THANK YOU, SERVE SHELBY DAY VOLUNTEERS & HOSTS!
For National Philanthropy Day on Fri., November 15, we organized a morning of dedicated, community service in Shelbyville, IN. We had 132 volunteers who participated in the event. It was amazing to witness individuals and businesses coming together to generously serve our local nonprofit organizations.
Volunteers Needed
The Shelby County Active Aging Coalition is collecting donations for their Senior Stocking Project! The Senior Stocking Project aims to spread some holiday spirit by delivering stockings to seniors throughout Shelby County. Volunteers are needed on November 15th to help stuff stockings!
Gleaners Food Bank needs volunteers on the third Saturday of every month at their Mobile Pantry at Shelby County Fairgrounds. The next date is Nov. 16. Distribution is from 10am-Noon; Volunteers are needed beforehand to help prepare and during to assist with the distribution. Contact Sloane Shockley Lewis for more details: sshockley@gleaners.org or 317-979-4468 cell
Grover Center: Museum & Historical Society is looking for volunteers this late summer and fall. Whether you want to help greet guests on a Saturday for a few hour, get involved with their British Invasion event, or assist with their Festival of Trees, they could use your help!
Nonprofit News
The Salvation Army is in need of supplies for their daily lunches and for the homeless. Check out their amazon wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2MLJTKPNMOOSI?ref_=wl_share&fbclid=IwY2xjawF8v9BleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHeUUrd463aCii0qylFUeU4vEJ1HUQeKGWmNNTpFJ9-jyxJRrQ5G-OeXWtw_aem_4nQa7RX66CO-Ab-FEaZAOw
Shelby County Meals on Wheels elected leadership changed in early 2024. Debbie Ewing was elected as the new President and Connie Williams Browning as Vice President. If you are looking for a great place to volunteer or learn more about their services, please contact them at 317-398-4470 or shelbymealsonwheels.org.
The upcoming Wortman Family Civic Theatre is going to be impressive! Shelby County Players offered a hard hat tour today to give people a sneak peak of the facility on Miller Ave. Donations toward their building campaign are appreciated! Learn more…
SHELBY COUNTY NONPROFIT & SCHOOLS: Are you interested in bringing an educational program from the Indianapolis Opera to Shelby County in 2024-25? Blue River Community Foundation has funds available for your group to host or travel to take part in one of their performances. Please contact Jordan England (jengland@blueriverfoundation.com) for more details.
Pumpkin Fun & Fall Festivals
The Meltzer Farm pumpkin patch is open! Over 20 varieties of pumpkins. It is self-serve. You get to pick pumpkins right off the vine. Giving you and your family the freedom to roam the patch.
Providing Holiday Assistance
Children and their family can come to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church (1560 N Michigan Rd, Shelbyville, IN 46176) on December 7th and the kiddos get to shop for their families!
2024 Christmas Help Sign Up for the Salvation Army applications are open now through November 15th. Only one application per household is necessary.
The Shelby County Active Aging Coalition is collecting donations for their Senior Stocking Project! The Senior Stocking Project aims to spread some holiday spirit by delivering stockings to seniors throughout Shelby County. Volunteers are needed on November 15th to help stuff stockings!
November Nonprofit Community Events
Firefly’s November parent support meeting is on November 7th from 5:30-6:30 PM at the Ville Church located at 1115 St Joesph St. The meeting will be about Budgeting and Savings!
Free Childcare, Free Dinner, and Budgeting Materials will be provided!
Sign up now: https://forms.gle/jJbBdmrmJ7jiEDgK7
School aged children can enjoy a hot meal once a week on Thursday nights at The Ville Church! This will take place from 5pm-7pm on Thursday evenings at 1115 St. Joseph Street.
Rupert’s Kids 20th Annual Tuxes & Tennies Fundraiser will be held at Horseshoe Indianapolis on November 23. Cocktails, Dinner, Games, Holiday Shopping, and Rupert Boneham! Ticket Details
Here at MHP Maternity Care, we are planning our next Bump 2 Baby & Beyond event. The purpose of this free mom and baby event is to provide important health information and highlight what Shelby County has to offer in regard to women's health/pregnancy/postpartum care, community resources, early childhood development and more! The event will be held on Saturday, November 9th, 2024 from 9 am to noon at MHP Medical Center. We will be located on the second floor, in the open foyer area, near the main entrance. We would love to invite you to join us!
December Nonprofit Community Events
Embrace the holiday season in downtown Shelbyville at the 2024 Shelbyville Mistletoe Market & Holiday Parade on Friday, Dec. 6. Enjoy an outdoor holiday market, carriage rides, visits with live reindeer, a Ferris wheel, visits with Santa, the community holiday parade, and more!
Give back to our Local Nonprofits & have a good time with friends and family!
We are creating a public calendar of fundraising events hosted by our local charitable organizations. Nonprofits, use it to assist in your planning efforts — *Make sure that you are not planning an event on the same night as another organization! Community members, save the dates! Provide information here
Survey for Nonprofits
As a Nonprofit Organization in Shelby County, we know that you are working hard and providing invaluable services to our community. Help us to learn more about your operations and areas where you could use assistance by answering these brief questions! Thank you! Laura Land, Community Engagement Officer at Blue River Community Foundation & Stephen Black, Director of Behavioral Health/Health Equity at MHP
We are excited to announce that a Serve Shelby committee is forming at Blue River Community Foundation in February 2024! If you have ongoing volunteer needs, an event where you could use some extra hands, a beautification project that could benefit from group assistance, or a dream for Shelby County that you would love to see become a reality, let us know! We have local individuals and corporations who want to get involved!
More Volunteer Needs
A volunteer crew took action at the Blue River Cross Country Course to help them prepare for the first meet on August 19. The course runs on the help of volunteers and sponsors. If you'd like to get involved as a volunteer (mowing, working events, maintenance) or be a financial sponsor, please contact them or give them a call at 317-364-1850. They’d love to have you!
Shelby County Pantry Pals host a monthly mobile pantry in partnership with Gleaners Food Bank on the 3rd Saturday of each month at Thomas A. Hendricks Elementary School and on the 4th Friday of the month in Morristown. Volunteers are needed to set up, bag produce if needed and distribute food to around 300 households at this drive through event. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Sloan Shockley Lewis at 317-925-0191 x165 or at sshockley@gleaners.org.
The Diligent Diggers Garden Club ensures that the grounds of the Shelby County Public Library remain beautiful each year! If you are a gardener and want to help the library, we encourage you to learn more or join this volunteer group. Meetings are typically held on the first Wednesday of the month at 1pm. It is $20/year to join. A plant sale is also held each year to help raise funds. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Gayle Wiley (glwiley@att.net).
Canine Castaways Rescue in Fountaintown, IN could use some extra hands to help replace old kennels, shoveling fresh gravel into outdoor kennels, weed eating, power washing and weeds sprayed.
Every year, Major Health Partners volunteers provide more than 20,000 hours of service. Whether young in age or young at heart, MHP volunteers share their hearts and talents in service to the hospital, its patients, visitors and guests - no matter where they are working!
Our Hospice of South Central Indiana is looking for volunteers who want to make a difference in the lives of Our Hospice patients and families. Volunteers provide companionship in the patient's home or care facility typically one day a week. It's a very rewarding and meaningful way to give back. Contact Kelsey Whitehead (812) 314-8031 today if you are interested or complete a volunteer application at https://www.crh.org/service-centers/hospice/volunteer
If you are looking for rewarding volunteer work, Meals on Wheels needs people to help deliver hot meals to home-bound Shelby County residents! If interested, please call: 317-398-4470.
Agape Therapeutic Riding is looking for volunteers in their classes to help their riders - no horse experience necessary! Please go to https://agaperiding.org/volunteer/ to register!
The Salvation Army of Shelbyville, Indiana serves meals to those who need it Monday-Friday. They ask organizations, groups, churches, and private citizens to prepare and serve meals on Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal Holidays. If you would like to help with a few meals or are able to make a quarterly commitment, they’d love to have you on their schedule!
Food Drives, Food Pantries & Blessing Boxes in Shelby County, Indiana
Waldron Elementary School needs non-perishable food items that can be sent home in kids back packs. There are kids who might not have much help at home fixing the food. For this reason, they could use food that they can prepare on their own such as cereal, individual cups of Mac & Cheese, Granola Bars, Poptarts, etc. Food donations can be dropped off at the Waldron Elementary School Front Office: 306 East St, Waldron, IN 46182
The shelves of the Food Pantry at Morristown High School are getting bare! They could use donations of nonperishable food items. Food benefits Morristown students.
The Waldron Church of the Risen Christ is looking for volunteers to help with unloading food for their food pantry every 2nd and 4th Monday at 10am and also every 4th Tuesday at 1:30pm. This pantry is located at 202 West Washington Street, Waldron IN 46182. You can contact 765-525-6026 for more details.
Sophomore, Michael Ballinger, recently installed two Blessing Boxes at the Morristown Elementary and High School for his Eagle Scout project. Read the full article via Shelbyville News.
The sharing shelf at the Shelbyville IVY Tech campus supplies students on the go with snacks and quick meals to keep them focused at school. Their goal is to keep the students studying, successful and staying to complete their education. The food you provide helps students meet that goal. Drop off donations at the Shelbyville Ivy Tech campus or contact Adriel at apike26@ivytech.edu to learn more about the sharing shelf.
No matter the season, local food pantries can always use donations of nonperishable food items and financial support. Here is a list of Shelby County, Indiana Food Pantries and Mini-Pantries. Shelby County Pantry Pals also helps stock local pantries if you are desiring to donate toward an organization who help those who live with food insecurity.
Nonprofit Organizational Planning: Resources and Events
Since 2018, the Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation has directed more than $30 million to organizations aligned with their mission to create communities free of hunger and waste.
The First Financial Foundation was created in 2017 to support programs and organizations that enhance and develop the communities in which we do business. They particularly focus on low-income communities, prioritizing: neighborhood development | workforce development and education | culture and the arts. They look for successful applicants to generally have the following characteristics: stable financial resources, community-focused mission, and a strong and diverse leadership team. They anticipate having their next open-funding period in Q2 2024.
BryteBridge, a provider of compliance and development services to the nonprofit community, announces Microgrant Program to help emerging nonprofits continue to impact their local communities. In 2023, $20,000 in cash and service grants will be distributed to nonprofits nationwide. Applications must be received before November 1, 2023. Announcements will be made on Giving Tuesday — November 28, 2023.
Grants for Veteran’s Services (GVS) is a grant program administered by the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA). Applicants must be nonprofit organizations serving Indiana veterans. More details…
The Shelbyville Central Education Foundation now has grants available for teachers in the Shelbyville Central School System! These grants will provide an opportunity for teachers to bring new ideas into the classroom and enhance the learning experience of students. (Deadlines: July 1 & November 1 - *Requests must be $1000 or under)
Shelby County Community Corrections is offering a Juvenile Grant Scholarship Opportunity (for children 17 years of age or younger). This could be funding educational needs, extracurricular activities, and/or transportation needs.
The MHP Foundation is now accepting grant applications for nonprofit organizations who support MHP's charitable initiatives. The simple, online interest form is open for submission year-round. Projects or ideas that match with their mission, inspire social determinants work, or problem-solve for established community needs will be sent an application to apply. Learn more
“If your school or non-profit organization believes in the role of fine instruments in your program, and can show evidence of need and commitment to raising matching funds, you are a strong candidate for the Classics for Kids matching grant program. Applications accepted quarterly. Deadlines: June 30, September 30, December 31 and March 31.”
The Indiana Destination Development Corporation (IDDC, Indiana Tourism) offers grants to cities, towns, counties, nonprofit entities and others located in Indiana that are involved with tourism promotion and development. Projects that contribute to the development and improvement of local economies and communities throughout Indiana by means of enhancing, expanding and promoting the visitor industry are eligible to receive funding. (Full Details)
Throughout the year, Indiana Humanities offers a number of grants to help organizations develop and implement their own public humanities programs in their communities.
Action Grant: $3000 (Last Day of Each Month)
INcommon Grant: $5000 (Deadlines - Round 1: 2/28/23; Round 2: 8/31/23)
Historic Preservation Education Grant: $3000 (Deadlines - Round 1: 2/28/23; Round 2: 9/30/23)
Over the next three years, the Elevance Health Foundation will invest up to $90 million in partnerships and programs that address health inequities by demonstrating measurable and positive change in four key areas. They will begin reviewing applications annually as follows:
Maternal and Child Health: Each August (with a deadline of 8/31)
Food as Medicine: Each May (with a deadline of 5/31)
Substance Use Disorder: Each January (with a deadline of 1/31)
Disaster Relief: Different Deadlines - Learn More
If your Nonprofit organization is considering running a fundraising auction online, you might consider checking out Auctria.com. This user-friendly business allows an organization to get a web auction up and running easily. They will also support live events. Their pricing includes a generous free version.
The Blue River Community Foundation (BRCF) is interested in learning about how to better assist Shelby County, Indiana Nonprofits and Charitable Organizations. If you work with a local Nonprofit, please take this quick survey to share with BRCF what would be helpful to your organization.
Please note that the Duke Energy Foundation has a new Grants System and has updated their Granting Priorities.
Several organizations need volunteers on a regular basis. Make sure to browse our Nonprofit Directory to check out more volunteer needs.
Do you need volunteers?
Follow the link below to submit your opportunities and/or event(s) and its information to be added to our master calendar and page of events!
Register or Update your Nonprofit Profile
If you do not see your Shelby County, Indiana Nonprofit Organization listed or need information updated, please fill out this form.