Christmas is just around the corner. As you are making your list and checking it twice to ensure that you have gifts for everyone you love, consider taking the time to give back to the community and help those less fortunate than yourself. This is the season when most charities get the majority of their donations. If you are looking for something a little more involved than simply throwing some change in the kettle at your favorite store, consider one of these interesting causes.
Pajama Program
Imagine a world where a child doesn’t have a comfortable pair of pajamas at night. They must sleep in the clothes they wore all day, which may or may not fit comfortably and most likely do not take away the chill of the night. This makes it difficult to get a good night’s sleep, and it can be dangerous because the temperatures in the winter drop quite low.
Many low-income kids do not have a warm pair of pajamas. The Pajama Program thinks everyone should enjoy a good night’s sleep, especially needy kids, and they help by providing kids in the U.S. with comfortable sleepwear and a bedtime story book, so they can feel cozy and warm this winter.
You can get involved in the Pajama Program by collecting pajamas and book to donate to your state’s chapter. Maybe you can get a group of people together to purchase affordable pajamas to donate. This is a great way to get your kids involved with giving back, because they can relate to the need you are meeting and can help you choose the pajamas and the book, perhaps even saving some of their own money to make the purchase. You can also donate funds to the organization, which they can use to purchase the items.
Good New Garage
Can you imagine life without a reliable vehicle? For many people across the country, this is just reality. If their town does not have a reliable and accessible public transportation system, they are left without a way to get where they need to go. Good News Garage can help by repairing donated cars to give families in need of a way to get around.
The Good News Garage operates in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. You can donate a used car, truck or van, and you can also donate cash to help fund the repairs they do on donated vehicles. The car does not have to be in bad shape, either, to be a valuable donation. If you donate a high-value vehicle, the group will use it to help fund their program.
Food Bank
Almost every community in the United States has a food bank, and you can give back this holiday season by donating food items and toiletries to yours. Find a food drive near you, and donate some of your goods. Monetary donations can also help.
If you are going to donate food, make sure you do it through a food drive overseen by Feeding America, the country’s official food bank organization. While well-meaning groups often hold independent food drives, these can actually deplete the resources of the food bank, as the workers will have to sort the food and throw out what they cannot use. Working with Feeding America food drive ensures that your donation is put to the best possible use.
The holiday season is a time when your focus is going to naturally turn to giving to those you love. This makes it a great time to give back a little to those who need an extra blessing this winter. With worthy organizations like these that take a creative approach to giving back, you can ensure that your donation is used well.