If you’ve ever wanted to make a difference in your community, donating can be a great idea. Instead of donating money, those in need can benefit from receiving other items too. Consider donating one or more of these seven items.
Canned/Other Foods
To obtain a healthy meal, disadvantaged people often rely on food banks. For example, some non-perishable foods to donate include brown rice, canned beans, rolled oats, and peanut butter, among others. Besides this, it’s important not to donate expired food. If you aren’t able to donate food, you can donate your time to food banks. You can help put bags of food together for those in need and even deliver them to their house.
Gently Used Clothing
If you’re one of the many people who have clothes you rarely or never wear lying around, you might want to do a good deed and donate them. One non-profit to donate to that provides generally affordable clothing and job training is Goodwill. Other places are foster care programs, churches, schools, homeless shelters, and others. Look into local organizations near you to see who might be in the most need of clothing.
Personal Hygiene Items
One problem needy people can have is finding a place to shower and clean up. This means they likely need essential items such as floss, toothpaste, towels, razors, deodorant, and more. After they’ve taken care of hygiene, they may even have a better chance of getting a job.
New Toys
Kids need toys to help them be healthy, happy, and imaginative. Further, toys are often used to cheer up children in emergency situations. You can donate some to a hospital, daycare center, charity, or another place in your community. If you have the time and like to sew or craft, you can also make blankets for babies or kids in need. Foster organizations will appreciate having comfort items like blankets and stuffed animals to give the children.
Quality Furniture
Rather than allow unused furniture to go to waste, you can create extra space in your home and eliminate frustration by donating it. After all, your trash can be appreciated by someone else. Some organizations to consider giving your furniture to are The Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, homeless shelters, and others. There may also be refugee organizations that help those who have fled unsafe living conditions. They will be looking for places to live and furniture for their new home.
Cars
Making a car donation for veteran charity can give you a way to get rid of a car that may be taking up extra space. And you can get it towed for free. This is a significant way to help out those in your community who may never have the option to own a car otherwise. You can also donate your old car parts. These can be salvaged for money to donate to charities in need.
Your Time
One way to be selfless can be to give your time by volunteering. For instance, you can mentor a child, build a home, or serve seniors, among others. In fact, you can create meaningful memories to look back on. There are likely many nonprofit organizations in your own city that you can donate your time to. Do some research to find an organization that resonates with your values.
In conclusion, making donations can help someone in need. Indeed, showing kindness when many people probably wouldn’t care can also make you feel like a better person. Not only can a needy person or pet benefit from your donation, but you and your community can too.
