Alternative Christmas Fair Charities
Below you can learn more about each of the participating charities. We will be open to receive donations between December 3 and December 16. In the meantime, start working on your donation/gift list for 2023!
The mission of the Center for Alternatives in Criminal Justice is to serve society by working with the community and justice system to promote, develop and implement effective alternatives that preserve human dignity and restore, heal, and empower individuals.
Centre County PAWS is committed to finding forever homes for cats and dogs, educating citizens on responsible pet ownership, providing spay/neuter assistance, and ending pet overpopulation. PAWS is a non-euthanasia, member-supported, volunteer-enabled organization dedicated to the promotion of animal welfare and safety.
Centre Helps navigates the local safety net for those in need, whether in crisis or struggling to make ends meet, through their 24/7 hotline, text, chat, and community collaboration. Everyone knows people who are suffering in silence. The well-trained, compassionate team at Centre Helps transitions those friends and neighbors from crisis to viability.
The mission of Centre LGBT+ is to bring the community together through LGBT+ education and activities in the Centre region. Centre LGBT+ holds regular support groups focusing on sexual identity, gender identity, and parenting LGBT+ kids.
CentrePeace was established in 1994 to provide a wholesome working environment for Centre County inmates. They operate the largest used furniture recycling project in the county, keeping tons of stuff out of landfills. Inmates repair and restore electronics and furniture, participate in classes to improve their life skills, and learn to handle conflict.
The Centre Region Down Syndrome Society provides individuals with Down Syndrome and their families with the tools, resources, and support necessary to participate in and contribute to achieving their personal fulfillment.
Centre Safe's mission is to empower survivors of sexual violence, dating and domestic violence, and stalking, and to work toward the elimination of such violence. Their services include a 24-hour hotline, a sexual assault emergency response team, an emergency shelter, counseling and advocacy, support groups, and transitional housing.
Centre Volunteers in Medicine is a free clinic providing medical and dental care, case management, and medication assistance to low-income individuals living or working in Centre County. They have been especially active in organizing large-scale vaccination clinics as an essential part of the effort to vaccinate our community against COVID-19.
Centre Wildlife Care is located on 15 acres of wooded land in Port Matilda, PA. Since opening in 1995, they have rehabilitated thousands of injured, sick, and orphaned wild animals until they can be released back into the wild. They care for all native species of wildlife including mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.
Church World Service has worked for seven decades with one goal: building a world where there is enough for all. They affirm the power of individuals and communities to take ownership of their own futures. CWS meets them where they are, helping to create solutions local communities can maintain and build on.
ClearWater Conservancy is a nationally accredited land trust dedicated to conserving and restoring natural resources through land conservation, water resources stewardship, and environmental outreach across central Pennsylvania.
The Dyslexia Reading Center provides high-quality evidence-based, multisensory reading and writing instruction to individuals with dyslexia and/or learning differences. They also train tutors in the Orton-Gillingham method and educate the public about dyslexia and the need for more effective instruction of students with dyslexia in public education