Do you ever feel like you don’t have the means to donate to make a difference in someone’s life? I often felt that the size of my wallet was a hurdle to the type of giving that I imagined that I could do in my adulthood. When financial times were particularly difficult for our family, I always envisioned the day that would come when I could give more to worthy organizations.
In the last few years though, I began to realize that there are so many more ways to give than I ever imagined possible. I refer to this giving in my house as my, “scraps of life giving.” There are so many things that I have within my possession and that I can do with the limited talents and budget that I possess that the possibilities for good old-fashioned giving are endless.
Today I wanted to share with you a few, “scraps of life giving,” opportunities that you just might not be aware exist! Within this list, I am confident you can find a few opportunities for giving a few scraps from your life to a worthy organization.
Clean Out Those Couch Cushions & Pockets- Do you have a spare change jar in your house that has been gathering dust? Rather than saving it for something for yourself, consider taking that donation to a worthy organization instead. Ronald McDonald House Charities is just one great example of where your change could be put to good use. While you are visiting the drive through for your next dollar soda (one of my own favorite inexpensive indulgences), consider dropping your change off in the boxes at your local McDonald’s and know that your change is being put to great use.
While that little bit of change may not seem to really make a big difference, the organization collected over $20 million dollars in spare change last year. That change goes to helping keep families together by providing shelter for them while their child is being cared for at a nearby hospital. Just think of that impact you are making on a child and family’s life with that simple gesture of donating your change!
PS- RHMC’s Day of Change is happening on September 9th! Plan to take your change to your local McDonald’s & RSVP for the event here!
Call Up a Cell Phone Donation- The rapid rate that families go through cell phones these days is quite amazing! With most cell phone plans now, the opportunities to upgrade come around every couple of years. The dilemma of what to do with those old, outdated cell phones is no longer a problem now that organizations like CellPhonesForSoldiers.com are around. Visit the website to find a place to drop off those gently used cell phones to the cause.
Cell Phones for Soldiers will recycle the cell phones, and use the proceeds to provide pre-paid calling cards and cell phones to troops serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Just imagine that you can give a child or spouse the opportunity to hear from their loved one with something that was just taking up space in your house. How beautiful is that?
See Any Worthy Donations In Your House?- The cost for eyeglasses is astronomical when you don’t have an insurance plan that covers them. For lower income families, a pair of glasses can be the equivalent of a week’s salary or more, and is a cost that most just can’t afford. Consider taking your gently used glasses to a local Goodwill, Lion’s Club, or to LensCrafters and donating them to the worthy cause of helping those who need them.
Think of that child who is struggling in school because his family can’t afford a pair of glasses for him and think of that pair of glasses that are gathering dust in an old drawer in your house that could be benefiting him. It seems like a win-win situation to share the gift of sight with someone else.
Craft Your Way to Giving- Do you have the gift of crafting in your possession? You may not realize how valuable that talent is, but it can make the difference in the life of a child, a soldier, or someone who is undergoing treatment for an illness. A quick Google search of your craft skill and the word charity should pull up a number of worthy organization that you can give to.
I am a knitter and am currently working on knitting caps for a chemo drive through an organization. It is something that I can easily do while watching a little evening television with supplies that I already have on hand, but can make the difference in the life of a patient undergoing chemotherapy. I have found though that knitting has been a fantastic gift to share in so many ways and I always try to keep one charitable giving project on my needles at all times. Whether it is whipping up a cap for a chemo patient, donating a blanket to a project like Project Linus, or knitting a prayer shawl for someone who could benefit from this comfort, I am so proud I can use my talents for someone else.
Consider donating your crafting talents to a local homeless shelter, teaching a craft to underprivileged children, or just creating crafts in your spare time that could make someone’s day a tiny bit brighter. The possibilities with the gift of crafting truly are endless!
Whittle Down Your Shoe Collection Charitably- I will admit that I have a bit of a shoe purchasing habit and have developed quite a shoe collection over the years. The good news is that your old shoes do not need to go to waste because of a worthy organization called Soles4Souls.
Soles4Souls is a Nashville-based charity that collects shoes from the warehouses of footwear companies and the closets of people just like you. The charity distributes these shoes free of charge to people in need and has donated over 10 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes. These shoes have been distributed to people in over 125 countries, including Kenya, Thailand, Nepal and the United States.
In our town, the local New Balance offers a drop-off location for the organization which makes donating just as easy as all of the errand-running that you are already doing. Consider weeding through your shoe collections and giving to someone who doesn’t have the creature comfort of a good pair of shoes.
As you can see, the possibilities for giving are endless without really spending a dime. Of course, the best gift you could ever give to any organization is the gift of yourself. Read to a child, mentor a child, serve at your homeless shelter, visit a nursing home, or help at an animal rescue shelter… these are just to name a few! For oodles of volunteer opportunities, please visit VolunteerMatch.org to find a worthy organization to donate your time and talent to.
Not enough giving opportunities here? Here are 5 more easy giving ideas!
5 Surprising Things You Could Be Giving Today
- Soda Can Tabs- Collect these for a metal donation to Ronald McDonald House charities.
- Expired Coupons- Military families can use expired coupons for groceries.
- Books- Better World Books can take your old books, pay you, and the books that are sold create a donation to literacy programs.
- Old Cars- Goodwill will happily take your old clunker off of your hands.
- Diapers- Give your diapers to the diaper bank charity in your town to benefit needy families. If you are a Michiana resident, call 237-7888 and leave contact information to arrange for a donation drop off in our town.
What are your favorite scraps of life giving opportunities for your family? I would love to hear the giving opportunities that your family takes part in!
Great ideas! Your knitted caps are beautiful & the very idea brings tears to my eyes. So sweet. I do NOT knit so I am in awe of your talent’o)
Just wanted to add my own idea: Box Tops for Education and Campbell’s Soup Labels are collected and wanted by most schools. We collect them to earn money for school equipment. Can’t get much easier than clipping labels…even the kids can help. Both organizations are easily found online if you need info. Wasn’t sure you wanted me posting links.
Bren
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
August 24th, 2010 at 6:58 am
Oh, thank you so much, Bren. That has been my summer project and I am working on a few for a few special people in my life too that are in need. Thank you also for sharing about Box Tops for Education. I was hoping someone would mention that- such a great resource for schools and churches. Thank you so much for your comment this morning!
[Reply]
Amy, these are great ideas! I will be doing several of these now, thanks to your suggestions.
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
August 24th, 2010 at 7:02 am
That really warms my heart- thank you, Christi! There are so many opportunities for giving and I am planning to tackle a few of these myself now that the kids are back to school and I am beginning to reorganize the house again. Thank you so much for your comment this morning- you made my day!
[Reply]
Awesome! We just did a shoe drive in our neighborhood and collected 293 pairs for people in Haiti. It was amazing. There is SO much we can do–with so little. Wanna see? http://impressyourkids.org/shoes2share-update/
Another thing is most of the companies where you collect points (Pampers, Tropicana, etc.) will let you donate to selected charities.
Love this post!
a
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
August 24th, 2010 at 7:14 am
Thanks so much for the reminder about customer loyalty/point programs. I have become a super fan of the Glad to Give program too since working with the company. With back-to-school season, so many programs you can enter UPC codes into on those school supplies and give back to a worthy cause. Congrats on your shoe drive- way to go!!!!
[Reply]
Such a wonderful list! I’ve been crocheting hats for years now and I make them extra teeny tiny for the very earliest preemies… when my daughter was born, even the preemie hats were way too big! I always try to recruit more people to make extra tiny hats!
I can’t reiterate enough what you’ve said about the Ronald McDonald House charities. When our little girl arrived so early, we spent 100 nights in a RMH. We were so blessed by them. I wrote more about the pop tab program here:http://parentingthetiniestofmiracles.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-years-commitment-pop-tabs.html Not trying to push my link- just offering a little more info if anyone needs it! Thank you so much for compiling this list and reminding us all that giving doesn’t have to take a ton of cash or even time.
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
August 24th, 2010 at 8:39 am
JessieLeigh- I feel the same way about RMHC. They have made such a positive impact on our family. My nephew has had numerous surgeries and the RMHC has provided affordable shelter for my sister’s family so they can be together during his surgeries. I love the idea of creating preemie hats too! Knitting and crocheting are one of those gifts that I am SO thankful that I can use for others and there are so many things that can be created for charitable organizations! Thank you so much for sharing your story and the link to the soda can tabs. Those little things are the ones that really can add up for charity! Thanks again!
[Reply]
Lauren Reply:
August 24th, 2010 at 11:26 am
Hi Jessie Leigh (and Amy) – can’t thank you enough for supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities in these very special ways. Like Amy said, those pop tabs often make a really big difference for our Ronald McDonald Houses!! Can’t stress enough how every little bit adds up to make a big difference at RMHC. We couldn’t do it without an army of supporters – thank you!!!
[Reply]
Terrific Post! I know of 2 other painless way to give:
1. you can list your blog at YouSayToo,
it will earn there and that money can be donated – i donate to end hunger.
2. click to donate – Care2.com has a list
and http://www.clicktogive.com
*if you are bloggers, you can add badges to your blog and generate lots of clicks!
Thank you for this wonderful article!
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
August 24th, 2010 at 8:56 am
Thanks so much for sharing these easy ideas, Kathy! I really appreciate your comment this morning!
[Reply]
Great post, Amy. We are a missionary family and I can tell you from experience that if you just write a personal note to someone, it says a lot. We need donations for our ministry, yes, but we really desire to have real connections with real people.
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
August 24th, 2010 at 8:56 am
The written word has become something so sacred since we don’t do it anymore. I couldn’t agree more with you and that is another free and generous way to give. Thanks for that reminder, Ali!
[Reply]
My favorite charity, TRUEAfrica,org, has a great idea for donating–garage sales. Collect items from friends and hold a garage sale to benefit the charity of your choice. I was able to raise $500 with two days of garage sales with items from people in my neighborhood and church.
~Melissa
http://www.squeakycleanreads.com
[Reply]
Beautiful knitting work Amy! Thank you for this excellent list. Besides our church work, our boys send letters to service men and women, collect box tops, and I assign each child the task of choosing an item for the Food Bank every time we go grocery shopping. This way I don’t forget to get that donation made!
But also it is a way for them to feel involved.
[Reply]
I’ve been crocheting washcloths for Joy In Haiti, a charity that goes to visit Haitians and leaves them with a little kit of personal care items—I also collect freebies and travels sizes to put in the kits!
Hand-me-down baby clothes can go to a local pregnancy resources center or domestic shelter (domestic violence shelters could use kids’ items and household items too).
I like to shop for freebies. I try to pick up at least one or two extra items for almost nothing (or free) and we donate the excess to local food pantries and charities like Teen Challenge. If you shop smart, you can actually donate a lot without spending a dime–a win on all sides.
Soldiers would love cards to send home too. If you are a paper crafter, consider gathering cards to send (blank) to soldiers overseas–they don’t have instant access to Hallmark.
Or for that matter, there are a lot of lonely vets and elderly in hospitals and care centers. Make some and deliver to cheer someone’s day and extend some hope.
[Reply]
Great post Amy! Another way to support RMHC is to provide a meal for the families that are staying there. Those families have so much on their minds that a home cooked meal is so welcome. My sister and I along with 3 other friends have done this twice. You provide a meal for approx 20 to 30 people. We have done a Mexican fiesta with all of the fixings and also a chili and cornbread meal. We also provided drinks, dessert, and paper goods. It was wonderful to be able to meet some of the families and interact with them. I would suggest however, to do this on a week day as many families go home over the weekend and many patients are discharged on Friday’s so sometimes there are not that many around on Saturday’s or Sunday’s.
We have 3 members in my family that wear glasses and I always donate them to our eye care provider’s office who then takes them to the local Lions Club.
Again, wonderful post on how little it actually can cost to make a difference in someones life!
[Reply]
I follow some “Freebie” websites. If it’s stuff that I can’t use, I can donate it to a food bank or a shelter. Same with contest winnings (although you have to be careful of tax implications).
I saw above someone mentioned Freebie groceries. It takes more planning (and sometimes driving) to match coupons with sales to get freebies like this, but these can also add up to donations.
One other way to contribute is the “click daily” websites. freekibblekat.com, thebreastcancersite.com, theanimalrescuesite,com, etc.
Sending expired coupons to military families can be tricky. I tried it for a while, but you never really know what they have available to them brandwise. You also have to do customs paperwork for overseas locations.
[Reply]
Amber Jackson Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 7:48 pm
There are some collection points stateside that you can send the military coupons to, and they will take care of customs for you so you don’t have to.
[Reply]
I donate all the samples of shampoo and such to a local shelter, they use them for their clients so they are single use and sanitary. I also have managed to take most of the free items I am able to get each week to food banks and shelters to help stock their shelves.
Another wonderful program I found through our church is making dresses out of pillowcases for children in underprivlidged areas. I don’t have a link, but if you google you can find a place to donate your old pillow cases or a pattern to learn to make yourself.
We have also collected colored plastic bags (like the kind your newspaper comes in) and sent them to a village where the women are making purses to sell. Again, don’t have contact info, but can google for more info.
The Coca-cola rewards program (from lids and boxes) will donate your rewards to an organization. We have ours going to our local police survivors fund. You can find local or national organizations they support.
So many more ideas, but these are a few that are unique and different.
[Reply]
What I like is that you give several ideas. Just give in any way you can, whenever you can to whomever you can. We all have extra something. I have always donated my old cars to Goodwill or Purple Heart. Clothing to Goodwill. My time to some local AIDS charities as a volunteer. Books to my local library for book sales or to friends to keep the idea of eco-friendliness going. I always ask that a friend pay a favor forward and usually it is doing something for a stranger or a charity.
[Reply]
Check to see if your favorite charity participates in a gift card program with your grocery store! I donate by loading my grocery money onto the gift card at the beginning of each month. It makes it easy for me to keep track of how much I have left and stay on budget, and my charity automatically gets a percentage of what I put on the card.
[Reply]
I just donate whatever change we have leftover when eating at McDonald’s or Wendy’s (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption). That adds up to quite a bit with the amount of times we’ve been there!
[Reply]
Thank you so much for the chemo beanies. I live in another area, but I was the beneficiary of beanies made by a generous soul like you when I was going thru chemotherapy. I loved them so much especially since I lost my hair in winter between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I also have a child who was in the local children’s hospital who got a blanket that was made by a local church group that he kept into his 20′s. Thank all of you who make these small, but so very important donations!!! They do make a difference in many lives!!!!
[Reply]
Don’t forget local nursing homes & veterans centers. These residents are usually elderly & some have no family. Get a few friends together & host the monthly birthday party. Just call the activity director & she will tell you if there is any dietary restrictions. Bake a cake & bring a few bottles of soda & put a smile on someone’s face. We went to a local dollar store & got paper hats & balloons. Everyone wanted a balloon tied to their wheelchair. They were all so cute. All you moms have plenty of party experience & you won’t have to send out invitations.
[Reply]
Amy,
Thank you so much for promoting our cause! It’s because of people like you, who spread the word about the problem we’re trying to solve, that we are able to distribute a pair of shoes every 7 seconds! I also wanted to let you know about our newest division, Clothes4Souls. We’re partnering with several fashion stores to offer discounts for people who bring in gently worn jeans. (www.clothes4souls.org)
Thanks again, Amy!
Jeremy, S4S staff
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
August 25th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
It is an honor and thank you for all that you are doing for those who have a need that is so basic as clothes and shoes. Blessings to you on the work you are doing and thank you for your comment, Jeremy!
[Reply]
Here is another for you and we are working towards it: Donate your hair to http://www.locksoflove.org/. Madeline’s hair is so long, really too long for a 3 year old and it is full of beautiful curls. When it’s wet it stretches almost down to the top of her pants. Once it grows a few more inches we are going to cut it and donate 10 inches for another little girl to enjoy. We are waiting a couple more months so she can have hair hit just above her shoulders after the cut. It is thick and curly so I still need to be able to pull it into a ponytail to keep it out of her face.
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
August 26th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
That is another wonderful way to give, Katie! We did that with Miss Emily’s hair and are growing it out for a round two donation. Thank you so much for reminding me of that charity!
[Reply]
My son loves to put pennies and nickels into the Ronald McDonald House containers on the counters of McDonald’s.
Someone else already mentioned this, but one of my easy/cheap ways to give is through Care2.com, via Click to Give. I also click every charity link at http://www.theliteracysite.com, etc.
Every few weeks two charities drive by to pick up donations, so I often try to gather up things we have outgrown (in whatever way, not just clothes) to them. One is ARC, the other is a shelter for abused women and children.
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
August 26th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Great ideas, Teresa! Thank you so much for sharing these!
[Reply]
How about giving blood? It costs nothing but about 1 hour of your time
[Reply]
Found another! Read books online at We Give Books: http://www.wegivebooks.org/dashboard, and they will donate a book (one book per book that you read) to a charity of your choice. Best of all, membership is FREE. I’ve already read 5 books this morning. They are children’s books so it is a fun way to read with your children, too! (I’m reading the baby books right now while my son is in school, lol, and will read the older books with him later). There are some really cute books here!
Literacy is something I really really believe in and it saddens me to think of people who are unable to read in this world. I should do more with regards to volunteering and such but I’m happy that I’m able to help the way I have been so far.
[Reply]
Pingback: Fave Links
Pingback: Best Money Tips: 7 Worthless Excuses for Not Saving « Finance Blog
Pingback: Budget Boot Camp Week 12: Donate
Pingback: The Summer of Knitted Hats | The Motherload
Pingback: Scraps of Life | Home & Family | Kenmore - That's Genius
I do a ton of searching, so I use http://www.goodsearch.com . You type in your charity (there are tons to choose from!), I choose my children’s school, it will save it so you don’t have to retype it every time. Then search away. Goodsearch gives a penny for every search. I also have it in my toolbar for easy access.
[Reply]
Pingback: Top Money Tips: Painless Ways to Give Back and Money Saving Tips for Apartment-Dwellers « Quizzle Wire
Pingback: The Motherload » Revealed: 30 Day Cut the Clutter Challenge Results
If you are handy with knitting/crochet, there are also organizations that take baby blankets and give them to military/military spouses. I received one for my daughter when I was pregnant and still in the Marine Corps. She is turning 4 now, but she still carries it around!
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
December 14th, 2011 at 9:38 am
Thanks so much for the ideas for the military families, Amber! I really appreciate it!
[Reply]
hello there Amy i wish that I could knit but i can’t right now I am in the need of help really bad & can’t find anyone at all to help me because i am disabled and no money there is not one person that will help me i have a spinal cord injury and i really do freeze in my home every winter i have been robbed 6 times while my daddy was on his death bed diying . when I came home I found that i now have to replace all 9 windows in my home I need help really bad ! I don’t have anyone at all to help me with anything what so ever I worked hard for my home and it was new when i bought it with all of the money that i had to my name I went into debt in 2001 to try to really protect my disabled veteran father to have a save place to live and he needed me to take care of him . I miss my daddy and I love him very much ! he can’t help me and I can’t help him anymore he is not here with me as you can tell above . I am scared to lose my only home to live in and I am scared that I will not wake up again because I freeze in my home please is there anyway that you can get me any kind of help pertty please thank you also I am trying to sell everything that I do own to try to get some money to be able to get someone to help me by putting installion in my walls and house borad on out side of the house then house wrap around the house to keep it warm in the house then the siding goes back on ; I need help please someone in the state of Indiana help me please i need help i have no way to pay any kind of money for the help that i need . I am begging you for help pertty please help me . thank you kindly. Also Amy I would like to learn how to knit ; but my hands i don’t think will let me do it ; I would like to learn how to crch. also . thank you for your time you can email me back if you would like to do so you have it above so let me know thank you kindly
[Reply]
Pingback: How to Knit Great Chemo Caps For Charity | The Motherload
Thanks for sharing the information; by the way I am a management student and trying to gather information about Jason Halek for my internal project. Jason Halek was only 10 years old when he started working small jobs in his community. With an outstanding work ethic, when he was 12 year old, he established a soft drink machine at his father’s office building; it was just the beginning of an entrepreneurial journey. Today Jason Halek is best known as an entrepreneur. He is philanthropist & established Halek Charities to help poor children. We need people like him.
[Reply]
Wonderful post! I did (look|percieve) at it the same way you did.
[Reply]
Pingback: Homemade Pumpkin Pie | The Motherload
Pingback: How to Make a Homeless Care Package (Free Printable Supplies List) | The Motherload
Pingback: Great Family Traditions to Celebrate the Holidays in a MEANINGFUL Way | The Motherload
Pingback: NerdKnow » Bows and arrows, heat maps and other things