SNOW UPDATE

Collections will now begin at 11 am on Monday, December 21 and will continue through Wednesday, December 23. Losing one day of collections, and our one weekend day, will impact our ability to serve all the shelters this year. Please email friends, neighbors, etc and ask them to consider donating gently used winter clothes for men, women, and children.

THE GIFT OF GIVING BACK

This year, instead of giving another tie, another sweater, a box of candy, or whatever, give a gift that truly conveys the spirit of the holidays. Give a homeless person a Giving Back Backpack, filled with thermal underwear, a hat, gloves, and a sweatshirt, and give that backpack in honor of your friend, relative or co-worker.

When you send $25 to Giving Back / Linda’s Legacy, a local school child will stuff a backpack with these essential winter clothes and put a card with the name of the person you wish to honor inside. We will then prepare a beautiful Holiday Card designed by a local homeless person documenting this gift, and send it to you or your recipient, to be presented as your holiday gift to them.

Give the gift that really counts and bring just a bit more happiness to the lives of those who really need it.

Simply click here to view and print gift card order form and click here to view insert.

Our New Name--Giving Back, Linda's Legacy

We have had a year of transition. For the past 7 years, we have been a part of the National Heritage Foundation, a collection of small foundations that can operate as true non-profits and pool resources. This year, we have incorporated ourselves and have become a free standing LLC. We have established an active Board of Directors, and have begun the task of formalizing many of the processes that have been established over the past few years. This change has necessitated a name change, and we wanted to honor our Founder, Linda Greenberg, in the new name. We are now officially Giving Back, Linda’s Legacy. On November 12, we held a dinner in Linda’s honor and announced this new name. I believe this is an important tribute to an amazing person.

Our Mission

Giving Back, Inc. -- a non-profit that sponsors the Help the Homeless Drive in Baltimore, Anne Arundel County and now Washington, DC -- is dedicated to aiding the homeless on many fronts. With the support of volunteers across the region, Giving Back, Inc. provides food, clothing, fellowship and programs aimed at encouraging self-respect and fostering self-empowerment. The program was founded more than 20 years ago by Linda Greenberg of Annapolis, who remains very involved.

Each Christmas, Help the Homeless volunteers distribute warm clothing, food, supplies, and toys on the streets of Baltimore. In 2006, Help the Homeless added Washington DC to the areas it supports. We will continue to grow in 2009 adding more shelters and street stops in Washington DC.

Giving Back, LL, LLC is a 501(c)3 non-profit that sponsors the Holiday Homeless Drive in Baltimore, Anne Arundel County and now Washington, DC.

 Read more about Giving Back, Inc.'s history and our misssion (MS Word, 115KB)

 See our volunteers in action: Photos

Info for 2009

Thank you for your interest in helping with our drive.  Giving Back is now a federally recognized non-profit and have the appropriate tax benefits for donations.

Our effort this year will be directed towards the collection and delivery of our ‘backpack’ program.  Each backpack will include thermals, a sweatshirt, socks, hat, and a warm pair of gloves.  Ideally, it will also include a pair of warm boots and a sleeping bag or blanket.  Collections and drives have already begun for these items, but there is never enough.  One way to help would be to get your church, synagogue, your school, or your children’s school interested in collecting something towards this goal.

The collection site this year will be the same as last year.  We will be at the Annapolis Farmers Market on Riva Road from Sunday 12/20-Wednesday 12/23, with our deliveries occurring on Thursday, 12/24.   Each day we will work the lot from 10-5, although we are advertising the collections will only be 11-4. You do not need to sign up, just show up.   On Christmas Eve, we will be delivering the first wave to shelters from 8am-2pm, and then directly to the streets from 3pm-11pm.  If families are volunteering with young children, I recommend they choose the early shift.  Anyone going out in the evening must be chaperoned by an adult if they are under 14.  We also ask that anyone who wants to go out on Christmas Eve, also work at the collection lot for at least one 4 hour shift.  This is important as the day of deliveries is the ‘feel good’ day of the drive, and we want to reserve that opportunity for people that have also been in the ‘trenches’!

If you have a facebook page, you can connect to us by doing a group search for "volunteers of Giving Back".

I hope you see an area you can fit in, please let me know directly if you have any questions! 

Sincerely,
Steve Anstett
Executive Director, Giving Back

Our Sponsors

• Staples Office Supply
• Farmers Market in Annapolis
• Kohn’s Creative
• Chevy’s of Annapolis and Arundel Mills