Highlighting the corporations that stepped up to help the neediest in a rough 2009

Martha's Table is one of the charities that have benefited over the years from corporate partnerships. (Katherine Frey/the Washington Post)
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CSC celebrated its headquarters move to Fairfax County this year with a $50,000 donation to the county that will fund a computer learning center in Falls Church.

And let's raise a glass of eggnog, shall we, to Argon Engineering in Fairfax city, which sets aside 1 percent of its pretax profits every year for local charities chosen by a committee of its employees.

Partners in giving

What sustained many nonprofits this year were the partnerships that they have developed over the years with a handful of corporations.

The law firm of WilmerHale deepened its relationship with D.C.'s Bread for the City this year with its pledge of $100,000 -- that on top of legal advice, a clothing drive and 1,250 pounds of just-picked apples.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the partnerships between CGI Federal and the Catalogue for Philanthropy; Security Storage and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society; NBC Universal and the Sitar Arts Center; KPMG and First Book; PricewaterhouseCoopers and Martha's Table; REI stores and Nature Rocks; Pyramid Systems and the American Red Cross; CapitalSource and Arlington's Doorways for Women and Families; and Deloitte and the Capital Area Food Bank.

Also Excella Consulting and Homestretch; BB&T and Melwood; Money One Federal Credit Union and the Foundation Schools; W.R. Grace and Meals on Wheels; Apple Federal Credit Union and Northern Virginia Family Service; IBM and the Latin American Youth Center; Apex CoVantage of Herndon and OAR of Fairfax County; Capital Group Cos. and the Falls Church-McLean Children's Center; Pepco and Mentors Inc.; Sprint Nextel and the Character Education Partnership; and Combined Properties and Our Daily Bread of Fairfax.

Also Linder & Associates and Horton's Kids; the Kiehl's store in Georgetown and Potomac Riverkeeper; Wilkie Farr & Gallagher and A Greater Washington Field of Dreams; Ernst & Young and Phillips Programs for Children and Families; Waiter on the Way and Stepping Stones Shelter; Corporate Executive Board and Ashoka; and Beazer Homes and HomeAid Northern Virginia.

CrisisLink was able to double its capacity thanks to the Virginia Hospital Center, which donated office space, and Jack Bays, a construction firm that helped to renovate it.

One of my favorite nonprofits is DC Scores, which somehow manages to combine soccer, poetry and service in a successful program for elementary- and middle-school students in the District. Stephen Harrell, owner of Bicycle Stations, also likes the program -- so much so that his company donated a new bike for one boy and one girl in each of the 23 schools participating in the program.

Capital One stepped up its commitment to financial literacy this year with a five-year, $2.5 million commitment to build and run a financial education center in collaboration with Fairfax County Schools and Junior Achievement.

One of the best ways for companies to give back is through in-kind services, and Capital One has come up with a creative new online system to connect its employees with nonprofits. At last count, the program was generating about 3,000 hours a year in free services.

As pro bono goes, however, it would be hard to beat Latham & Watkins, which over the last year has assigned 90 attorneys and 22 staff to spend thousands of hours on a project for Appleseed, the social action network, studying the operational problems at the U.S. Immigration Court and recommending solutions. That works out to more than $5 million in unbilled hours.

Other examples of in-kind donations include the grounds upkeep Brickman does for the Howard County Conservancy; the video production provided by RP3 Agency for the Washington Area Women's Foundation; the legal advice provided by DLA Piper for Bread for the City's new addition; the boat that Potomac Riverboat donated to Potomac Riverkeeper for its annual gala; and the roof provided by Dryhome Roofing and Siding this year for the Hebron Women and Children's Shelter.

Holiday spirit

The holidays would not be the holidays without toy drives, secret Santas and turkey giveaways too numerous to mention. In the same spirit, employees of Perdue Farms in Salisbury, Md., have a tradition of cleaning and decorating some of their trucks each December and driving to the Holly Center to give the disabled residents a ride on a "big rig." And in cooperation with the USO, employees at BAE Systems in Reston once again this year donated 300 bicycles to the "Bikes for Tykes" program for children of local military families in need.

Because of a cut in city funding, it looked as if there would be no performance of the Nutcracker this year by the Washington Ballet at THEARC in the District. That's when developer Chris Smith of William C. Smith & Co. stepped in to fill the $50,000 gap, making a generous donation himself, hitting up friends and recruiting FedEx as a sponsor. The sugar plum fairies made it to Anacostia after all.

To those who helped in compiling this catalogue of corporate philanthropy, many thanks. To the many businesses whose generosity was overlooked, please accept my apologies. And to all of you, dear readers, best wishes for a joyous holiday and a more prosperous new year.