Christmas Charity, what do you do?

[kodiakchicken]

I'm just curious what folks do as charity over the holidays, in addition to what you might regularly do.

I tend to not donate to the larger national and international organizations, instead choosing to support local groups - everything from the local sport teams to the non-profits.

During the holidays I try to do more for the kids that might need it. We always go through last year's coats and donate the ones that have been outgrown. I take my daughter to one of the stores that has the trees with ages of kids that need toys and let her pick one out. At my previous employer, we used to choose a family through one of the local support organizations and everyone would buy stuff to make a nice Christmas for them. My current employer doesn't do that, but a friend and I are going to do it together.

We don't have a lot, but I figure that even if I have to cut back, we still should try to help another child have a happy Christmas.

What do you do?

 

[debilorrah]

Because we are so broke this year, the extent of my giving comes in the form of inviting people who have no other place to go to our house for the holidays. for meals, for games, whatever. It is all we can do, but it's something.

 

[Mahonri]

Sounds like you are doing wonderful things up there in AK.

We do some similar things.

God bless you as you reach out to others.

 

[ninjapoodles]

Our office does the "angel tree" thing. Our family donates to Union Rescue Mission (an absolutely wonderful local charity that provides immediate and direct aid to those in need in our area). For our SIL's family, who has everything they could ever want, we give animal gifts through Heifer International.

 

[bheila]

I crochet hats for the homeless. It's so cold this time of the year. We don't have much money to spare and yarn is pretty cheap. Besides I love doing it.

 

[SterlingAcres]

We try to do Toys For Tots every year, along with donations to the Salvation Army.

 

[debilorrah]

You guys make me wish I could what we usually do - the Christmas boxes for Franklin Grahams charity - the name slips me right now, and giving turkeys to the church, etc. We have been hit hard this year.

 

[redhen]

I'm so glad you made this thread!!..i was just going over this with another BYC member earlier...i think the toys for tots type charities are great!...so many children have nothing to open christmas morning(and i mean NOTHING )..and one simple toy can mean all the world to them....really....so, i really hope that people step up and help....

....please and thank you, Wendy

 

[Chicken Boo]

We tend to give stuff (food, clothing, toys) instead of cash. That way we know all of our donation will be used toward its purpose. Many charities, no matter how well meaning, waste a large portion of every dollar given. I expect a certain amount of overhead, but I do not always have time to research the financial sheets of all the charities that are asking me for support to see that they are keeping their overhead low. We have already collected a few cases of vegetables for the food drives we are expecting at our jobs. We will pick up a couple of games/toys for the toy drives.

We occasionally have a poker game and invite folks to put the equivalent of their winnings in chips into the collection jar for Doctors Without Borders or the local SPCA.

 

[gritsar]

I have my favorite charities to give to during the year.
When my daughter was young we'd shop together for gifts that could be appreciated by an elderly person and then we'd visit the local nursing home and the nurses would direct us to the patients that didn't have family to visit them. We'd distribute the gifts and just visit.
She learned respect for the elderly in our society and came to look forward to the wisdom and stories of history they would share with us.