This Christmas, our charities are suffering as folks are struggling to take care of their familiesand can't afford charitable gifts, and there are more people needing assistance. Christmas will be very difficult for many famiies, through no fault of their own. There are many ways we can help those less fortunate, and some of them don't cost much or may cost nothing. If you are stuck for some good ideas, some of our fellow Active Rainers have posted information about some easy ways to help give someone a better Christmas. Here are just a few special posts:
Angel Trees: Still have children that need your help! by Brenda Tressler
Donate Unused Gift Cards by John Walters
Good Search, You Search We Give by Missy Caulk
Making A Gift & Making A Difference by Tom Plant
I absolutely LOVE freecycle.org by Chris Fisher
FORIDA KEYS: Toyz for Keyz Kidz by Kelly Willey
Here in the Sacramento area, our local Association of Realtors sponsors the annual CanTree project. Realtors have fundraisers and giant "trees" of canned food are built and placed in shopping centers, where additional contributions are requested. I have been privileged to contribute to this annually and to help build the huge can trees. At Christmas, the food is all sent to the Salvation Army, along with cash collected, to feed the hungry over the holidays. For more information, see http://www.sacrealtor.org/documents/cantree_brochure06.pdf.
If you know of some other ways we can play Santa, share them so we can all know how we can contribute.
Christmas is such a hard time for many, and this year is particularly rough. The St. Augustine Record in St. Augustine, Florida has an "Empty Stocking Fund". One can donate as little or as much as they can afford. 100 percent of all contributions are donated to those in need. Recipients are identified with the help of non-profit agencies.
Thanks for the mention,Susan. I got this on a Google Alert. :)
Susan - I am very honored that you included my freecycle post in this recap. Thank you!