Chargebacks911® is Committed to Giving Back to Our Community
Our original 50 in 50 Challenge is over…but our mission has just begun! We at Chargebacks911 took it upon ourselves to continue the weekly charitable donations for local organizations with our Take Charge for Charity program. We’re helping those who represent the best of our community to do what they do.
Feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, supporting the vulnerable…we’re looking to support these and other worthwhile causes. Together, we can help make our communities a better place to live for everyone!
Here are our 2023 beneficiaries:
December
CASA Pinellas
CASA (Community Action Stops Abuse) Pinellas is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic violence by providing shelter, advocacy, and empowerment programs in Pinellas County, Florida. Their holistic approach offers comprehensive services, including emergency shelter, legal advocacy, counseling, and community outreach, aimed at breaking the cycle of abuse and fostering a safe environment for individuals and families.
St. Joseph's Children's Hospital Foundation
St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation is a beacon of hope and healing, serving as the philanthropic arm of St. Joseph's Hospitals in the Tampa Bay area. Dedicated to enhancing healthcare services and improving the well-being of the community, the Foundation focuses on supporting the hospitals' initiatives through fundraising, donor support, and community outreach. Their commitment to excellence in patient care, innovative medical research, and advanced technology ensures that St. Joseph's Hospitals continue to provide top-tier healthcare services to those in need.
The Christmas Toy Shop
The Christmas Toy Shop is a heartwarming initiative that brings joy and cheer to families in need during the holiday season. Run by dedicated volunteers and supported by generous donations, this program aims to provide toys, gifts, and essential items to children and families facing financial hardship. Through community partnerships and fundraising efforts, The Christmas Toy Shop creates a magical experience where families can select gifts for their children, ensuring that every child receives something special during the holidays.
Be a Santa to a Senior of Pinellas
Be a Santa to a Senior of Pinellas is a heartwarming initiative dedicated to bringing joy to seniors in need during the holiday season. They work tirelessly to identify isolated or financially disadvantaged elderly individuals in the Pinellas area and fulfill their holiday wishes through gift-giving programs. Volunteers and sponsors generously contribute items from the seniors' wish lists, spreading cheer and companionship to those who might otherwise feel forgotten during this special time of year.
November
Metropolitan Ministries
Metropolitan Ministries services are designed to help homeless and at-risk children and families, no matter how serious their needs. Whether they need to get off the streets at night, or they’re seeking education so they can get a job that will support their family, Metro Ministries is there to help. These services are vital for the 32,000 homeless men, women and children in our communities. They’re also fueled by donors. Without this true community collaboration, so many would be left out in the cold with no hope for a future or no meal in their bellies even during the holidays.
Moffitt Cancer Research Center
Equipped with top research and care experts working side-by-side, Moffitt is uniquely positioned to revolutionize cancer treatment, elevate care and save more lives. This year, our team was excited to participate in the 17th annual Miles for Moffitt, moving for love, courage, and finding cures for cancer. Since 2006, they’ve raised millions of dollars toward advancing cancer research, helping Moffitt sustain and advance its status as one of the best cancer centers in the country!
Family Enrichment Services
Family Enrichment Services focuses on enriching the lives of children, youth, and families. Located in the Suncoast Region, their primary focus is supporting biological, foster, and adoptive families through counseling and related services. Their goal is to provide high quality services that are trauma-informed and family-focused. They provide in-home services not only throughout Pinellas County, but also extending into Pasco, Hillsborough, Manatee/Sarasota, Hernando and Polk Counties. Family Enrichment Service has contracts with most of the available Medicaid plans in the region and most of the services are funded by Medicaid so there is no out of pocket expense to the families in need.
Feeding the Fosters
Feeding the Fosters began with two sisters who started cooking meals for foster children they knew in their neighborhood. In April 2019, Feeding the Fosters had became a non-profit. Currently serving over 20 families for a total of over 160 individual meals per night. Feeding all age groups from babies to grandparents. This ongoing mission has become more than serving food, they also offer fellowship to the foster families as well. Their goal is to continue adding at least one foster family per month and growing their volunteers. This thanksgiving, Feeding the Fosters is serving over 123 meals!
October
Children's Cancer Center
Children’s Cancer Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving children and their families who are battling cancer or chronic blood disorders with the emotional, financial, and educational support necessary to cope with their life-threatening illness. They offer family programs, scholarships, fundraising events and more! Every donation helps improve and expand services to families.
Sunstate Orchestral Program
Since 2019, this organization has provided tailored music programming for beginners. Inspired by the influential El Sistema philosophy, they introduce people of all ages to the basics of music, fostering creativity, well-being, and community involvement. With skilled instructors and flexible learning options, they empower individuals to discover their artistic talents, grasp music theory, and experience the joy of collaborative music-making. Their transformative programs create an enriching musical journey for individuals and communities alike.
The Springs of Tampa Bay
Founded by four trailblazing women, The Spring of Tampa Bay began when one of the women opened a spare bedroom in her Tampa home as a safe haven for a friend who needed to escape an abusive relationship. Word quickly spread and more women came forward needing shelter. Soon this network of community members quickly outgrew their capacity to shelter the abused inside their own homes. Their first shelter was built in 1984. For over four decades, The Spring has been a leader in our community. They have been at the forefront of creating change and educating our community while protecting survivors of domestic violence.
Hooked on Hope
Established in 2009, Hooked On Hope is a local, non-profit organization that raises funds for uninsured and under insured breast cancer patients across all Tampa Bay Communities. Funds are raised through giving campaigns and occasional events. We want to join their mission and help make a difference in the Tampa Bay area.
September
Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay
Seniors in Service is proud of more than 36 years of service to Tampa Bay’s children, elders, caregivers, disabled adults, veterans, and hungry families with a fair market value exceeding $131.6 million. Their mission is to provide solutions to community challenges by engaging volunteers aged 55+. Seniors In Service helps disadvantaged children, frail elders, overwhelmed caregivers, disabled adults, struggling veterans, hungry families, and more. Our donation provides tutors for struggling students, resources for vulnerable Veterans, companions for isolated seniors, and food security for hungry families, creating a better tomorrow for everyone!
Rotary Club of Safety Harbor
Since it was founded more than 100 years ago, the Rotary Club of Safety Harbor Foundation has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects. Their mission is to serve others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders. Rotary members believe that they have a shared responsibility to take action on our world’s most persistent issues. The Rotary Club works together to promote peace, fight disease, provide clean water, sanitation and hygiene, save mothers and children, support education, grow local economies, and protect the environment. The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world.
My Parker Project
My Parker Project is on a mission to help alleviate the financial stresses experienced by families coping with childhood cancer, allowing them to focus on the child’s quality of life. Parker Project was founded by Dan Diaz, who lost his 11-year-old son, Parker, to cancer. Ten years after his passing, Dan thought about the many families he had met that couldn’t spend the night while their child was having chemotherapy treatments because they couldn’t afford childcare for their other children at home, and the parents who couldn’t afford to take time off from work because their family’s livelihood and survival depended on it. Parker Project was founded with these families in mind, to ease the normal day-to-day financial burdens and improve the quality of life for the child battling cancer.
Clothes to Kids
Starting in June of 2003, the founders of Clothes to Kids had a vision to provide school children with new and quality used clothing in a fun shopping environment and they wanted all of the clothing to be free of charge. This was way more than just a good idea. To date, Clothes To Kids, Inc. has distributed more than 191,821 wardrobes to kids in our communities.
August
Dream Center of Tampa
The Dream Center of Tampa has been building relationships with Ybor students through educational and outreach programs since 2010. They partner with schools, parents, and other organizations throughout the Tampa Bay community to provide engaging, educational programs and free resources for students and families within our community.
Aloha United Way Maui Relief Fund
To support individuals and families devastated by Maui’s catastrophic fires, Aloha United Way has established a Maui Fire Relief Fund where 100% of proceeds are directed to Maui United Way. They are providing immediate relief to those affected by the fires with the community’s most urgent needs. “We want the people of Maui to know that they are not alone in the recovery journey ahead."
Pace Center for Girls
Pace provides girls and young women an opportunity for a better future through education, counseling, training, and advocacy. Pace helps girls who are struggling and who have experienced some form of trauma, to get their grades back on track, learn in a safe and supportive environment, get along better with friends and family, and plan for a productive future. They are enacting change and impacting communities everywhere they can. Each year, they serve 3,000+ girls, and since 1985 have helped over 40,000 girls!
Healing Horses One Child at a Time
Healing Horses One Child at a Time is on a mission to rescue and rehabilitate abused horses and place them into safe, permanent homes. Currently, they house up to 20 horses on a total of 27 acres between their farms.
But, that’s not the end of the story. They give these horses a purpose in life by joining them with children of special needs, physical or emotional disabilities, or victims of abuse. The ultimate goal is to help each child reach their full potential through interaction with horses, and to improve their self-esteem, confidence, social skills, and so much more!
The Backpack Lady Project
In 2011, Phyllis Ditro lost her battle with emphysema and MS. After her passing, her son Rob learned that for years, Phyllis was secretly donating several backpacks to Our Lady of Lourdes School in her hometown of Dunedin, Florida. She would tell the staff, “These are for the kids” with no explanation. Since that time, Rob Ditro (Founder) has continued to collect backpacks and school supplies for elementary schools. He holds several community backpack stuffing parties just before the start of school and delivers roughly 12 backpacks full of supplies to over 90 Elementary schools in Pinellas County. The Backpack Lady Project has collected over 12,000 backpacks and countless school supplies to date. Each year the goal is to collect one more backpack than the year before. Every year, this goal has not only been achieved, but downright crushed!
July
Caterpillars to Butterflies
Caterpillars to Butterflies helps foster care children achieve transformation, creativity, and their endless potential. They focus on providing resources to these children so they can flourish. They create memories and moments where they can just be kids. Smiles can be rare on children who have experienced trauma, or are in the “system”, so having the ability to play sports, take dance classes, or go to summer camp can hopefully enrich these kids’ lives.
Crisis Text Line
Crisis Text Line is a global non-profit organization that provides free mental health support and crisis intervention through text-based communication on a 24/7 basis utilizing a large team of trained volunteers. The crisis counselors are trained to empower the texter through empathy and creating space for them to identify the problem and create a plan – involving coping strategies and finding resources for help where applicable – for getting through the crisis, and even beyond in some situations. Texters are all ages, demographics, and dealing with crises of all types.
Dreams Come True
Dreams Come True is a national UK children's charity that exists to create moments of magic with lasting impacts that are personal to each child they work with. The children they support are living in the highest areas of deprivation in the country, and are living with a disability, a serious illness, or a life-limiting condition.
So far, they've fulfilled the dreams of over 6,300 children and young adults. One such story is providing an all-terrain wheelchair for a ten-year-old girl who loved to adventure outside. At the time, Hannah was limited by her wheelchair that would easily get stuck or tip over if trying to do something off the paved path. Now, thanks to Dreams Come True, her parents no longer have to tell her 'No' when Hannah suggest activities to do.
Liberty Manor for Veterans
In 2005, Liberty Manor identified a lapse in services as it relates to homeless veterans when they learned that the veterans who worked hard and “played it straight” all their lives, refraining from drugs or alcohol, receive no services or housing! This is when they realized that our returning veterans were not well-supported, and that many go without services due to a lack in government funding. Therefore, the objective of Liberty Manor for Veterans is to provide housing and all social service resources necessary to achieve the goal of self-sufficiency for homeless veterans.
June
Cindy's Pets
Cindy's Pets was first created when volunteers from Meals on Wheels realized that the senior citizens they were feeding were actually giving their food to their pets because they couldn't afford pet food. Often pets are the only companion's that these seniors have so Cindy's Pets was born. They currently deliver over 2,000 lbs of cat, dog, and bird food to feed over 400 pets each month.
HIPPY Pinellas
HIPPY Pinellas believes that education begins with the parent not the child. HIPPY serves parents who want educational enrichment for their three-to-five year old children. Parents spend approximately 15 to 20 minutes per day, over a two- or three-year period, using the HIPPY books and activity packets, that are given to them free of charge to educate their children. Parents are also supported by home visitors from the community who provide them with help with quality effective early education and family support models.
Champions for Children
Champions for Children is one of the only organizations in the state of Florida to focus exclusively on preventing abuse and neglect before they even begin. They do this by; improving birth outcomes for women, supporting healthy social-emotional development in infants and children, building parental self-confidence, ensuring children are developmentally on-track and ready to learn.
Zebra Youth
Their mission is to provide high quality programs designed to meet the needs of homeless and at-risk LGBTQ+ youth, and to meet the community’s needs for affordable youth housing, mental health services, proactive youth support and community education. The goal of these programs is to provide each youth the tools necessary to become a healthy, productive, and self-sufficient individual. The Youth assists young people facing homelessness, bullying, isolation from their families, and physical, sexual and drug abuse with individualized programs to guide them to recovery and stability.
May
Mentors for Hillsborough County Veterans
A charity of veterans helping veterans, this organization's primary purpose is to ‘fill the gap’ on many veteran requirements and needs often unavailable by the Court, the local government, or local community services. They continue to pay it forward without any expectation of compensation or recognition. In fact, their “reward” is in the grateful acknowledgment from those veterans and their families. The volunteer veteran mentors are the “quiet warriors” who will not rest until every veteran who is in trouble with the law is provided the needed resources to get well again and successfully reintegrate into our community.
St. Petersburg Free Clinic
The St. Pete Free Clinic supports health equity by providing nutritious food for those who need it, increasing access to healthcare, helping those recovering from substance use with stable housing and support, and educating our community. Additionally, SPFC’s range of programs reduce the economic burdens of Pinellas County’s low-income and Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) population by providing services that lower monthly out-of-pocket expenditures, contribute to savings and long-term economic stability, and support long-term individual and family wellness.
Advocates for World Health
Their mission is to provide medical products to clinics and hospitals worldwide. By redirecting usable medical supplies to health care providers and preventing viable equipment from entering the waste stream, AWH lowers the overhead costs of hospitals and relief agencies, strengthens the health care delivery system, and promotes eco-friendly practices.
Soles4Souls
This organization turns unwanted shoes and clothing into opportunities, by keeping those shoes from going to waste and putting them to good use – providing relief, creating jobs, and empowering people to break the cycle of poverty. Since 2006, together with their supporters, over 83 million pairs of shoes and pieces of clothing are out of landfills, which is more than 81 million pounds of textiles put to good use instead of going to waste. The shoes and clothes have been donated and distributed across the US and worldwide.
The Link Counseling Center
The Link has been around for more than 30 years providing counseling, psychotherapy and support groups to people of all ages, helping them to heal and rebuild their lives. In addition to individual, couples & family therapy, their not-for-profit organization provides pro bono support groups for suicide prevention and aftercare, the elderly and their families, and children in crisis and grief.
April
Celebrate Birthdays
The goal of Celebrate Birthdays is to ensure that every foster child and all children in the Tampa Bay Area, regardless of the parent’s personal or financial circumstances, has the opportunity to receive a present, experience the joy of celebrating their birthday, and know that someone thinks they are special and cares about them.
Keep Pinellas Beautiful
Keep Pinellas Beautiful has a vision to create a culture of environmentally responsible citizens within our communities throughout the county. Their goal is to conserve and beautify our natural environment by means of community engagement and education. Their four main areas of focus are litter prevention, waste reduction, conservation, and beautification & community greening.
Meals on Wheels of Tampa
Meals On Wheels serves over 800 individuals a hot, nutritious meal delivered to their door by caring volunteers, providing nourishment for the body and encouragement for the soul. This organization strengthens the community by caring for a segment of our population who are often forgotten. Recipients receive a hot meal and a visit designed to achieve increased intake of nutritious food, improved personal outlook and health, and decreased feelings of isolation and loneliness.
The Armed Forces Families Foundation
The first line of support for our troops is their families. But, those family members often don’t have the support they need to endure the challenges of deployment. Based out of Clearwater, the Armed Forces Families Foundation was established to provide these families with a sense of community while their loved ones are away fighting for our freedom. Their focus is primarily on areas of significant need which often fall outside the tight budget constraints of the military and its family support organizations.
March
The Kind Mouse
The Kind Mouse is fighting to end hunger in Pinellas County one nibble at a time. Their mission is to assist families in transition and their chronically hungry children, while developing the next generation of volunteers to carry the mantle. No hardworking individual and their family should ever go hungry. That's why they focus on three main activities: feeding local children, developing the next generation of community leaders, and assisting families in transition due to unforeseen economic hardship. They average over 3,500 tummies filled weekly.
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast
The mission of the Boys & Girls Club of the Suncoast is to provide high quality after school club experiences proven to ensure our young people, especially those who need us most, are on track to graduate from high school with a plan, demonstrate good character and citizenship, and live a healthy lifestyle. Their vision is a Pinellas County community where all youth have access to quality out-of-school time programs that enable them to become productive, caring, and responsible citizens. They prioritize youth safety, academic success, health & wellness, building character & leadership, as well as workforce development for teens.
The Athena Society
The Dr. Sylvia Richardson Young Women of Promise Program recognizes and supports young women who are contributing members of their communities and demonstrate promise for even greater achievement. They are dedicated to creating a forum for interaction and collaboration, and to improving the status of women through broader acceptance of women in business and positions of authority.
Little Saint Nick Foundation
The mission of the Little Saint Nick Foundation is to create a positive mentality for kids in crisis through the compassionate power of a helping hand. They deliver smiles by connecting them with kids in local communities who are inspired to give back. The Little Saint Nick Foundation strives to lift kids up and realize their full potential.
Derrick Brooks Charities
Derrick Brooks Charities' mission is to provide educational opportunities for socio-economically challenged youth that will instill, inspire, broaden and develop cultural and social vision outside of the walls in which they live, to ensure that these young people have every chance to develop into the strong, productive leaders of tomorrow. They believe deeply in throwing the rope back to help pull our youth into an educated, empowered and emboldened future. These programs impact the lives of youth throughout the Tampa Bay area.
February
CardioStart International
Despite medical advances and significant declines in cardiovascular deaths, a considerable gap in access to cardiovascular health care between developed and undeveloped countries continues to widen. CardioStart and its worldwide volunteers conduct two-week surgical missions in countries like Peru, Haiti, Uganda and Vietnam. They collaborate with local hospital staff to perform advanced cardiac surgery, pacemaker implantations, teach cardiac surgical techniques, ICU procedures and other patient care. To date, CardioStart has completed 55 comprehensive missions in 27 countries.
Save the Children
Save the Children works in the U.S. and around the world doing whatever it takes every day and in times of crisis to ensure children grow up healthy, educated, and safe. Due to the recent 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria, Save the Children’s teams are currently on the ground in the region to respond as homes, buildings and essential infrastructure have been destroyed and these children need urgent support to access food, shelter, and warm clothing.
Center for Cyber Safety and Education
The Center for Cyber Safety and Education is a non-profit charitable trust committed to making the cyber world a safer place for everyone. The Center for Cyber Safety and Education (Center), formerly (ISC)² Foundation breaks down barriers in exposure and access to the cyber profession and provides opportunities for individuals, groups, and organizations with the most need to benefit from (ISC)2's commitment to the profession.
360 Eats
360 Eats a nonprofit based in Tampa, Florida that is reshaping the food system with an innovative "360-degree" solution to food to provide sustainable solutions aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources. Their programs include mobile food rescue, sustainable catering services, a mobile gourmet soup kitchen, and a compost initiative that works with our communities to bridge the gaps between food waste, food insecurity, and sustainability.
January
Project Dynamo
Project Dynamo is a Tampa-based, veteran-led volunteer organization facilitating the rescue of American citizens and lawful permanent residents, as well as innocent civilians from around the world, from hostile and deadly war zones, including Taliban-occupied Afghanistan and Russian-occupied Ukraine. To date, the group has rescued more than 8,000 people and continues to conduct rescue operations in Ukraine and Afghanistan.
Heart Gallery of Pinellas and Pasco
The Heart Gallery of Pinellas and Pasco is a program of Gulf Coast JFCS that supports families interested in adoption and helps connect children in foster care with their forever home. They work with local professional photographers to take beautiful portraits of the children, which are then displayed throughout galleries in the community, on the Heart Gallery’s website, and on social media, so that potential adoptive parents can find them. Since 2006, the Heart Gallery has helped find nearly 400 adoptive families for waiting children!
Sanderlin Family Center
The Sanderlin Center is a non-profit agency located in south St. Petersburg, Florida. The center’s focus areas are family, education, arts, economics, employment, positive values, and health & wellness. Some of their programs offered are: after school programs offering homework help and tutoring along with enrichment activities such as gardening, coding, art, physical fitness, and dance.
Hope Services
HOPE Services helps older students and adults living with disabilities in our community to find their strengths and build the confidence necessary to find the right job for them. They do this by providing life skills, vocational evaluations, on the job training, work incentive planning and assistance, mental health counseling, and employment services.
We're proud to support them as this week's #TakeChargeForCharity recipient!
