When economy is down, most people stops giving to many worthy charities. Often people will help with food, money and time during Christmas time, but come January and most of us are busy with our lives and our new year resolutions.
As there are more people and charities that need help during this down economy right now, how can we help, when we ourselves are strapped with money woes ourselves? There are a few ways, let's explore.
1. Give your unused items to homeless shelter, or pet shelter. They are always looking for blankets, stuffed toys, coats and other clothing items. There are low income pregnancy organizations can take your unwanted maternity clothes, baby clothes and baby items. A few organization may take your business clothes, for getting low-income people ready for new job interviews. Many charities take car donations too.
2. Give your time, many places can use volunteers to help out, specially shelters, temples, churches, or local community centers. Many places you can help out with answering phone such as PBS or crisis hot line center for abuse and suicide.
3. Bring hot cooked meals to community centers, senior citizens, your neighbours who might be sick or just had a baby, or homeless person near by your area.
4. Give unused toys to hospital, or community preschool for low-income family.
5. Help not only your close friends, family, but also strangers, animals, birds and insects. Compassion for all lives. For example, put up bird seeds for you local area birds and water bath near by for them.
6. Trust family and friends when they ask for small loan. Give amount you can afford as a gift and tell them it is not a loan. Many times good relations goes bad when loan comes into a picture.
7. Give blood donation to someone who needs it.
8. Volunteer in your local library, local free tax helper, deliver meals or groceries to people who can not drive themselves. Volunteer to watch your family or friends, kids sometimes giving much needed break to their parents.
9. Did you know you can donate unused miles, credit card points to worthy causes? Find out and pick the one you choose.
10. Little help goes long ways too. For example, pay some one's parking meter, when they run out of the time, pick up trash and put in trash bin, help someone while waiting in line at post office, doctors offices and other long lines. Smile and say hello to strangers.
I am sure there many other creative ways to help others without big money. Would you like to add other suggestions? How do you help during bad times?
Photo Source: Art Box Images RF
4 comments:
You have a noble heart. Most people are selfish and cares only for themselves.
In my own little way I try my best to share a little of what I have to the needy. I wish I could give more, it depresses me seeing some suffer despite my meager lot.
Walter,
Thank you. I try and work on my compassion always. It actually helps me and my sanity a lot.
One can always help with small money or no money at all. Just smile or heartfelt compliment helps a lot.
Thank you for the reminder, Zengirl, that in these hard times more than ever, there are people who need our help. Even if we don't have much ourselves, there is always something we can share with others.
Betsy Bargain,
So true. There is at least one person who needs more help compared to us. If all of us did it, life would be better for everyone.
Zengirl
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