The holiday season is here and Christmas shopping is well underway. The joy of giving does not stop with friends and family. During the holidays many people look for ways to get involved and give back to their community. This can lead to great marketing opportunities for small businesses who are able to partner with local non-profit organizations serving in their communities. We invite you to reach out and ask how to volunteer with them during the holiday season. Partnering with a local non-profit will provide exposure for your company and allow you to give back to the community.
While the holidays put us in the giving spirit, remember, you can give at any time. Here are a few more ways you can spread holiday cheer to those around you this year!
1. Serve a Holiday Meal
Delicious food is often an essential part of many holiday traditions. There are several ways to share the gift of wonderful food during the holidays. Deliver a home-cooked meal to an elderly neighbor or friend without family nearby. Volunteer to serve a Christmas dinner at a local church or food pantry. Donate to a canned food drive near you, or start one in your community and get your friends and family involved!
2. Give the Gift of Life
Donating blood is an easy way to give someone in the world the wonderful gift of life. Find a local blood bank near you and give blood this holiday season. It only takes about 10 minutes, and you can help make a huge difference in the world.
3. Send a Care Package
There are several organizations that offer the opportunity to send care packages to those unable to celebrate the holidays with family, or simply do not have the means to buy gifts or even basic hygiene items. You can send a care package to members of our military overseas who cannot make it home to be with family. You can send baked goods, non-perishables, cards, puzzles, games, and even basic necessities like soap, lip balm, and deodorant. Become a part of Operation Christmas Child and fill a shoebox with hygiene products, crafts, clothes, toys, and a personal note to send to a child in need.
4. Give the Gift of Christmas
Find a local toy drive in your community. Buy a few extra things while you are out doing your holiday shopping this year and donate them to allow local children to have somethings to open this Christmas. Adopt a family! Whether it is a family you know, or an unknown family in your community, join with friends and allow a family in need to have a Christmas morning with gifts they may not be able to get on their own.
5. Give Your Time
The most precious gift in our lives is time. This holiday season, give some of yours. Volunteer at a non-profit organization that already served the local community, spend a day passing out care packages to the homeless in your area, help a friend clean or decorate, bake cookies for your child’s class at school, or babysit for a friend so they can run errands kid free! There are endless ways to spread the joy of giving without spending any money. Sharing your time is one of them.
Finding someone less fortunate than yourself is always possible. Find some way this holiday season to give back to your community and help those around you experience the joy of giving!
