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Helping Others For a Better Tomorrow
What has been done in your community to help others during these difficult economic times? Are there some simple things that other Vocalpoint moms can do to help in their own community? |
In our state we have a deposit on our pop cans, so what I am doing is taking the deposit refund we get and using it to buy food for the local food bank. It is money that I have already spent anyway and I am just getting it refunded to me when I turn the empty pop cans in. So I thought that this would be a great way to help out.
Hello,In my community, we have collected clothes and shoes to send to the people in Sierra Leone. This collective effort has brought people together from all walks of life. The Neighborhood House, Inc, in our city has provided the drop off post and storage space for these items which will be sent to those people who are less fortunate that we are. Nan R., Cols, Ohio.
I am in a program at my sons school called The Step Ahead Program that offers free tutoring to childeren. As a parent I volunteer and help tutor these childern in math and reading. Part of the program is also that we prepare dishes and we all go to the shelters and feed the homeless. This has opened my kids eyes to all the people who are in need especially the childeren. So volunteer to feed the homeless but by providing the food yourself it also helps the shelter as well.
My boyfriend and I started a program called "To Fill a Backpack" and collected funds and supplies to pack 250 backpacks for 2 school districts. We were amazed by the communities response and collected over $1500 in monetary donations and many, many backpacks and supples in 3 weeks to supply 250 backpacks. Our area is even more affected this year by more factories and businesses going under that we are going to do 7 school districts this year and hope to be able to supply at least 750 backpacks this year.
I AM FEEDING THE HOMELESS AND GIVING OUT CLOTHES AND TENTS AND BLANKETS AND ALLOWING THE HOMELESS TO TAKE SHOWERS REMBER WITH THE ECONMY THEIR WILL BE MORE HOMELESS THEN EVER BEFORE SO PLEASE MAKE A EXTRA SANDWICH AND A EXTRA BLANKET AND GIVE IT OUT TO THE HOMELESS PLEASE
Encourage all family memebers to clean out their closet and give it to a local church. When I was younger, me and my 10 siblings received clothes & shoes from the church. We need them badly. To this day I am so grateful for that church and the "new" clothes. It felt like christmas.
Recently I was laid off, and with the extra time I have I am literally going through my home top to bottom gathering items for donation to the Community Action Council in my area. It is an organization which helps others less fortunate. Normally I find this "Spring Cleaning" to be a real chore, but keeping in my mind that I will be helping others seems to be a very strong driving force that keeps me going at it. I am finding not only the norm of clothing, but other household items to donate. I also visit freebie sites online and request samples sent to my home that I can add to the growing donations I have. Also being a pet owner with 4 dogs (2 rescued) and 5 cats (all 5 rescued) I am gathring extra food bowls, toys, bedding etc. to donate to my local Humane Society. They also need any help we can give. I plan to keep doing these things throughout the year - not just every spring as I have in the past.
My friends and I have started sharing the weekly grocery deals, swapping coupons, and alerting other friends via email to the best deals of the week. With funds tight, this has been a very helpful and uplifting exercise.
well i got gentle used baby clothes donated and gave the baby clothes too neighbor around my area who just had babies, it was fun and helped out a lot
I retired a little more than a year ago. I have been running a flea market table one day a week at a local Y. This is a fundraiser for the senior center which has seen so many cuts. In the fall I started crocheting scarf and hat set and bringing them on Tuesdays to sell on The flea market table and actually sold 26 sets and 10 separate hats. I have encouraged friends, relatives and neighbor to donate gently used or new items. So far we have been averaging about $500 a month which goes directly to help the seniors. If anyone has good suggestions about what to add to the table please post. I will appreciate any suggestions and plan to continue and expand this.
I clean out our closets at least once a month. All of the clothes, shoes, electronics, etc., are donated to The Goodwill. Now more than ever, The Salvation Army and The Goodwill are grateful for donations as the influx of layoffs creates a greater need for organizations like these and their services and goods.
I have joined a group of ladies, called Divas, "a cup of comfort". We supply Prom Dresses for girls that may not have the funds to get the dress of their dreams. This weekend we are helping our 3rd school!!! We have had a great response from woman helping us support a very happy occasion! I have been up and down the west coast picking up dresses from ladies wanting to help. I have even received shoes, bags and jewlery!!! It's exciting to see these girls light up when they find a dress that makes them feel like a princess.
I help out 2 young men with groceries occasionally. I have given out coupons to others in the grocery store. I use Freecycle (www.freecycle.org) to give away items that we no longer need that may be helpful to someone else. I think it is also important to support local buisnesses when ever possible! I even paid a college students library fines after she left the library-I was behind her in line and could not help overhearing the exchange between her and the librarian. She was told she did not have to pay that day and she opted not to. After she left I asked if I could pay her fines and after a look of surprise the librarian said sure! It was under $2.00 but I imagine she will be pleasantly surprised the next time she is in-a little thing to be sure but it made me smile the rest of the day at my own little secret!
Well, we are one of the unfortunate to have been laid off recently! It came as a shock and so immediately I launched into "saving money mode' so that our family could even come close to making ends meet each month. I started sharing my deals via email and then decided to write a blog! Hence utahdealdiva.com was born! It's been a fun place for me to post my deals and make my family feel somewhat useful in this stressful time.
I always use coupons when I shop. So if I have a coupon for something on sale that I do not use, I will pick it up. Sometimes someone in my family may need it but for the most part, I give the items to our local outreach program in the community. I don't mind cause, the item I usually pick up is a charity item anyway and the only cost is what it takes in time to pick them up. Why not? I am already there. Think of those less fortunate when you shop. Chances are the coupon may make the item free and someone else can use it if you don't. We need to help our community where we live as much as possible. It could be you that needs the help. I have been there and am grateful for all the help I have received and can pay forward to someone else beacause someone showed or told me something for my benefit.
A neighbor and I started a soup kitchen at our church. It originally was once a month, on a Saturday. Now it is has become a twice a week adventure, plus other churches in our small rural town have also started their own soup kitchens! Now, hungry people, like college students, have a meal every night of the week! This has also grown to churches hosting people who have no home, to people who can't afford somewhere to stay in case of an emergency! We cut coupons, get donations for homeless or needy people also! 
HELLO EVERYONE-- RECENTLY SOMEONE IN THE AREA TOOK ONE SATURDAY AND GAVE FOOD AWAY TO FAMILIES THAT WERE HAVING PROBLEMS ACQUIRING THE MONEY TO FEED THEIR FAMILIES. SHE POSTED THE REQUEST FOR NEEDY FAMILIES ON CRAIGSLIST AND GOT MORE THAN SHE BARGAIN FOR. NOT ONLY WAS SHE ABLE TO FEED 35 FAMILIES, SHE RECEIVED MANY, MANY DONATIONS. SHE RECEIVED DONATIONS FROM TOOTH PASTE TO FOOD INCLUDING MEAT AND "JUNK FOOD" FOR THE KIDS TO HELP WITH THIER MORAL. I HELPED HER WITH IT AND MANAGED TO FILL HER CAR UP WITH JUST CLEANING OUT CLOSETS WITH EXTRA SHAMPOO, EXTRA CANNED GOODS, AND GATORADE THAT I HAD PAID VERY LITTLE FOR. I ALSO WAS ABLE TO DONATE DEER MEAT THAT CAME OFF MY PROPERTY AND BUTCHERED THAT COST ME NOTHING BUT A VERY SATISFIED FELLING OF AT LEAST BEING ABLE TO HELP A LITTLE. I ALSO AM INVOLVED WITH A LOCAL FREECYCLE SITE THAT OFFERS TO FELLOW FREECYCLERS ITEMS THAT THEY DON'T NEED AND CAN PASS ON AND IF THEY NEED SOMETHING THEY POST WHAT THEY NEED. WITH ANY LUCK, SOMEBODY MAY HAVE WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR. SO IT SAVES EVERYBODY MONEY AND IT IS PASSED AROUND SO IT IS RECYCLED.
i found this great site called freecycle.org. they are scattered throughout the US. it helps keep so much unnecessary trash from going to the dump! what may be one mans trash may be anothers treasure! all you need to do is go to the site and look up your county. people offer and find items daily! it's a great way of helping others in need:)
Talk to a civic organization which has an actual physical footprint...a building...and organize a clothing trade day once a month, or perhaps even more often. Have someone to check in the items and make sure that they are clean and usable and have them give the person a slip to take home as many items as they donate, item for item, although not necessarily like for like. In other words, they may bring a pair of kids pants that their child has outgrown and exchange them for a jacket that that same child needs. That way you don't accumulate a huge surplus that will simply sit and grow mold.
If someone wishes to simply donate that's fine, but encourage them to take a look and see if there is anything their family can use. The same can be done with housewares, adult clothes, almost anything, so if you can use a room in the building every week you can have one day for adults, one for children, one for appliances...accept physical donations of small appliances only and have a board for pics of major appliances up for grabs.....the possibilities are endless!
We live in an area that was flooded last year and I have been trying to help some out. Also I have donated some really nice clothes and coats to a free coat closet so they don't have to pay for anything.
I Freecycle! Frederick County Freecycle(TM) is for all who want to find a new home for reusable items.
Everything must be FREE, legal and appropriate for all ages.
The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,726 groups with 6,609,295 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns and thus keeping good stuff out of landfills.
Membership is free, and everything posted must be FREE, legal and appropriate for all ages. Find your local group at http://www.freecycle.org
We have started within our churches Fishes and Loaves which is a meal that is cooked and served family style. we gather many of different families together so its also a meet and greet thing as well we do this 3 times a month and all of the food is donated.
In my children's schools the teachers have sent home notes asking for holiday items during the holiday season...at thanksgiving the kids took in traditional Thanksgiving dinner items...at Christmas the same dinner items plus a new unwrapped toy...the schools also have a "warming tree" for the children to hang new gloves, mittens, scarves, ect. on and it was donated to a local charity...for Easter the kids brought in Easter candy and little basket fillers for one of the local charities to pass out to children who might not receive a Easter basket this year! I think it is a great idea to get the children involved and show them how important it is to help others who may be less fortunate. My kids love to do this it gives them a great feeling knowing that they just helped make someones day a little brighter and I am very proud of them!!
I always donate the clothes my children out grow and anything else in good condition around my home that we do not use any more to a local church that has a "clothes closet" for people who need those sorts of items. It feels good to do this. I would rather do this than have a yard sale.
I know it seems small but the local food pantries need empty egg crates so that when people come to pick up food they have something to put eggs in that won't cause them to break. My tennis team recently played a match where we collected empty crates and the food pantry loved receiving them. I also understand that the boy scouts will collect them from you and take them to the pantries.We also played a tennis match and encouraged our opponents to bring canned goods from their pantries to give to the food pantry. It was amazing all that we received.Next week, we're cleaning closests for the homeless shelter and battered wives. The following week, we'll be remembering our troops and collecting items for them....hair scrunchies and packs of gum go a long way and don't break any of our budgets.
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