Holiday Giving

Community Giving Tree in Topsfield MA

Get involved, donate and help empower local children and families.

Make a donation this season to one or more of the agencies listed here.

Girls Inc. of Lynn

Girls Inc. of the Seacoast Area/a Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center Affiliate

Greater Lawrence Family Health Center

Lifebridge

Salem YMCA

Tri-Town Council

YWCA of Greater Lawrence

Women's Fund of Essex County

Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem

Family Services of the Merrimack Valley

Plummer Home for Boys - a group home in Salem for at risk boys ages 13-18. The boys live at the home and attend school in local communities. the goal of the Plummer Home is to connect the boys with a permanent family. Many of the boys have been in and out of foster homes and have no where else to go. the home is committed to serving these boys who have enormous emotional and financial challenges.

Jewish Family and Children's Service Center for Family Assistance ensures that individuals and families experiencing financial difficulty receive services and have access to resources needed to meet basic needs, improve their quality of life, and work toward greater self-sufficiency. JF&CS is conducting a Holiday Gift Card Drive this year. Their goal is to give $25 gift cards to the parents of more than 4300 children  (ages 0-18) in the 100 different communities who would otherwise not receive a holiday gift.

All gifts are to be in the form of gift cards, in $25 increments to any of the following stores: Target, Toys R Us, T.J. Maxx, Marshalls or Best Buy.

On Point is a collaboration between Plummer Home, Salem Police and the Essex County Juvenile Court and is located in Salem's lowest income neighborhood. On Point works with at risk teenagers to provide therapeutic, recreational and educational activities, including a community service element which impacts the entire Salem community.

Massachusetts Department of Children and Families is a  state agency whose main responsibility is protecting kids from child abuse. Most of the children the agency works with are in foster care.

Beverly Bootstraps offers immediate and long-term assistance with food, housing stability, heat, and adult and youth education for residents of Beverly and Manchester by the Sea.  Beverly Bootstraps helps families connect to necessary resources to improve the quality of their lives.

Autism Support Center of Northeast ARC is a center to assist parents with information and support about autism spectrum disorders. The center provides information, referral, support groups, and training to parents affected by autism.

Pathways for Children offers parents opportunities and support as they identify and meet their own goals, nurture their children in the context of their family and culture, and advocate for communities that support children and families of all cultures. Since 1967, Pathways for Children has been a leader in early education and care programs on local, state, and national levels. Gifts will be given to children

of the North Shore, most of which are homeless.

North Shore Community Action Program serves more than 12,000 people each year across the North shore with innovative social services that help low-income families and individuals find the stability they need to rise out of poverty. NSCAP serves children and families in Salem, Peabody, Beverly, and Danvers as well as 25 cities and towns on the North Shore.

Wellspring House donations will be put to use helping people with their basic needs of food and shelter, and education and job training to empower their journey toward economic self-sufficiency. Wellspring House empowers individuals and families to live more secure lives through basic needs assistance, education and job training.

Community Giving Tree provides low income families in northeastern Massachusetts with basic necessities such as clothing, school supplies, baby equipment, and personal care items. Your donations keep babies safe, make children feel valued, and help families achieve self-sufficiency.

The Open Door helps to alleviate the impact of hunger in our community. Using practical strategies to connect people to good food, to advocate on behalf of those in need, and to engage others in the work of building food security.

Cambridge Science Festival 2023

The Cambridge Science Festival makes science accessible, interactive and fun in Cambridge Massachusetts
Cambridge Science Festival, the first of its kind in the United States, is a city-wide celebration showcasing the leading edge in science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM).
7:00 am to 7:00 pm

Sculpture at Maudslay | Fracture

Artists will install their sculptures at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport for public viewing!
Enjoy a self-guided walking tour of the 24th Annual Outdoor Sculpture at Maudslay Exhibit September 10 through October 1 featuring 50 site specific sculptures by local artists addressing this year’s theme, ‘Fracture' within the magnificence of Maudslay State Park in Newburyport. Look for the large...
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit at Pingree School

The Flying Horse outdoor sculpture exhibit features works by José Criollo and many others at Pingree School in Hamilton Massachusetts
Pingree School hosts the 14th annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit on their campus in South Hamilton, MA. Pingree will display more than 50 temporary works by artists from as nearby as Hamilton and as far away as the state of Washington, including 20 works that are now in the school’s...
8:00 am to 6:00 pm

Crescent Farm Corn Maze

Crescent Farm corn maze in Haverhill Massachusetts
Imagine the biggest puzzle you’ve ever seen. Now imagine a day in the sunshine with your friends or family. Now add an adventure that takes teamwork and memory skills. All these things and more can be found at Crescent Farms Corn Maze. Crescent Farm Corn Maze trails cut into 9 acres of corn. Inside...
9:00 am to 9:00 pm

Corn MAiZE and Haunted Attractions at Connors Farm - Danvers

Corn MAiZE, Maze and Haunted Attractions at Connors Farm - Danvers, Massachusetts
Come to Connors Farm to find your way through this year's maze and enjoy many family fun activities! After completing the maze, stay and have some fun around the farm. Children enjoy apple and pumpkin picking, hayrides, and most of all, visiting the barnyard animals.
9:00 am to 6:00 pm

Reading to a Therapy Dog at NTL

Kids can sign up to read to a therapy dog at the Newbury Town Library in Massachusetts
Children can register to come and read to a certified therapy dog. This program encourages reading confidence and is a fun way for kids to practice literacy. Sessions last for 15-minutes, and we ask that you please arrive for the time slot that you register for.
3:30 pm to 4:30 pm

Stargazing at Mendel Observatory

Mendel Observatory, with the support of volunteers from the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club, hosts public stargazing every Wednesday night
The Observatory, with the support of volunteers from the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club, hosts public stargazing every Wednesday night (weather permitting) starting at dusk or 7:30 pm, whichever is later.  When special astronomical events of interest occur (total lunar eclipses, etc.) the Obs
7:00 pm

Friday, September 29

Cambridge Science Festival 2023

The Cambridge Science Festival makes science accessible, interactive and fun in Cambridge Massachusetts
Cambridge Science Festival, the first of its kind in the United States, is a city-wide celebration showcasing the leading edge in science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM).
7:00 am to 7:00 pm

Sculpture at Maudslay | Fracture

Artists will install their sculptures at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport for public viewing!
Enjoy a self-guided walking tour of the 24th Annual Outdoor Sculpture at Maudslay Exhibit September 10 through October 1 featuring 50 site specific sculptures by local artists addressing this year’s theme, ‘Fracture' within the magnificence of Maudslay State Park in Newburyport. Look for the large...
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit at Pingree School

The Flying Horse outdoor sculpture exhibit features works by José Criollo and many others at Pingree School in Hamilton Massachusetts
Pingree School hosts the 14th annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit on their campus in South Hamilton, MA. Pingree will display more than 50 temporary works by artists from as nearby as Hamilton and as far away as the state of Washington, including 20 works that are now in the school’s...
8:00 am to 6:00 pm

Corn MAiZE and Haunted Attractions at Connors Farm - Danvers

Corn MAiZE, Maze and Haunted Attractions at Connors Farm - Danvers, Massachusetts
Come to Connors Farm to find your way through this year's maze and enjoy many family fun activities! After completing the maze, stay and have some fun around the farm. Children enjoy apple and pumpkin picking, hayrides, and most of all, visiting the barnyard animals.
9:00 am to 6:00 pm

Crescent Farm Corn Maze

Crescent Farm corn maze in Haverhill Massachusetts
Imagine the biggest puzzle you’ve ever seen. Now imagine a day in the sunshine with your friends or family. Now add an adventure that takes teamwork and memory skills. All these things and more can be found at Crescent Farms Corn Maze. Crescent Farm Corn Maze trails cut into 9 acres of corn. Inside...
9:00 am to 9:00 pm

All Family Field Trips: Visit the Bird Banding Station

Family field Trip to the Banding Station with Mass Audubon Educators at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Massachusetts
Come explore what nature has in store at some of our most amazing wild places on the North Shore. Joppa Flats' engaging and experienced staff will introduce families to local beaches, forests, and wetlands to make observations in nature, identify wildlife, and enjoy hands on science activities...
10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Saugus Iron Works House Tours

Free Ranger guided tours of the Saugus Iron Works House in Massachusetts
Join National Park staff at Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site for a 30-minute tour of The Iron Works House.
11:00 am

Hayrides at Appleton Farms | Fridays

Hayrides at Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts are fun for the whole family!
Experience the beautiful scenery, crisp air and changing and vibrant colors of Appleton Farms in the fall as you enjoy a hayride across ths idyllic property. Rides will depart every twenty minutes between 12-4pm on weekends and 4-7pm on Fridays. Space is limited, pre-registration is strongly...
12:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Farmhouse Wood-Fired at Appleton Farms

Join the Trustees for Farmhouse Wood-Fired every Friday through Sunday at Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts
Bring your lawn chairs and picnic blankets for a perfect wood-fired pizza experience surrounded by the idyllic beauty of Appleton Farms. The menu will change weekly, featuring local and seasonal ingredients, including produce from our own farm. Pizza varieties will include cheese, meat and seasonal...
12:00 pm to 7:00 pm