Ten ways to give this Christmas season

I hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season.  We’ve had a lot of unexpected things happen, so I’m getting a slow start.  I had to remind myself that the true meaning of Christmas is about giving.  Here are some ideas to help you get in the giving spirit. 

1 www.smallcanbebig.org is an organization that allows you to give to families in the northeastern U.S. that have been turned down by social service agencies because they make slightly too much money, but are very close to poverty.

2  www.givinganon.org sends an anonymous check on your behalf to someone you know who hasn’t been able to find a job but may be too embarrassed to ask.  I thought this was a great idea!

3  www.samaritanspurse.org If you forgot to fill a shoe box this year you can still help fill one online.  Lots of children in struggling countries have benefited from this over the years. You can also order anything from a soccer ball to life saving food for people who are hurting around the world.  Last year I bought meals for children in school and had it given in honor of my parents.  It’s a great gift for the people in your life who have everything.

4  www.toysfortots.org/donate/toys.asp  Most people are familiar with this organization.  Go to the website to find a collection spot near you.

5  www.soldierssecretsanta.org gives Toys R Us gift cards to families of deployed soldiers.  Donate what you can.

6  www.hearts4heartsgirls.com  gives an international doll to a child.  The cost is $30.  Each doll represents a girl from one of six developing countries.  $2 will be given to the nonprofit World Vision to educate girls in your doll’s country.

7  www.secondchancetoys.org cleans and redistributes plastic toys that are still in great shape to children in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois.

8  www.worldvision.com has everything from a goat to a mosquito net that you can purchase for hurting familes.

9  www.pajamaprogram.org/pjdrive is an organization that gives pajamas to homeless shelters.  You can throw a pajama party by asking each guest to bring a pair of pjs .  There are 79 chapters nationwide.

10  www.punjammies.com  makes pajamas created in an after-care facility for women in India who have been rescued, released, or escaped from a life of forced prostitution.  Each woman is taken to a center where she can learn a marketable skill and become part of a viable business.  Every purchase creates a fair trade wage, financial support for holistic care, and a chance for more women to enter the after-care center.  They are $35.

 I hope this gives you some ideas on how to share the season with those less fortunate.  Check the post
100 more ways to make a difference throughout the year.  The author of this site also started the Mercy House which helps hurting pregnant girls in Africa.