Giving Back During The Holidays

Hard to believe it’s the end of the year. Even harder to wrap my head around the fact that we have been in a pandemic for 9 months now.

2020 has been a tough year for everyone, but it has been especially hard for small business owners and lower income families. I’m extremely passionate about supporting small and local businesses, but something I’m equally as passionate about is giving back and donating your time, money, or resources.

This year, I really encourage every person who is reading this little corner of the internet to make a conscious decision to give back before the end of 2020. I pray that this list of ways to give back will inspire you in some capacity.

Giving Time:

1. Sort through canned goods at a local food bank

2. Share a charity of choice to social media and bring attention to it

3. Organize a food drive in your neighborhood

4. VolunteerMatch is an excellent way to get connected in your community& find opportunities near you that fit your schedule and your comfort level

5. Volunteer your time at a local animal shelter

6. Look up local soup kitchens near you and see if they need help with food prep and distribution

Giving Money:

1. Donate to a favorite charity! My favorite is my family’s foundation, The Wheelchair Foundation

2. Toys for Tots- one of my favorite pastimes was to go to a toy store and pick out a few things to give to children in need during the holiday season

3. Drop off gently used or unused toys/pet blankets/pet beds to a nearby shelter or rescue group. Chewy had a Black Friday sale so I bought a ton of squeaky balls and toys to drop off to the Rockwall Shelter this week!

4. Purchase canned goods and non-perishables and drop off at nearby food drive

5. Adopt an angel or a family! If you aren’t able to sponsor the entire list, ask friends and loved ones to split the list

6. Set up a small monthly donation to a charity of choice! You don’t have to give a lot of money to make a big difference. Even the smallest donation can make an impact. Find a charity that you’re passionate about and consider setting up a small monthly donation.

7. Shop with e-commerce sites that will donate on behalf of your purchase

8. Set up your favorite charity on AmazonSmile where .5% of your purchase goes to a charity of choice!

Giving resources:

1. Go through your and your kids closets and donate gently used clothing and shoes (Rule of thumb: If you haven’t worn it in over a year, donate it to someone who will 🙂

2. Donate unused household items

3. Give blood

4. Use your special gifts and talents to help others! Everybody has their own special set of skills that they have learned over time. Utilize the skills you have to help others by volunteering with a skill-based volunteer company like Catchafire! Opportunities cover anything from graphic design to accounting.

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. – 2 Corinthians 9:7