Charitable organizations for children

Most people are happy to help the less fortunate, especially at holiday time. But with close to a million nonprofits in America, each with its own compelling cause, it can be hard to tell who deserves your contribution the most. Because it takes so much time to sift through detailed information about a charity, we tend to either give to the one who asks first or to the same groups every year.

Unfortunately, some children's charities that do incredible work never make it onto our radar screen because they simply don't have the manpower or the money to publicize their efforts. We've identified ten such gems. You may never have heard of these organizations, but we hope you'll be inspired to add them to your holiday list.

Newborns in Need

Clothing for the tiniest children
Four years ago, single mom Sue T. delivered her son Daron 14 weeks early. She was poor, alone, and by her own admission, "jaded and cynical." After searching everywhere for affordable clothing that would fit her preemie, she learned about Newborns in Need, which provides clothing and blankets for poor and premature babies.

"When the boxes arrived with the supplies I needed, it restored my faith in humanity, " Sue recalls. Her situation improved, and today, she is a volunteer with the organization, helping other women and infants.

Last year, Newborns in Need volunteers distributed more than 350, 000 pieces of clothing and baby gear to 2, 000 hospitals, shelters, and families across the country. The organization is looking for donations of blankets, sleepers, gowns, all-in-ones, hats, booties, bottles, pacifiers, and disposable diapers. Contact: 417-967-9441 or www.newbornsinneed.org.

Share Our Strength

More than food for hungry kids
We've all seen the images on the television news: starving children in faraway places like the Congo, Ethiopia, and Liberia. But the fact is, kids in America are starving too. Close to 13 million children in our own country are at serious risk of being undernourished.