The Nextep Charitable Foundation set a goal to donate $100,000 to nonprofit organizations in 2020. As the year was coming to an end, we looked to our employee-led volunteer committee for suggestions and learned about a few incredible organizations we’d never worked with before. One of these organizations is The Sharing Tree.
Sharing Tree’s mission is: “Serving families in need through a dignified, no-cost shopping experience.”
The Sharing Tree began in 1981 as a place where families in need could shop for free gifts for their kids. In the last 40 years, it has grown into four programs: Christmas Connection, Crisis Connection, Classroom Connection, and Community Connection. These programs fulfill a different need in the Oklahoma City metro area, from providing school uniforms to public school children to gifting families with items for Christmas morning.
“We make our clients feel like customers,” said Tabitha Narvaiz, Sharing Tree Executive Director. “Instead of feeling like they’re getting an often stigmatized charity experience where they have to come in and ask for help, they’re really the ones taking ownership of that experience. We feel like that adds dignity.”
When the Nextep Charitable Foundation committee was researching nonprofits to support, The Sharing Tree stuck out. Not only was it the perfect time of year with Christmas around the corner, but they also serve families in need of basic self-care items, which is more important than ever during the pandemic.
You can support The Sharing Tree by donating to, supporting, and following the incredible work they do (Facebook: @SharingTreeOK). We’re proud to have the opportunity to highlight such an incredible organization!
