This is a reminder that there is still time left to support various local causes and take advantage of 2013 tax savings. There are many charitable causes in the area you can support, whether it’s education, art, helping homeless neighbors or those in need, animal rescues and shelters, and others. So, if you want to make a difference in somebody’s life or show your love for your favorite project or organization, this is a good time to do it.

It would be tough for us to mention all the worth organizations in West Philly. Below are a few. Others are on our Civic Life page. Please add others in the comments.

ACHIEVEability families still need help. The organization continues to provide stability to 310 children and their parents. Your support will help ACHIEVEability deliver on their promise to help these families build better lives. If you have not already offered your support, please consider taking a few minutes to make a contribution here.

There’s a chance to double the impact of your year-end gift to the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation if you make a donation by the end of the year. A group of donors to the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation are matching all donations dollar for dollar up to $50,000. Every dollar you donate will be matched, to a total of $50,000 as long as you make a donation by December 31st at midnight. Your donation will help provide more books for children, tech classes for seniors, tutoring for students, and other programs. To make a donation, click here. And you can select your neighborhood library to direct your gift to.

The Woodlands Trust for Historic Preservation needs your help “putting The Woodlands back on the map.” They’re still a few thousands dollars away from meeting their appeal goal, and every dollar counts. Here are some examples of how your donation can be used: $10 will help The Woodlands to provide free educational materials to 100 visitors. $25 will help clear fallen branches from the path used by runners, walkers and dog-walkers. $100 provides the materials and labor to repair one headstone. Help is also needed with supporting grounds maintenance and ensuring the long-term health and grandeur of State Champion trees. To make a donation, click here.

Consider donating to Curio Theatre‘s General Operating Fund, to help the theatre keep “the lights on and the door open.” You can also help Curio’s Scholarship Fund, so that they can continue to offer theatre classes to all members of our community. For more information and to make a donation, click here.

Recently, West Philly Local wrote about efforts, initiated by some local businesses and politicians, to help neighbors in need during the holidays. Some of those campaigns are still underway, so if you missed our post, click here. And here are two more opportunities to help make the holidays brighter for many local families and children.

Photo via cedarparkneighbors.org.

• Cedar Park Neighbors (CPN) is holding a Holiday Basket Drive this month and your financial help and support are needed to make it a success. A suggested donation is $36, which will help feed two families. This is a great chance to show your commitment  to “neighbors helping neighbors.” In 2012, CPN was able to reach over 660 Cedar Park residents in need, according to the information posted on its website. To donate to the CPN Holiday Basket Drive, please click here. Also, volunteers are needed at the basket packing and distributing event, which will take place on Saturday, Dec. 21 from 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. at Renewal Presbyterian Church (47th and Cedar Ave). Please email Michelle and Beverly at: mlewis1071@gmail.com for more information.

• Local 44 is collecting donations of new and unwrapped toys or personal care items for the People’s Emergency Center, a West Philly shelter that offers support services to women and children. Please bring your donations to the Bottle Shop at 44th and Spruce anytime through Thursday, Dec. 19. For a list of personal care items needed most, visit this page.

Here’s another opportunity to help people in need this holiday season. Kingsessing Library (51st & Chester) is holding a holiday food drive this month and all donations will go to neighborhood food pantries. See the flyer below for more information.

True to the holiday spirit of helping and giving, some local businesses and politicians are leading efforts to support various charitable causes this month. Here are more details on who’s doing what and how you can help.

Holiday Food Drive at Mariposa Food Co-op (49th & Baltimore)

Mariposa Food Co-op is accepting donations of canned and packaged non-perishable food items through Dec. 31. You can drop your donation into the donations box at the store. All donations will be taken to Pathways PA, an organization providing services for women, children and families in the Greater Philadelphia region, or to State Representative James Roebuck’s office for redistribution to neighbors in need. For more information please email outreach@mariposa.coop or stop by at the store.

“ACCT Out For The Holidays!” Holiday Supplies Drive at Baltimore Pet Shoppe (4532 Baltimore Ave)

The Chester Avenue Dog Association and Baltimore Pet Shoppe are organizing the “ACCT out for the holidays!” holiday supplies drive in the neighborhood. Baltimore Pet Shoppe will be accepting donations until Dec. 20 for the Animal Care and Control Team of Philadelphia (ACCT) to help the homeless cats and dogs that will be staying in the shelter over the holidays. ACCT is in need of many items on their wish list. Baltimore Pet Shoppe is offering a 10 percent discount on all mylar balls, canned pate cat food, stainless steel bowls, and Kong L & XL dog toys that are getting donated to the shelter. The shop has a donation bin where you can drop off any items from ACCT’s wish list. You can also purchase these items online. For more information, visit Baltimore Pet Shoppe’s Facebook page.

Cafe Renata (43rd & Locust) donating a portion of all gift card sales to local charities

Katie Steenstra, the co-owner of Cafe Renata, which opened at the beginning of the year at 43rd and Locust Streets, has let us know of her business’s effort this month to give back and “help keep West Philadelphia as vibrant as ever.” Through Christmas, 15 percent of all Cafe Renata gift card sales will be donated to local West Philadelphia charities. The cafe owners also want to hear from you and let them know, on Facebook, Twitter, or right in the shop, where you think the donated funds would be most needed. On Christmas, they will announce where the raised funds will be donated.

December 13 – Support Kingsessing Library with The Gold Standard Cafe (48th & Baltimore)

Friday the 13th has a bad reputation, but Roger, Vince and Joey of The Gold Standard Cafe decided to “buck tradition by putting our bucks where our words are,” and make it a lucky day by donating a full 1/3 of their total proceeds on December 13 to their neighborhood (Kingsessing) library. Your donation will go to serve the reading and educational needs of the library.

Roebuck’s office a ‘Socks for Seniors’ drop-off point

The office of state Rep. James Roebuck, who currently serves as Democratic chairman of the House Education Committee and represents the 188th Legislative District in West and Southwest Philadelphia, is serving as a drop-off point for the “Socks for Seniors” drive. Residents are invited to bring pairs of new adult socks for nursing home residents by Friday, Dec. 13 to Roebuck’s office located at 4712 Baltimore Ave.

West Philly resident Jay Sand has big, big plans to expand his popular world music program for youths that began out of his Pine Street living room. Sand’s goal is “to create the opportunity for every child to meet the world through music.”

Jay Sand

Sand, who has taught more than 1,000 classes to neighborhood kids, has launched an ambitious campaign to crowdfund this expansion. Last spring he took his program, which combines music and cultural exploration, into the public schools. His curriculum includes some 300 songs from more than 100 countries.

Now he wants to make it even more accessible to kids throughout the city regardless of income. Part of that plan is to create a series of CDs (and digital music) with all kinds of performers. He has already released one – All Around this World: Latin America – this fall. And two more, which will include music from Africa, are currently in post production. You can see some of the studio recordings in the video below.

So far he has self-financed these efforts, but now he is offering a chance for you to get involved through tax-deductible contributions (and get a special gift such as a CD or a “musical map” or even a free private concert for you and your family and friends).

To help promote his expansion, Sand is also putting on 24 straight one-hour webcast classes on December 7-8. You and yours can attend the free classes in person if you RSVP here. The classes start at 9 a.m. on Dec. 7 and Sand says the only song he will repeat during all of the classes is the Ugandan song “We Are Happy,” which he uses to mark the beginning of each class. Here is the schedule.

After Black Friday and Cyber Monday a national day of giving, #GivingTuesday, is being celebrated today. It’s a chance for thousands of people and businesses to participate in charitable activities. You can show support for your local non-profit organizations who work hard daily helping many children, adults and pets and keeping our neighborhoods safe, green and clean.

West Philadelphia is home to many great non-profits and it’s hard for us to pick out any particular ones, so we encourage you to visit our “Civic Life” page for the list of such organizations and support them with your donation. But we’d like to mention a few organizations who reached out to us to tell us about their participation in the #GivingTuesday campaign and the importance of their work. Here they are: Bartram’s Garden, University City District, ACHIEVEability, Red Cross Philadelphia, Rock to the Future.