COVID-19 has seemingly put the world at a standstill, but Valley nonprofits continue aiding the less fortunate.

While many fundraising events and drives have been postponed or canceled, there are still dozens of ways the community can continue to help while “social distancing."

Arizona Animal Welfare League

The Arizona Animal Welfare League is looking for wet or dry kitten and puppy food. Kitten season begins as temperatures rise, and AAWL anticipates it will foster more than 1,300 kittens and almost 400 puppies this year. Some of these young animals will come with their mothers but many will come alone. In a short time, AAWL will have more than 200 puppies and kittens in foster on any given day. With the lack of supplies on store shelves and distributors placing orders on hold or backorder, there is a real fear AAWL won’t be able to feed all of its foster animals if it doesn’t receive donated supplies. The donated wet or dry food does need to specifically be labeled as puppy or kitten food and not for dogs or cats. AAWL’s adult animals are OK for the time being and AAWL would love for those supplies to still be on shelves for the cat and dog owners in the community.

Arizona’s Children Association

AzCA, one of the oldest and largest statewide child welfare and behavioral health nonprofit agencies in the state, is looking to the community for emergency funding to aid foster youth and families facing difficult circumstances. These funds will allow the agency to make sure individuals are current on their utility bills and rent, as well as make sure they have gas money to get to work and food in their pantries. AzCA serves more than 40,000 children, individuals and families in all 15 counties annually. Donate at ArizonasChildren.org/Creating-Connections-in-Chaos.

Arizona Helping Hands

AzHH has decided to halt in-kind donations (like clothing, toys, etc.) and is asking people to hold off on bringing items by for the next few weeks. However, the organization is encouraging people to still make monetary donations. It has decided to remain open on a very limited basis and continue to serve children in foster care to the best of its ability. There are still 14,000+ children in foster care who depend on these services and the nonprofit will continue to rely on donors for support. Donate at azhelpinghands.org/aztaxcredit.

Chandler Compadres

The Chandler Compadres are a group of community leaders who donate their time, resources, talents and money to help kids and families in need who live in Chandler and the East Valley. The group fundraises for 7 core beneficiaries, 2 of which are accommodating families during school closures:

• Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley is opening local clubs during school hours to help families cope with the schedule changes. Clubs open during the day will provide 2 meals for the day and a snack. Click here for a list of clubs with updated hours.
• ICAN Positive Programs for Youth remains open to members for all daily services. To maintain operations for children running smoothly,  the organization asks the community to donate Clorox wipes and other necessary disinfectant agents. Click here for more information.

To donate to the Compadres or see a full list of beneficiaries, visit ChandlerCompadres.org/Donate.

Hunkapi Programs

Hunkapi, based in Scottsdale, brings to the valley a variety of horse powered activities for children and adults including therapeutic riding lessons, equine assisted psychotherapy and garden therapy. The farm is committed to continuing care and providing a safe harbor for our community in the wake of COVID-19. To do so, the nonprofit has launched the Sustainable Supporters Sticker Club, a great way to make a sustainable impact in the community while getting a fun, new sticker every month. For each month that you donate $20 or more, Hunkapi will send you a cute farm-inspired sticker fitting a different monthly theme. For more information, visit Hunkapi.org/Donate.

Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation

Hospitals are hit hard during this time, and Phoenix Children’s Hospital protects the sick and injured children that might be vulnerable to COVID-19. Contributions to the Hospital’s greatest area of need, The Hope Fund, will help the Hospital carry out its important work as doctors and staff continue protecting the community. The Hope Fund helps us launch critical new programs, purchase essential equipment, conduct cutting-edge research, provide charitable care and much more. The power of unrestricted giving through The Hope Fund is immeasurable. It ensures that support is available where and when it is needed most so the Hospital can continue to enhance the care it provides to patients. Donate at phoenixchildrensfoundation.org/hope-fund/.

The Singletons

The Singletons support single parent households battling cancer and in times of crisis these families are in need of essential materials.

Local families are in dire need of the following items:

• Toilet paper
• Laundry Detergent
• Paper towels
• Kleenex 
• Liquid antibacterial hand soap
• All EPA-registered disinfectants such as Lysol spray or cleaning supplies that have Clorox. 

The Singletons families are of the most vulnerable with compromised immune systems making them more susceptible to attracting illnesses. The organization’s supplies are down due to shortages in stores and a shortage in donations of items, according to a release.

If you are able to donate any spare items please call and leave a message at 480-818-5285 or email joanne@thesingletonsaz.org.