If you have questions about donating, please contact Bethany Kerley, Manager of Development and Communications at bkerley@laureladvocacy.org or (301) 776-0442 x1038.
Ways to Give
- Donate Online via LARS' secure online donation page. By donating to LARS online, you have the option to set up a recurring monthly or quarterly gift that fits your budget to make your giving easy and automatic! You can also make your gift in memory or in honor of a loved one.
- Send a Check. Checks can be made out to "Laurel Advocacy & Referral Services, Inc" or just "LARS." Mail your contribution to LARS at 311 Laurel Avenue, Laurel MD 20707.
- Give at Work. Federal employees/retirees and those with a United Way workplace giving program can designate contributions through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) or United Way campaign. Our CFC number is 92544. Our United Way number is 8843.
- Donate Stocks. Donating appreciated securities can be a tax‐wise way to conduct your charitable giving. As a Catalogue for Philanthropy featured nonprofit, TDAmeritrade handles gifts of stock for a minimal fee. For more information about the stock donation process, please visit the Catalogue's page.
- Use Amazon Smile. Shopping at Amazon.com? Consider shopping through Amazon Smile instead. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible Amazon Smile purchases to LARS whenever you shop and designate LARS as your charity of choice.
LARS is a private non-profit organization recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)3 organization. Monetary and in-kind donations to LARS are tax-deductible. We are incorporated in the State of Maryland.
In-Kind Donations
Want to help stock the food pantry from afar? Check out our Amazon Wish List for suggestions and you can have your donation shipped directly to LARS! And remember to start at smile.amazon.com to do even more good with your shopping
Always Needed
- Food -Our most needed items are: cereal, pasta, pasta sauce, granola bars and jelly.
- Toiletries - Our most needed items are soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, feminine hygiene products, etc.
- Items for our PSH Clients - Click here for a list of items we need to keep on hand
- Household goods - toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies
- Diapers - especially size 2 and up!
- Baby wipes
- Baby formula
- Gift cards - grocery, gas, Target, Walmart, etc.
- Plastic and reusable bags
Donations can be dropped off during regular business hours (M/W/F 9am-2pm and Monday evenings 5-7:30pm).
PLEASE remember to check expiration dates before donating food. We cannot accept anything that is expired or opened.
For more information on starting a food drive or donating to the food pantry, please call 301-776-0442.
Sometimes Needed
- Furniture - We sometimes have a need for furniture and basic household items for our Permanent Supportive Housing residents, who are typically moving into our program with just the clothes on their backs. Please keep an eye on our Facebook page for specific requests. We unfortunately do not have the capacity to pick up these types of items, so all furniture donations would need to be delivered directly to the recipient's apartment or to LARS, depending on size.
- Books - To keep our lobby bookshelf stocked
- Toys/games - New items needed during the holiday season only
Not Currently Needed
- Clothing - We do not have the proper storage or cleaning facilities to collect clothing donations. We provide our clients with vouchers to be used at the Laurel Thrift Store (9880 Washington Blvd N, Laurel MD 20723). Please donate your clothing there or consider other local organizations such as Success in Style or Katie Kares.