While we all hope to do great things in our communities, more often than not, we just don’t know where to start! Whether you support hunger relief, animal rights, green technology, or education in under served communities, there are many simple ways that you can contribute to helping causes that matter most to you.
Donate Unwanted Items
Your home is probably filled with items you don’t need. Rather than tossing them out, take gently used, unwanted items to charitable organizations and thrift stores. It’s a great way to give back, while de-cluttering your home.
To keep things organized, tackle one area at a time, like your closets, garage, basement and other forgotten wastelands. Sort things into categories: keep, toss, fix, sell or give away. Get your whole family involved and clear that clutter. After all, it is time for spring cleaning!
Give Your Time
We always hear the excuse “I just don’t have the time,” but that hour spent scrolling through social media could easily be spent helping those in need. Volunteering is a great way to give back, and the best part is it doesn’t need to be done alone! Grab your partner, your family, co-workers, and friends, and spend some time practicing generosity for a cause that aligns closest with you.
Food banks like ours often receive an influx of assorted items ranging from canned goods to cleaning supplies. Join us for a volunteer shift and help us sort, palletize, and label items for easy distribution to our neighbors.
Share Your Skills
Are you skilled in accounting? Marketing? Human Resources? Donate your expertise to help fellow colleagues, students, neighbors, and organizations looking to expand their knowledge and skillsets.
With your unique and highly sought skills, you could host workshops to share your knowledge or offer one-on-one meetings for more personalized consulting.
Most non-profits are seeking these skilled volunteers also known as “pro-bono” volunteers to help improve their everyday performance that they may not be able to afford. Use these skills, build your portfolio, and help them achieve their mission—it’s a win-win-WIN!
Maybe you’re more on the creative side. Do you sing? Offer to sing at a nonprofit event or gather your friends and sing Christmas carols at the local retirement facility.The utilization of your skills has endless possibilities, so be creative and explore your giving options.
Host a Food Drive
There are over 800,000 food insecure people in the Inland Empire. 300,000 of these are children. To help you visualize that, this number is enough to fill Dodger Stadium three times! A huge factor in feeding those in need is to simply supply the food.
One way to collect food for your local food bank is to host a food drive. Food drives bring awareness to your community about the fight against hunger and everything you collect can be donated to your local food bank. Simply put out a box, make a few flyers and spread the word! When all is done, head over to your local food bank and bring your donations over.
For more information on starting a food drive, check out our previous blog post “Host a Food Drive, Build Community.”
Smart Purchasing
Today, there are many brands that donate a portion of their proceeds to causes that matter.
Small local businesses like Living to Grow Apparel and Proverbs Threads both donate a portion of their proceeds to aid in the fight against hunger, so every purchase made truly makes a difference in our community!
Sites you shop from every day, like Amazon also have giving programs. Simply make the change from shopping at Amazon to Amazon Smile and a portion of your proceeds will be donated to the nonprofit of your choice.
Do your research and find brands and businesses that align with your interests and continue to support them. Small businesses, local nonprofits, and your community can all thrive with your support!
As you can see there are many ways you can give back to your community. Sign up for updates for more helpful tips, and start giving back today!