5 Ways for Your Family to Give Back This Season!

The holiday season is full of joy, happiness, and giving! It is a time to come together with your friends and families and reflect on the year and enjoy quality time together. Kids are excited about the gifts they will receive and parents are excited to buy them for their little ones! In between all the holiday parties, programs at school, and family obligations, it can be hard to remember that it is also a time for our families to give back to those less fortunate. Here are some easy ways to give back to your community this season while spending some quality time with your family!

1. Visit with elderly people in your neighborhood, particularly those you don’t see often. According to the US Census Bureau, 28% of seniors aged 65 and over live alone. Many elderly report being lonely, even in group care homes Bring your elderly friends and neighbors dinner, invite them over for family game night, or even Christmas dinner.             

2.While pulling out your winter clothes for your family, set aside the things that no longer fit. You can also find other things around your home and donate them all to the Road Home! Here is a list of their current needs, and chances are you have most of these!

3. Sponsor a food drive. Go around and hang empty grocery bags on your neighbor’s doors with instructions to fill it with nonperishable food and then collect the bags in a week and take them to the food bank.

4. Make care kits for the homeless. This fun activity idea from MomAdvice is a fun way to spend a Saturday morning with your family. You can make this even cheaper by ordering in bulk from a dollar store online!

5. Donate time and money to local nonprofits! There is so much need in your own community and usually a nonprofit organization works to specifically alleviate that need. Call up and ask them if they have any immediate needs or volunteer opportunities appropriate for kids, or if they would rather a cash donation. Ask your kids if they would like to donate money from their allowance or help then run a penny war!

Do you have any ideas for giving back? What have you tried in the past? Let us know in the comments!