools across Minnesota to provide nutritious food bags, distributed discreetly in children’s backpacks.
Its main focus is the gap when school meals aren’t available on weekends. Donations and volunteer support help sustain that work.
Second Harvest Heartland: nutrition beyond the school day
Second Harvest Heartland’s Child Hunger Program supports Minnesota schools and community partners through grants, program expertise and connections to food resources. Its work includes support for summer meal programs, food shelves and help connecting families with grocery assistance.
For families, a school calendar shouldn’t determine whether children have enough to eat. This is another way to support access to meals and nutritious food throughout the year.
General gifts support Second Harvest Heartland’s broader hunger relief work. For a gift specifically directed to child hunger programs, contact the organization about available options.
A donation, time spent tutoring, or sharing a useful resource can be a place to start. My hope is simple: more kids with books they want to open, support to learn to read, and the food they need to grow.
Program descriptions and links checked against the organizations’ official websites on October 22, 2026. Donations are handled on their own websites; no formal partnerships are implied. External website links open in a new tab.
More ways to make a difference
Not every gift needs a dollar sign.
Your time, supplies from a current wish list, fostering a rescued animal or sharing an organization’s work can help. Start with the official links above to see what fits.
This page will grow as I share more charitable organizations worth getting to know.
