Hey guys, if you want to do something nice this Christmas but aren't sure where to start, here are a few things you can do to help my two favorite causes: kids and animals.
I have a particular children's home that I collect coats for in the winter. I've gotten to travel with this group of kids several times over the last few years and they always touch my heart. My family picks 3 children each year to shop for, and I request presents that would have been bought for me to be replaced with toys for the kids. ONE small gift can change a child's entire Christmas. Even if you don't have an orphanage nearby, everyone is near a Department of Social Services or a fire department. Any of these will accept toys, books, or clothes for children of all ages. Remember there are kids there that are newborn all the way to children in their late teens. Most DSS agencies also organize programs where you can buy toys for children of certain ages/genders specifically. There are never enough items to help everyone in need and donations are always welcome, even if you don't see these programs advertised.
I've been a volunteer with my local animal shelter for over a decade. I have a soft spot for animals and I foster as well as donate my time to animals at the shelter. You can choose to donate items, or even to sponsor rescues. When you sponsor a rescue, you are donating a certain amount of money that will pay to have that animal removed from either a pound where it will be put to sleep or from a particular rescue. Sometimes these fees include spay/neuter costs and/or other medical or travel expenses; sometimes all they need is a "pull" fee. If you'd rather shop for the animals, most shelters have a web page with a wish list, but if yours doesn't, you can always donate food, toys, blankets - even old towels, blankets and newspapers are appreciated at most shelters. You can also drop off gift certificates to grocery stores or pet stores so that they can buy what they need the most.
If you'd like to help out my shelter, click here for my Amazon wishlist FOR ANIMALS ONLY. I'm not soliciting cash/money donations; these are items that can be purchased for both fosters and animals currently in the shelter. There are no non-animal items there.
Feel free to email me if you have any questions about getting involved, and I'd love to hear about anything you decided to do to make someone else's Christmas a little happier.
