Partner with The Caring Link
It takes a community to care for a community.
Schools know what their students need. Volunteers give their time. Donors provide resources. Businesses and community organizations bring funding, people, expertise, space, and reach. Together, we help local students have what they need to learn, belong, and thrive.
From sponsoring our Care Closets and enrichment programs to hosting donation drives, volunteering as a team, serving as a community collection site, or finding an entirely new way to collaborate, there’s a way for every organization to Be The Link.
Big company. Small business. One-time project. Long-term partnership. Whether you have dollars to give, employees ready to serve, space to share, resources to offer, or simply a community that cares, we can help turn it into meaningful support for local kids.
Let’s find your link.
Community-Powered Impact
28 Care Closets | Eight Enrichment Programs | 17,000+ Students Supported | 100% Volunteer-Powered
Find Your Way to Be The Link
Sponsor Our Mission
Put your company’s support behind local students.
Each school year, we offer sponsorship opportunities that help fund our Care Closets, enrichment programs, events, and growing impact across Madison County.
Whether your business wants to support a specific school, invest in one of our programs, or make a broader commitment to our mission, there are many ways to make a meaningful local impact:
- Care Closet Sponsorship — Help provide the clothing, shoes, toiletries, school supplies, and other essentials available to students right on their school campuses.
- Care Closet Founder Sponsorship — Fund the installation of a new Care Closet in a public school, bringing essential resources directly to a new campus and its students.
- Program Sponsorship — Support one of our eight enrichment programs, including New Beginnings, Book Fairy, Feed Our Friends, Care to Join, and more.
- Event & Seasonal Sponsorship — Help make special initiatives, seasonal programs, fundraisers, and community events possible throughout the year.
- Organization-Wide Partnership — Make a broader investment in The Caring Link’s mission, operations, and continued growth throughout our community.
Whatever level of support fits your organization, your partnership helps us reach more kids with more of what they need.
Host a Donation Drive
Turn your workplace into a force for good.
Businesses, offices, churches, civic groups, and organizations can host collection drives for the items our students need most.
Depending on the season, that might include:
- Clothing (general or item-specific, like socks and underwear)
- Shoes
- Coats & Jackets
- Toiletries
- School & Classroom Supplies
- Formal Wear
- Halloween Costumes
Whether you have a specific item in mind or want help choosing what would make the biggest impact, reach out to us.
We’ll be happy to provide ideas, resources, and guidance to make your drive a success.
Volunteer as a Team
Get your team out of the office and into the mission.
Bring your employees together for a hands-on volunteer experience supporting local students.
Depending on our current needs, groups may:
- Help sort and organize donations
- Prepare program materials
- Assemble kits
- Stock resources
- Install a new Care Closet
- Support special events
- Tackle seasonal projects
It’s team building with something meaningful to show for it.
Become a Community Collection Site
Turn your business into a convenient place for the community to give back.
By serving as an official Caring Link collection site, your business gives local residents a convenient place to drop off much-needed donations while helping us spread the word about the needs of students right here in our community.
Throughout the year, we look for local businesses willing to host collection bins for everyday Care Closet essentials or seasonal drives, including:
- New and gently used formalwear for Prom Shops
- Socktober (socks & underwear)
- Halloween costumes for BOO-tique
- Winter needs (coats, jackets, hats, & gloves)
Boxed Valentine’s Day cards for classroom parties
We’ll spread the word and provide the materials and guidance you need to get your business set up as an official Caring Link collection site.
You simply provide a welcoming place for the community to drop off their donations.
Host a Bless-a-Buddy Tree
Turn a little space at your business into a whole lot of holiday joy.
Host a Bless-a-Buddy Tree and give your employees, customers, members, or visitors an easy—and festive—way to help make the holidays brighter for local kids.
We make it simple: We’ll provide a fully decorated Christmas tree (or feel free to use your own) along with ornaments featuring the needs of local students.
Your community members choose an ornament, shop for their Buddy, and return the gifts for us to get where they need to go.
We bring the tree and the Buddies. You provide the space and a community ready to care.
It’s holiday giving made easy—and a pretty great way to Be The Link.
Host a New b-EGG-innings Basket
Put a little spring in a child’s step.
Each spring, New b-EGG-innings turns Easter eggs into something even sweeter: everyday essentials for local kids.
During the month leading up to Easter, businesses and organizations can host a New b-EGG-innings basket filled with colorful eggs, each featuring an essential item that will be given to a local child at our summer New Beginnings back-to-school readiness event.
Employees, customers, members, and visitors grab an egg (or a few!), shop for the requested items, and return their donations to the collection bin.
We provide the eggs, basket, collection bin, and everything you need. You provide the space and a community.
It’s an easy, festive way to celebrate the season while helping local students head into a new school year prepared, confident, and ready to thrive.
Give Goods, Services, or Expertise
Sometimes the thing you do best is exactly what we need.
Businesses can support us through in-kind donations of goods, professional services, supplies, food, printing, event support, storage, equipment, or other resources that help us serve students while stretching donated dollars further.
We’re always especially in need of hairstylists and barbers willing to donate their time and talents by providing free haircuts to local kids during our annual New Beginnings school-readiness event each July.
We also welcome seamstresses to help with minor alterations during our Prom Shops in late winter and early spring—because sometimes the perfect look just needs the perfect fit.
Have something you think could help? We’d love to hear from you!
Turn Blood Donations into Book Fair Magic!
Did you know your company’s next LifeSouth blood drive can do double the good?
By sponsoring our Blood for Books initiative during your workplace blood drive, your employees’ life-saving blood donations can also generate funds for our Book Fairy program, which helps students in need shop their school book fairs alongside their peers.
That means one simple act of generosity can save lives through blood donation AND put books into the hands of children who need them most.
The best part: there’s no added cost or extra work on your end!
Be the link and contact Michelle Brady today to get everything set up.
Have Another Idea? We're Listening...
Some of our best community partnerships begin with a simple:
“Hey, what if we…?”
If your business or group has an idea for supporting local students, we’d love to hear it.
Tell us what you have in mind—or tell us what resources you have available—and we’ll see if there’s a way to connect them with a need.
Ready to Be The Link?
Let’s find the perfect way for your business or organization to make a difference for local kids.
