Giving Tuesday: Here are 8 ways you can help in Indianapolis

We know you've got heart, Indy.

According to a recent study of volunteer trends and charitable donations by AmeriCorps, more than 63 percent of you donated to a charity in the last year. That's a chunk of change.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, and you've stuffed yourself with turkey and all the fixings, why not feed your soul a little bit by giving some of your time, resources or both.

Since its start in 2012, Giving Tuesday has worked to connect individuals, communities and organizations to kick off the holiday giving season.

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Many local nonprofits and charities are on board with Giving Tuesday, which sometimes helps boost their end-of-year fundraising. With your help, the following organizations will be able to serve more youths, feed more families and provide shelter across the city.

Horizon House

This day shelter just east of Downtown connects those experiencing homelessness with shelter and services to improve their wellness. Horizon House's offerings include hygiene supplies, shower and laundry facilities, haircuts, meals, mail delivery and storage services. A donation of $50, for instance, could provide a shower and a load of laundry for 20. A donation of $2,500 could provide job readiness training and resume editing for 50 people.

Make a donation of any amount at horizonhouse.cc.

Julian Center

The Julian Center is the state's largest organization supporting victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and other life crises, each year helping more than 6,000 people recover and rebuild their lives following trauma. Donations of any amount can help: A $25 donation can provide a gas card to help a survivor drive to work, while $1,000 can help 10 survivors attend trauma journaling classes for six weeks.

Donate online at juliancenter.org/donate.

Riley Children's Foundation

Visit rileygivingtuesday.org to make a donation and participate in celebrity Q&As (including IndyStar's very own Gregg Doyel at 9:30 a.m.). Also, French Lick Resort will match up to $200,000 in gifts and Fairway Outdoor Advertising will match as many as 500 donors up to a total of $15,000. Q&As are scheduled nearly every half-hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Season for Sharing

Part of IndyStar's Our Children initiative, Season for Sharing provides funding to local charities that address hunger in our community. The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust will match up to $25,000 in donations. Donations can be made online at indystar.com/ocdonate. Checks can be sent to Central Indiana Community Foundation Attn: Season for Sharing, 615 N. Alabama St., Suite 119,
Indianapolis, IN 46204. 

Read more about StarMedia's Our Children initiative

Second Helpings

Each day, Second Helpings volunteers and staff rescue food that would otherwise go to waste from wholesalers, stores and restaurants, using it instead to provide 4,000 hot meals each day to partner agencies across the city that help feed those in need. The Second Helpings Culinary Job Training program helps disadvantaged adults prepare for jobs in the food service industry. Graduates of the program also receive financial literacy training and resume development and interview training with human resource professionals.

Donations can be made online at secondhelpings.org/donate/.

Simon Youth Foundation

Every year, the Simon Youth Foundation awards more than $1 million in scholarships to high school students living in communities that are home to a Simon mall. The foundation targets first-generation college attendees and students with a demonstrated financial need.

Learn more and make a donation at syf.org.

TechPoint Foundation for Youth

Reaching nearly 10,000 students across the state each year, TechPoint works with underserved K-12 students to explore topics in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The TechPoint Foundation for Youth works specifically with initiatives that provide these opportunities to girls, minorities and students from low-income backgrounds. This year's Giving Tuesday fundraising goal is $5,000.

For more information, visit techpointyouth.org. Donate online at techpointyouth.org/givingtuesday-donate-page. 

The Villages of Indiana

The state’s largest nonprofit child and family services agency providing therapeutic foster care services is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and hopes to see donations of at least $40 this Giving Tuesday to help mark the milestone. The number of children in need of foster homes in Indiana has doubled in the last four years. A donation of $40 could provide two children with new shoes, or a school uniform for one other.

Donations can be made online at villageskids.org/get-involved/donate/.

Want more? Giving Tuesday's national website keeps a list of nonprofits and other organizations worth checking out. Visit givingtuesday.org/whats-happening-near-me to search the list.

Call IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at 317-444-6156. Follow her on Twitter: @hollyvhays.