There are many ways to give to charities without spending any money. If you’re like me, you’re skeptical when someone e-mails, calls, or mails you information so you will donate to their cause. It is hard to know for sure if your money goes directly to the cause or the people who put the cause together. I am going to explain some ways to donate in other ways.
Go to your local humane society. Walk the dogs at the shelter. Donate dog and cat toys. Donate food for the animals at the shelter. Volunteer to clean out the cages for some of the animals. Sign up to be a foster parent to a dog or cat until a family can be found for them. Most likely if you donate money to the humane society, it will get to the pets, but sometimes there is an added feeling of helping when you donate your time. You could get the word out to people on spaying and neutering their animals. This would help the humane society more than anything by keeping unwanted pets out of the shelter.
Help out the Red Cross. You can donate blood. If needles scare you, you can volunteer to make food for the people that do donate food. You can make dolls and blankets for the times when the Red Cross must do relief missions. You can volunteer your time to help stuff envelopes that the Red Cross occasionally mails out.
You can help out many organizations by giving away old furniture, clothes, toys, appliances, etc. Sometimes certain organizations will help people out directly and others will use the items to employ people, such as the Goodwill Industries. You will need to check out the organization to see what they will accept.
You can go into nursing homes and visit the people there. You can bring them things they may want like magazines or books. You can spend time talking to them. You can teach the people in the nursing home activities that you may excel at.
You can go to the homeless shelter and donate blankets. You can go to the homeless shelter and serve food. You can also donate food to the homeless shelter.
You can get other people’s money and do a walk-a-thon or another event. You will be getting exercise and won’t be spending any money. Check out the cancer walks, as well as the March of Dimes events. They have walks every year.
You can volunteer in schools. You can teach them something you know. For example, if you’re a beekeeper, you can teach the children about bees and how they help make honey. If you’re a business owner, you could talk to the high school students about what skills are needed to own your own business. You can read with the students. You will most likely need to get a background check before even entering the school so get your fingerprints done before you go any further. You may also be able to volunteer at night with adults that don’t know English or are learning to read.
You could sign up to a Big Brother or Big sister through the YMCA. Big Brother/Big Sister is a program that helps kids who don’t have a father or possibly a mother and might benefit from having an adult of that gender spending time with them. Just like the school, you’ll need to able to pass a background check so get those fingerprints ran through the state patrol. Check with the YMCA to see what other things you’ll need prior to being places with a little brother or sister.
Donating to organizations helps you feel worthwhile and that you’re making a difference in someone else’s life. Giving money may the easy way of doing it, but will have you wondering if you’re getting to the animals or people who need it the most.