Friday Favorites- Christmas and Giving.

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. I love the whole Christmas time feeling of love and giving. For me I love giving gifts, much more than receiving them. I love doing service for others as well, and there are always tons of ways to give this time of year. Here's a list of things you can do:

• Donate to a food pantry. Go through your stockpile and purge anything that you aren't going to use or is nearing expiration and you won't be able to use. Food pantries have a lot of demand at this time of the year.
• Toy drives. There's tons of these that happen for tons of organizations. There's Toys for Tots and Angel Giving Trees. If you attend a church, you may be able to help a family there. Some of these can be a great place to give gently used toys your children no longer play with.
• Caroling. It can be nice to visit a few houses or shut-ins with some Christmas cheer.
• Nursing Homes. These places love having people who are willing to come visit around the holidays.
• Time. Many organizations could use your time to fill their demands around the holidays.
• Money. Most notably is the Salvation Army. You'll see them ringing their bells outside of stores. If you have anything to give, it can be quite beneficial for them. Many are finding that people aren't donating as much this year.

There really are tons of ways to give this time of  year, so I encourage you to choose at least one and do it!

Service Idea- Animal Shelters

Animal shelters are always in need of help, so I've compiled a list of things many animal shelters/humane societies need. Remember many are non-profit organizations and therefore depend largely on the donations of the public. Also keep in mind as the economy soured many people left animals behind in foreclosed homes, or simply gave them up as they were unable to care for them. Because of this many shelters have a surplus of animals. Some shelters have also started pet pantries realizing it would cost them less to give out pet supplies (and also make some owners very happy they can keep a source of joy in their life) then to deal with more pets in the shelter

• Pet food. Whenever you see a deal for free or cheap pet food consider buying it to donate to a local shelter. Also, be on the lookout for free samples. These are also great to give to shelters. They usually accept both dry and canned food. Some shelters may also need bird, rabbit, and other types of animal foods.
• Cat litter. 
• Blankets, towels, sheets, pillowcases, basically any kind of linen you can think of. 
• Cat Carriers. 
• Trash bags
• Clorox wipes
• Toys
• Pet treats
• Money for all the things you can't donate (such as veterinary services).
• Time. Many shelters are staffed by volunteers. They need people to walk dogs, clean cages, wash animals, feed animals, and plenty of other things. They also need foster parents for animals who need a little bit of special attention. Please check with your local shelter for specific details.

Go here to locate a nearby shelter (this isn't a comprehensive list, so you can also do a google search of your area). Most shelters have a wish-list, but are more than happy to accept donations for things they typically need. I hope you consider helping out some furry friends.

Service Idea- Lunches

 Many people may not realize it, but when schools are out for summer, many children are also without lunch at the same time. The reason is simple. During the school year the children were eligible for free and reduced lunches at school, but in the summer they are not at school and therefore do not receive lunch. There are several government and community initiatives to help provide free lunches in the summer, but sometimes they need a little extra help, especially considering the greater need currently for these programs.

This last week in my local paper, there was an article for a food drive happening next week to collect food to serve for lunches in the summer and also to help restock the food banks. Perhaps think about taking stock of your pantry this week to see if there is anything you can give away. Then look around for local organizations that may need food to provide lunches to children (local church ministries are a good source), or just donate to a local food bank.

Please remember that this is a service idea, and is not meant to be a forum for a debate on free lunches, government assistance, or anything of the sort. Thanks!

Service Idea

I know couponing has made it easier to give a little more, and one thing I saw on my local news and in my local paper is that there is a great need for diapers. I hadn't really thought much about this before, but in these hard economic times it means it is harder to purchase diapers for young children.

A service I found in Florida is Destiny Diaper Bank and they have a desperate need for diapers right now. They have a link on their site to donate, and they also accept packs of diapers and even open packs of diapers.

So if you've scored some awesome diaper deals lately, and can afford to pass some along perhaps donate them to a local diaper bank (or domestic violence shelter, etc).