I am a huge believer in giving back and helping out in the community and the world. Think globally, act locally I suppose. I believe the measure of a person’s life is the affect they have on others. — Steve Nash, Canadian basketball player
I recently dropped off some gently used clothes at the women’s shelter donation center.
It made me think about the different ways we all can give back to our community.
Ways Our Family Gives Back to the Community
As a family, we give back in the following ways:
- We donate money to our favorite charities.
- We donate gently used clothes, linens, and shoes to Goodwill and the women’s shelter. We also donate unopened personal care items from hotels and dentists’ visits. By contributing in this way, we are not only caring for the planet but making a difference in someone’s life. Moreover, we should not fill landfills with these items when they still have value.
- We call in our order directly to local, non-chain restaurants and pick it up ourselves. Unfortunately, restaurant sales are already down from a lack of dine-in business, and third-party apps can take up to 30 percent from takeout orders.
- We also order takeout and delivery directly from the website of local restaurants as they can offer a more customized experience.
- We write positive reviews for local businesses. It helps to promote the business and get the word out.
- We give back to the hardworking farmers in our community by shopping at our local Farmer’s Market. We may not buy everything there, but every little bit counts to support their local business.
- I regularly volunteered my time at the local schools in multiple capacities, such as assisting fundraising efforts, chaperoning field trips, and volunteering in the lunchroom. Everyone’s time is valuable, and giving up some of it can make a difference in many lives.
- We wrote handwritten letters to elders in senior facilities in times of isolation to uplift spirits.
- We wrote handwritten letters to mobilize new and inactive voters during the last election.
- My daughter virtually tutored underprivileged children to help them succeed academically.
- My son taught karate in underprivileged neighborhoods.
- We always recycle paper and plastic.
- We donate canned goods and non-perishables to local food banks.
- We are always happy to help out a child for whatever cause they may be promoting, whether buying lemonade from a child’s roadside stand, buying car wash tickets to support the local school band, or buying girl scout cookies.
Final Thoughts
After writing this article, I realize we could be doing a great deal more and we will undoubtedly attempt to do so in the future.
There are so many ways we can help support our local communities. Even helping out in some small way is better than not helping out at all.
We can all influence our communities and the world for the better. As Robert Ingersoll — the famous American lawyer, writer and orator during the Golden Age of Free Thought — stated:
We rise by lifting others.
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Previously Published on Medium
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