The Kitchen Library in Toronto Lends Appliances to Home Cooks and Culinary Explorers

The Kitchen Library is Canada's first non-profit lending library of small to medium kitchen appliances. Instead of books, members borrow mixers, canners, juicers, blenders, pasta makers, dehydrators, and about 100 other appliances. People who need a specialty appliance, live in a tiny space, or want to learn a new skill will find The Kitchen Library to be a very valuable resource.

Located in The Toronto Tool Library on Danforth Avenue, The Kitchen Library believes that income and space should not be barriers to home cooking and healthy eating. In addition to lending kitchen appliances, the non-profit offers cooking and baking workshops. The Kitchen Library was founded by executive director Dayna Boyer, who had previously worked in journalism and marketing. Her lightbulb moment came in 2013 when she wanted a juicer. Shortly after, she launched The Kitchen Library.

The Kitchen Library has been featured in Toronto Life, Toronto Star, CBC News, Torontoist, Metro, blogTO, and the National Post.

GrowNYC: For a Cleaner, Healthier New York City

GrowNYC is a hands-on non-profit organization dedicated to improving New York City's quality of life through environmental programs. Named a “Four Star Charity” by Charity Navigator, GrowNYC was founded in 1970 as the Council on the Environment of New York City. It was originally a policy-based organization, writing comprehensive reports about quality of life issues such as traffic, noise, and air quality. For the past 40 years, GrowNYC has been transforming communities and empowering New Yorkers to create a clean and healthy city for future generations. Understanding that a healthy environment starts with healthy citizens, the non-profit has several programs focused on improving the well-being of the Big Apple's residents.


In an effort to get nutritious, fresh, and affordable food into the hands of more New Yorkers, GrowNYC's Greenmarket initiative operates over 50 farmers markets throughout the 5 boroughs. The markets also give small family farms the opportunity to sell their local produce directly to customers. Almost every Greenmarket farmers market accepts EBT (food stamps) and debit/credit cards. Additionally, Greenmarket operates one of the most robust wireless EBT redemption programs in the country, works with the City of New York to distribute Health Bucks, and is the largest redeemer of NYS WIC and Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program checks in the state.

Aiming to improve the health of young New Yorkers through nutrition education and improved food access, GrowNYC's Learn It, Grow It, Eat It empowers teens to take control of their health and help others do so. In this hands-on education program, teens participate in gardening, outreach, nutrition classes, and managing a community farm-stand. GrowNYC has also partnered with the Mayors Fund and several government agencies to establish Grow to Learn NYC, an interactive website and resource for any public school looking to build and sustain a school garden.

Children's Miracle Network Hospitals: Creating Miracles for Millions of Kids

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals has been helping save kids' lives by raising funds for local hospitals since the early '80s. In 1983, a telethon aired from Osmond Studios in Orem, Utah raised almost $4.8 million for 22 children's hospitals. This successful event led to the founding of Children's Miracle Network Hospitals by Marie Osmond, Mick Shannon, John Schneider, and Joe Lake.

Each year, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals treats 1 in 10 kids in North America and delivers comfort and hope to millions. Whether they're suffering from a traumatic injury or battling cancer, the doors of Children's Miracle Network Hospitals are always open.

The non-profit has raised over $5 billion for 170 kids' hospitals in the US and Canada to date. The money goes where it's needed the most – equipment, care, research, and training, all to improve the lives of as many kids as possible.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: We Can #EndSuicide

Headquartered in New York, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is the leading national non-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide and reaching out to people affected by mental disorders and suicide. Working toward a suicide-free world, AFSP funds scientific research that is vital to saving lives, raises awareness about mood disorders and suicide prevention, offers educational programs for professionals, promotes policies and legislation related to suicide and prevention, and offers a caring community to individuals who are struggling with self-destructive thoughts or have lost a loved one to suicide.

AFSP is a multifaceted organization that is at once a support network, a grassroots movement, a professional research group, an educator, and a grant-making foundation. While it does not provide direct services such as a crisis hotline or counseling, AFSP works closely with the organizations that do. The Foundation also manages hundreds of events in communities nationwide, raising millions of dollars annually to support its work. Each year, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention reaches hundreds of thousands of people.

Since its inception in 1987, AFSP has established over 50 local chapters in 35 states and counting; mobilized and connected tens of thousands of individuals who have lost someone they love to suicide; educated hundreds of local communities about suicide and prevention; created a public policy and lobbying arm; educated the media about how to best cover suicide; and more.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention was founded by a small group of families who had each lost a loved one to suicide. Their vision was to establish a private source of support for suicide education and research and sustain important suicide prevention efforts into the future. Today, AFSP consists of survivors of suicide loss, reputable scientists, people with mental illness and their families, and business and community leaders.

Child Care Council: Supporting Those Who Support Children

Child Care Council, Inc. is a not-for-profit child care resource and referral corporation dedicated to high-quality early care and education. Child Care Council provides support, information, education, and resources to parents and child care providers in Monroe, Livingston, and Wayne counties in upstate New York.

Child Care Council offers community programs, training courses, and important licensing information for parents and caregivers so that they can deliver the best care possible. Clients utilize the Council's professional services to find quality child care; obtain assistance with starting a program and becoming a licensed provider; and learn how to nurture each child's physical, emotional, intellectual, and social development.

Child Care Council's comprehensive and coordinated services include a library, notary public, referral services, free fingerprinting waivers, and reduced cost business services comprising a copier, laminator, fax machine. Child Care Council also runs The Recycle Shop, a retail store selling upcycled products made from donated materials that would otherwise end up in landfills.

Housing and Services, Inc.: Ending Homelessness in New York City

There are currently over 52,000 men, women, and children in emergency shelters and thousands more living on the streets in New York City. Housing and Services, Inc. (HSI) aims to fix that through safe and clean permanent housing with comprehensive on-site services, which is proven to be the most humane and cost-effective solution to homelessness.

For more than 25 years, HSI has been developing and providing permanent supportive housing throughout NYC. The non-profit began as a demonstration project of the Vera Institute of Justice in the 1980s. Its first supportive housing program is the Cecil Hotel, which opened in 1988 with nearly 90 units for homeless men and women exiting the NYC shelter system.

Following the AIDS epidemic, HSI built one of the city's first dedicated nursing facilities for individuals with the virus. More units were needed, so HSI opened the Narragansett in 1994. Located in the Upper West Side, it is a 100-unit mixed-use building that caters to people living with AIDS as well as low and middle-income households.

Over the next decade, HSI shared its financing, development, and project management expertise with other non-profits and established more than 2,000 units of low-income and special needs homes in 17 projects across the Tri-State area. In 1996, the organization was asked to take ownership of the 327-unit Kenmore Hall, which had been seized by the federal government. HSI refurbished the facility and opened it to low-income, special needs New Yorkers. The program won the 1999 Best Practices Award from HUD and was a finalist for the Fannie Mae Foundation Maxwell Award for Excellence.

HSI continuously looks to meet the current and emerging needs of the homeless in New York City. Its housing first, harm reduction approach is person-centered and outcome-oriented, with an objective to keep its tenants housed and living as independently as possible. HSI takes pride in the fact that 95 percent of the individuals and families who enter its permanent supportive programs do not return to the shelter system.

Animal Haven: A No-Kill Animal Shelter in New York

Founded in 1967, Animal Haven is a New York-based non-profit organization that finds loving forever homes for abandoned dogs and cats throughout the Tri-State area. In addition to operating an animal shelter in Manhattan, Animal Haven provides behavior intervention when necessary to improve chances of adoption, as well as programs that strengthen the bond between people and animals.

One of Animal Haven's projects is the successful Caring Kids: Animal Ambassadors, a program for 5- to 8-year-olds who are interested in learning about and helping animals. Participants will take a tour of Animal Haven, go “behind the scenes,” and meet some of the shelter's residents. They will also learn to care for and respect animals through hands-on activities.

As a no-kill shelter, Animal Haven will never euthanize for space or time and will care for animals for as long as it takes to get them adopted or placed in a more suitable situation. Cats can be adopted for $150 while dogs can be adopted for $250. Adoption fees cover spay/neuter, vaccine, microchip, and license expenses.

Safe Sitter Teaches Young Teens to Be Safe and Responsible Babysitters

Safe Sitter is the only national non-profit training program in the United States that is dedicated to preparing young teens to be safe in situations where they're put in charge, such as babysitting, watching younger siblings, or being home alone. Through more than 850 teaching sites across the country, Safe Sitter provides nearly 35,000 young teens each year with constantly updated, medically accurate, and developmentally appropriate curriculum.

Safe Sitter was founded in 1980 by Indianapolis pediatrician Patricia Keener, MD after a colleague's toddler choked to death while under the care of an adult sitter. Dr. Keener developed Safe Sitter as an instructional program for young teens, as they are the earliest babysitters and the least aware of their responsibilities.

The mission of Safe Sitter is to build safer communities by providing safety skills, child care training, and life skills to all youth. Dr. Keener was recognized by the American Academy of Pediatrics for the educational excellence of the program.

Tranquility Trail: A No-Kill Animal Sanctuary in Arizona

Tranquility Trail Animal Sanctuary is a non-profit organization dedicated to the compassionate care of neglected and unwanted companion animals. Founded in 2008, Tranquility Trail protects, rehabilitates, and finds forever homes for every animal that enters its no-kill shelter in Scottsdale. For those who cannot find a home, a loving and nurturing environment is provided.

Tranquility Trail is the largest domestic rabbit sanctuary in Arizona and the only one open to the general public seven days a week. Visitors can learn how to properly care for their rabbits at the shelter.

Tranquility Trail is a new generation of animal sanctuary. The center is painted in bright colors and filled with soft, relaxing music to create an environment that is happy, peaceful, and loving. Each animal receives physical and emotional care, as well as daily play time in one of seven designated play areas. There are also three lounging areas where volunteers help socialize the animals.



Tranquility Trail Animal Sanctuary is currently building its new, permanent location in the foothills of McDowell Mountains. Once completed, the center will be surrounded by the Arizonian desert, cacti, wild flowers, and mountain views. The sanctuary is being constructed in three phases, and Phase One is in progress.

Phase One includes a building that will house domestic rabbits and other small animals. There will be a medical room, kitchen, laundry and storage area, bonding room, reception area, and visitor/volunteer check-in. In addition, Phase One will have a large covered play area, vegetable garden, wishing garden, and memorial area. Phase Two of the sanctuary will be dedicated to pigs, horses, goats, and more. Phase Three will be home to cats and dogs.

Tranquility Trail Animal Sanctuary is run by volunteers and relies on donations, fundraising programs, and its retail pet supply store for funding. Every year, Tranquility Trail organizes and hosts the Holiday Pet Festival, the largest holiday pet event in Arizona.