7 ways to help others and give back during the holidays

This article is sponsored by Tito's Handmade Vodka.

For many, the holidays are filled with celebrations, gifts, and spending time with friends and family.

But in keeping with the true meaning of the season, it is also an opportunity to give back by donating to important causes and contributing to those who may be enduring difficulties during what is usually considered a particularly joyous time of the year.

Whether you are able to offer money, time, clothes or other items, here are 7 ways to help others while also spreading holiday cheer this season.

The holidays are a great time to clean out your closet and donate clothes to those who could use a coat, sweater, hats, boots, and other items needed during the cold weather months. In addition to local groups in your area, national organizations accepting clothing donations include Goodwill, Out of the Closet, and Planet Aid.

While funds are especially needed with food costs on the rise due to inflation, food banks and soup kitchens can also use help serving holiday meals, distributing food at pick up locations, or delivering boxed meals to those who are homebound or can’t make it to their local pantry. If you have trouble locating a group in your community, Feeding America, Meals on Wheels, and World Central Kitchen offer many opportunities to get involved to assist those with food insecurity.

Many stores offer layaway plans where customers can leave a deposit on an item which they can pick-up at a later date when they are able to pay off the balance. The nonprofit Pay Away the Layaway works with retailers to use donations to pay off the remaining balances on people's purchases. While Pay Away the Layaway is available throughout the entire year, your contribution will help bring extra joy to families during the holidays.

With safety protocols in place in many nursing homes and hospitals, volunteering in person at those facilities may be difficult this holiday season. But you can still brighten the day of residents and patients by sending holiday cards this year. While your local hospital or nursing home will advise how to get cards in the hands of those who may be more isolated this season, organizations like Stay Gold Society will help distribute cards to seniors in long-term care homes.

It doesn’t cost much money or time to be nice. Performing a random act of kindness is an easy way to get into the holiday spirit and also put a surprise smile on someone’s face. Ways to offer up some goodwill include: paying a compliment to a stranger, shoveling snow for a neighbor, letting someone cut you in line at the grocery store, checking in on an elderly neighbor, and paying the toll or bus/train fare for the person behind you in line.

At the start of the pandemic, it became difficult to find a pet at animal shelters as many turned to furry friends for comfort while in lockdown. With many people no longer working remotely, many shelters and rescues are back at capacity and are looking for individuals to foster a fur baby during the holidays. If you don’t have the time to adopt, fostering is a great way to give and get love from our four-legged buddies. Check with your local animal shelter or rescue to find out how to best get involved.

Communities that have fallen victim to fires, floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters this year continue to need assistance while still recovering from the destruction. Donations to organizations like the American Red Cross, Team Rubicon and Americares, will ensure families get the help they need during the holidays.

Related

Tito’s Handmade Vodka is raising spirits, feeding communities during holidays through its Love, Tito’s program

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