Bethesda Cares welcomes your financial support. Because our office space and utilities are donated, and much of our administrative is performed by thousands of spectacular volunteers, our overhead expenses are a very low. Your donation is applied directly to programs and services that help those most in need.
Donate through our secure website, or call us with a credit card (301.907.9244)
Other ways you can offer financial support to Bethesda Cares:
Living on the streets is punishing to the feet. Our clients often walk for miles every day, and clean, dry socks can help prevent infections, frostbite or other ailments. Our Outreach Team gives out more than 2,500 pairs of socks each year! Please also consider donating NEW men’s and women’s underwear, undershirts, and thermal underwear in sizes M-XL.
Additionally, we distribute many essentials to homeless individuals who come to our drop-in lobby. We greatly appreciate when individuals drop off a few of our most needed items, or when groups run collection drives for these items in their school/ community. Click the link to view our current needs, sorted in need order- feel free to do a mass drive of 1-2 items, or a little of each. View our full donation Wishlist here: https://bit.ly/2SfJHmI
We gratefully accept food donations of both perishable and nonperishable items. We can use individual sized boxed juices packaged snack foods at our meal program; we will incorporate non-perishable foods into meals at our meal daily programs. Because many homeless clients do not have ready access to fresh water, we welcome bottled water, year-round. And finally, for our recently housed clients we welcome easy-to-make foods such as: boxed pasta, canned soups, boxed macaroni & cheese, minute rice, canned tuna and canned Vienna sausages, packaged snacks like granola bars, instant oatmeal packets, etc. Please do not bring any partially consumed items, and kindly check the expiration dates on anything you donate. View our Grocery Items: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BoajF1mNfGpu6DObh0HuCLLAWYJBH2wfeDJg-E7n1kA/edit#gid=0
Our many newly housed clients need everything from floor fans to toilet paper. We welcome gift cards of any amount from Amazon, Target or Walmart and will use them to either buy items for our clients or to take them shopping and let them make their own choices. Or, consider including gift cards of any amount to McDonalds, Subway, Dunkin Donuts, or Starbucks for our street outreach team to buy a warm meal or drink for clients sleeping on the street. Shopping online? Don’t forget to use Amazon.Smile.com and send a portion of the proceeds to Bethesda Cares!
Donate your used car or other vehicle, no matter where you live. All it takes is one phone call to have your car picked up and sold! The proceeds go Bethesda Cares and you receive the full tax deduction: https://careasy.org/nonprofit/Bethesda-Cares,-Inc.
Our clients want to maintain good hygiene as best they can. You know those little toiletry items in your hotel room? Grab ‘em and bring them by! We will hand them to clients in need. Deodorant, pocket-size tissue packs, razors, pre-moistened face wipes, wash cloths, and single load laundry detergent are especially hard for us to come by (these can be purchased https://www.minimus.biz/search.aspx?keyword=laundry). Please do not bring any partially-consumed items. All mouth wash, hand sanitizer and cleaning wipes should be alcohol free. Please check the labels
Through our Clothing Closet, we offer our clients gently used clothing. Due to storage constraints, we appreciate seasonally appropriate items, particularly for men and particularly in large sizes. Please note, we do not need donations of children’s clothing and we do not have the capacity to repair or clean any donated items. Thanks so much!
