November 29th is the National Day of Giving — Here are some local charities that help our children, homeless, families, and veterans

Citrus County Education Foundation’s mission is, “to provide resources to support the Citrus County School District to enhance the quality of education for present and future generations”. The foundation offers programs and events to benefit students and faculty of Citrus County. These programs help engage students and enrich their education experience. They service 15,000 students, 2,200 Citrus County School District employees and you can get involved by volunteering, joining their Board, becoming a sponsor, or donating financially. You can visit their website at www.citruseducation.org.

Habitat for Humanity of Citrus County’s mission includes, “we work to eliminate substandard housing for people of all backgrounds, races, and religions by providing simple, decent, affordable housing to those who have a need, ability to pay and willingness to partner”. Habitat for Humanity of CC has several ways to donate. You can donate cars, things, or your time. You can also donate by shopping on Amazon. Visit smile.amazon.com and choose Habitat for Humanity of Citrus County and a portion of your purchase price will go as a donation. You can visit their website at www.habitatcc.org.

The Path is a rescue mission that serves Citrus and Marion County. The Path has been in operation since 2001 and has sheltered over 2,500 homeless or displaced men, women, and children. The Path Shelter Bargain Store was opened in 2000 to raise funds and awareness, 2001 the shelter officially opened, and in 2005 The Path was loaned 10 acres where they grow pesticide-free veggies to provide healthy food for the shelter and community. The Path has acquired multiple homes and creates work therapy programs, classes to cover physical health, boundaries, anger management, practical and soft life skills, training programs and more. You can visit their website at pathofcitrus.org.

The Citrus County Veterans Foundation Inc. provides emergency financial assistance to local honorably discharged veterans or their surviving spouses in financial crisis. This donation helps to pay for food, electricity, rent, transportation, and other urgent needs. Need is verified and dispersed by the Citrus County Veterans Service Office and every donated dollar, except for required Internal Revenue and Florida filings and fees, directly supports local veterans and their surviving spouses. You can visit their website at citrusvf.org.

Citrus County Blessings is a program dedicated to silencing the weekend hunger of local children.  During the school year, each participant in the program, receives a bag of food to take home for the weekend. Citrus County Blessings has three programs; Blessings, Feed the Kids, and Food Recovery. Each program is dedicated to feeding the hungry in Citrus County in different ways. Feed the Kids is for kids to have access to food during the summer months and Food Recovery picks up food donations from local businesses and delivers to local soup kitchens. You can visit their website at www.citruscountyblessings.org