Time to Think of the Homeless and the Needy

I know this is the time of year people are in the party mode and looking forward to spending time with friends and family and all those goodies they are going to receive, but there are folks out there who don't even have a place to rest their heads at night or a blanket to cover them or a warm coat to wear. In fact, we had a tragic case here in Vancouver of a homeless man dying on the street, because he had no where to go and the shelters were all full. It makes me sick when I hear these sad stories on the news. It's hard to imagine going through such hardship day in and day out.

I am thankful for having a nice roof over my head and warm comforts. I hope we all can appreciate out lots in life and find ways to help those who are down and out.

Remember "Tis better to give, than to receive."

Amen!

This is an awesome reminder!! And don't forget that these wonderful charity organizations can use our help - whatever we can give - all year long.

Our company donates computer support time to local charities every month. When we were just starting up the business, the United Way was a great resource for finding out just how many wonderful charity organizations are operating here in our community. Some we already knew about, many there were many more that we didn't even know existed.

For people who have more money than time, they can all use some of that money!! But if you have time, there will always be an organization out there who can use your help whatever your skill sets are.

It's been such a rewarding year getting more involved in this way in my town.

OK everyone!! Time for a New Year's Resolution!!

DG

Don't forget your local food banks! Happy holidays to all.

Donations to things like "Toys for Tots" are way down.

Don't forget the "forgotten" kids -- those whose parents are on active duty and overseas, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan. The USO has a program that gives presents to active duty servicemen and women's children, especially those with National Guard or Reservist parents. Their families often make alot less money while Mom &/or Dad are on active duty. Gee, why don't the bills get less? And the kids and their families have the stress of missing a parent and fearing what could happen to their loved ones.

Another set of "forgotten" kids -- kids whose parent(s) are in jail or prison. C'mon guys - it was the parent who did the crime, but the kids also get "to do the time." There are plenty of groups and churches gathering for these kids too.

I am giving to the USO and the Reserve unit's Family Readiness Unit. Those two groups were very supportive of me and my son while he was in Iraq and now I think it is time to give back.

And, as attyfan notes, Toys for Tots gives toys to children who might get nothing for Christmas. Same thing for the Salvation Army. Let's support all these children!

I think contributions to charities this holiday will probably be down overall. There were 2 environmental and human disasters this year - the tsunami almost a year ago and the US hurricanes this Fall. A lot of people donated money toward the relief efforts and probably feel burnt out.

At work, we support the Orphan Foundation of AMerica. Our student this year has 2 children; so, we provided gifts to the entire family. I also took 3 children from the corporate United Way giving tree and donated several new toys to the Toys for Tots program. I'm going to be writing checks out for The National Kidney Foundation, National Search Dog Foundation and the general Red Cross fund to fulfill my New Year's resolution.

heyang,

I think it is a mixed bag in regards to charity giving this season. Some have noticed no difference, even after complaining earlier that they expected "donor fatigue" to hold down their receipts. Others, like food pantries, are down and hurting just when many people need their help

I have given to our local food bank.
I took my Mom to the hospital last Wed. for her Procrit and Iron IV and saw there were Toys for Tot's drop off boxes there...I'll call and make sure they are still collecting and then make sure I pick up a few things to donate when we go back again Tuesday.
I will probably also give to an animal charity or the local shelter.

Applauding the giving!!

It's great to read all these examples of how GS'ers are contributing to really worthy causes.

I realize that there are many age groups and many "stages of life" represented here. So this idea wouldn't be the best idea for everyone, but it's worked out great for me. So I just want to share in case anyone else is in a similar life stage to me.

Hubby and I are in our 40's (late 40's for me, earlier for Mr. Doggy, LOL!). We are blessed to have reached a stage in life where there is really nothing we can put on a "wish list" valued at $20 - $30 dollars for the various family get together gift exchanges. After we started our business, and got more involved in our local community, we realized full face last year that a gift of $20 or $30 (or whatever) can benefit a good charity in huge ways, more than it can possibly benefit us. (to put it rather crudely, another trinket for us that ends up in the basement, to be dealt with later).

We started this last year, and expanded it this year. When people (family / close friends) ask us "what do you want for Christmas" here is our new standard answer. "We would like you to take whatever you would have spent on our gift, and dontate that amount to a charity of your choice." This request has been met with much surprise (which I'm getting used to) and varying degrees of success.

My 17 year old niece drew my name for Mr. Doggy's family gift exchance, which happened yesterday. When my sister in law (SIL) e-mailed me a few weeks ago to ask me "what would you like" I think she was a bit shocked by my answer. I am SO THRILLED with my niece, and also my SIL for whatever help and input she provided. The "suggested gift limit" in that family exchange is $30. My niece wrote really nice letters and donated $15 to one of her neighborhood friends who is already in college. This friend is participating in a "Dance-A-Thon" in February to raise money for a Children's Cancer Research Foundation. The other $15 went to an organization that helps provide food for the homeless. AND she hand painted a really cute little jar to put these letters in, along with a couple packets of hot chocolate. It brought tears to my eyes!! So much personal thought and attention went into this gift. It would have been far easier for my niece and my SIL to snag something at the mall for $30 and stick it in a gift bag. So I was thrilled with their donations, and also with the time they obviously took to choose good charities and "package" the donation for me.

Mr. Doggy's SIL drew his name. She participates in a prisoner support program to provide support for kids who have one or both parents in prison. A 14 year old son of a prison inmate got a gift with the money SIL had budgeted for Mr. Doggy's gift. That brought more tears to my eyes. LOL, Mr. Doggy loves Twinkies, and I won't buy them for him. So this SIL packaged the donation info in a box which included twinkies. Once again, more personal thought than grabbing something in the mall would have taken, and I just love these people for truly carrying out our gift requests rather than just stuffing something easier into a gift bag.

I share this in case other people might be at a stage in life similar to me and Mr. Doggy - where the $ normally spent on us has far more impact being spent elsewhere. It's been an interesting concept to promote within the family, with very cool results. I realize this idea is not "situation appropriate" for everyone. But if there is anyone else out there with an over loaded basement like mine, where the gifts are well intended but long forgotten, I hope you find this idea to be an alternative.

Blessings to all,

DG