Discover practical ways to support homeless shelters and housing organizations this Thanksgiving season. The autumn leaves have barely settled from our Halloween celebrations, and already the shops are bursting with Thanksgiving decorations. I always find this transition period fascinating because it mirrors something deeper about how we approach community care throughout the year. One moment we are handing out candy to neighborhood children in their costumes, and the next we are thinking about gratitude and giving back. But what if we could carry that same spirit of opening our doors and sharing what we have straight through from October into November?

Last year, I was boxing up leftover Halloween candy when it hit me. My garage was full of decorations I would not use again for twelve months, my pantry had ingredients I bought for a party that never quite happened, and I kept thinking about how many families in my community were struggling to make ends meet. The jack-o-lanterns on my porch had barely started to sag before I realized that the end of Halloween could be the perfect beginning for something else entirely.

Supporting homeless shelters and housing assistance programs during Thanksgiving does not require some grand gesture or enormous bank account. What these organizations need most during the holiday season is consistency and creativity. Everyone wants to help on Thanksgiving Day itself, which is wonderful, but the weeks leading up to the holiday often leave shelters scrambling for resources. The period right after Halloween actually represents a critical time when donations tend to drop off, yet the need continues to climb as temperatures fall and families face the reality of approaching winter.

I started volunteering at a local housing organization three years ago, initially just to feel like I was doing something meaningful during the holidays. What I discovered surprised me. The director told me that they receive more calls for assistance in late October and early November than almost any other time of year. Families who have been barely holding on suddenly face heating bills, school expenses, and the social pressure of providing a proper Thanksgiving meal. For someone living paycheck to paycheck, the transition from Halloween spending to Thanksgiving preparation can be the breaking point.

So how do we actually help? The most practical approach involves thinking about what homeless shelters and housing organizations genuinely need rather than what we assume they want. Yes, food donations matter enormously, especially non-perishable items that can stock pantries for weeks beyond the holiday itself. But these organizations also need basics that we often overlook. Cleaning supplies, personal hygiene products, diapers, and warm clothing become absolutely essential as November weather sets in.

I remember bringing in a donation of cleaning supplies and toilet paper last November, feeling slightly embarrassed that it was not something more exciting or holiday-themed. The staff member who received my contribution actually got teary-eyed. She explained that they had been rationing supplies for two weeks because everyone donates turkeys and stuffing, but nobody thinks about the mundane necessities that keep a shelter running day after day.

Financial donations might seem impersonal, but they give housing organizations the flexibility to address their most pressing needs in real time. During my time volunteering, I have watched directors make impossible decisions about whether to fix a broken furnace or buy food for the week. Unrestricted donations allow these professionals to respond to emergencies and fill gaps that specific item donations cannot address.

The holiday volunteer surge creates its own complications. Shelters become overwhelmed with helpers during Thanksgiving week, yet they struggle to staff programs during the rest of November. If you want to make a real difference, consider volunteering during the first two weeks of November or committing to a regular schedule that extends past the holiday. Organizations need people who will show up consistently, not just when it feels festive.

Think about organizing a drive at your workplace, school, or place of worship. Last year, my book club decided to skip our November meeting and instead spent that time assembling care packages for families transitioning from shelters into permanent housing. We gathered kitchen basics, bedding, and those small touches that make a house feel like a home. The organization we worked with told us that families often move into empty apartments with nothing but the clothes they wore, and our simple packages meant they could cook their first meal and sleep in actual beds that very night.

Thanksgiving offers us this beautiful opportunity to reflect on what we have and share it with others. But supporting housing organizations should not be a one-day event or even a one-month effort. The same impulse that makes us open our doors on Halloween, welcoming strangers and sharing treats, can extend throughout the entire holiday season and beyond. These organizations work year-round to help people find stability and dignity, and they need our support just as consistently.​​​​​​​​​

Reference

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Community Planning and Development. (2024). The 2023 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2023-AHAR-Part-1.pdf

National Alliance to End Homelessness. (2024). State of homelessness: 2024 edition. National Alliance to End Homelessness.

U.S. Census Bureau. (2023). Income and poverty in the United States: 2022 (Current Population Reports, P60-276). U.S. Government Printing Office.