How to Be Charitable All Year

In a few days, the United States will be celebrating Thanksgiving. As the name implies, it is a day of giving thanks and being grateful for blessings. Many people spend the day with family and loved ones, overeating, watching college football, and preparing for monster Black Friday shopping events. With the media focused on commercialism, it is easy to forget what the day should be about. For others, they may struggle to find reasons to be thankful or may feel the beginning of dread seeping in. They may have concerns about how they will fund the holidays, or feel lonely because they are without family during this time. Some will suffer from a lack of basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter.

And here is what is odd about this time of year. A lot of emphasis will be placed on charitable giving—mostly in the form of monetary means to organizations or food donations. But the focus is placed on one or two days out of the year. Now, some would argue that it’s better than nothing, and I suppose that is true. But is charity only seasonal? Is that the only time people should care and give? And what about the people who are unable to financially give?

Years ago, I adopted a couple of practices. When my child was very small, each time we entered or exited a store with a red kettle, my daughter wanted to give. For the number of stores we would visit, sometimes, giving just $5.00 at each would total a couple hundred dollars. Multiple this by several long shopping days, and this would cost me to go broke. Even donating a dollar doing this became expensive. My daughter didn’t understand the value of money, and her heart was in the right place. I never wanted to tell her no, and I felt bad to walk past the kettles without giving. So, I came up with the idea. I determined the overall amount that I could afford and would be comfortable with donating. Then, I went to the bank and withdrew that amount in pennies, nickels, and dimes and put it in a special pouch. Yes, it made my purse heavy, but it solved my problem. Each time we passed a kettle, I would give my child change from that pouch—not a lot but just something to contribute. When I was satisfied that all of my holiday shopping was completed and I wouldn’t be returning to the stores, I would give her whatever was remaining in the pouch to put into the kettle.

The negative was that some of the volunteers frowned when they saw it was pennies and nickels—thinking that it was only fifty cents or so. However, if something is better than nothing, the rule would apply here as well. Yet, the larger picture was that the contributions were being spread across many places. It added up. Besides, donations shouldn’t, in my opinion, be judged. They are personal and not an obligation. Sometimes, my child would pick up on the frowning and ask if she’d done something wrong. Now, let me say, this wasn’t every volunteer and did not happen in every location. And I do not believe this was any reflection on the parent organization. As with anything, anytime numerous people are involved, there’s bound to be a bad apple or two or a few mishaps. It happens. I do not believe this is an excuse not to donate; although I will admit, at the time, it left a sour taste in my mouth.

Years later, for safety reasons, I stopped carrying cash during the holiday season. It is my understanding now that in some locations the red kettles have the option of using a debit or credit card, and I’ve heard mixed reviews about this practice. But it was my not having cash that caused me to reconsider how to give. See, I’m one of those people who will say I’ll make an online donation and will have good intentions to do so. However, to be honest, unless I’m sitting at a computer at the time I say it, I’m prone to forget. Even writing it down doesn’t increase my odds because I can be a procrastinator. It’s easy for me to think, “Oh, I’ll do it later,” only to have it slip my mind again.

As I began to contemplate this issue, it began to spiral. How should I give? When should I give? To whom should I give? There are so many worthy causes, but money doesn’t grow on trees, especially not in this economy where financial trees seem to be chopped down faster than planted. That’s when a friend reminded me that not all donations must be cash. Together we developed a plan to optimize our charitable contribution year around. Here’s how.

Cleaning. Spring and fall cleaning or switching out closets are something that many people do. It’s a perfect time to donate clothes that no longer fit or you know will not be worn again.More cleaning. Spring and fall cleaning often are massive projects to undertake and that may require several days and that is only performed once or twice a year. However, donation cleanings can happen on a much smaller scale more frequently. For example, my makeup case had become cluttered. Over time, I found that I had collected many sample cosmetics that I was not going to use for one reason or another. However, I didn’t want to trash them because they were new. I decided to pack up all the samples and unused products and donated them to a women’s shelter. A colleague decided to clean out her “junk drawers.” In it, she found stationery and crafting materials she would not use. She donated those items to an afterschool program.Car bags. I heard about this years ago, and it’s an easy and inexpensive way to be charitable. It involves filling a plastic gallon food bag with necessities and keeping it in your car for convenience when you see someone in need. There are a couple of elements to this that make this work. First, if they’re kept in the car (can be glove compartment, floorboard, trunk, etc.), they’re likely to be handy when needed. Second, using gallon food storage bags is a good idea because they can be sealed to keep items from falling out, keep items dry and clean, has ample room for storage, easily can see what they contain, and can be reused. Items placed in the bags can be whatever the maker wants, however, common items are hygiene items (e.g., toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, comb, razor, soap, feminine hygiene products, shaving cream, socks, etc.). The bags can be customized for males and females and can be purchased from the dollar store. A friend indicated for $20.00, she is able to make four bags, but she frequently doesn’t give away that many in a month. Therefore, she has a good supply at hand.Socks. Years ago, I learned the benefits of donating socks. Not only do they help keep the feet warm and dry, but changing socks regularly is good for foot health—something that I never considered since it’s a practice that I’ve taken for granted. But when an unhoused person has extra socks, they frequently used them for other things such as mittens, grasping hot items, or even towels. Purchasing the largest size increase the number of people who can use it. (It’s better to have too large than too small.) Socks are an item that can be purchased from the dollar store; thus, they don’t have to break the bank.Community food refrigerators. I don’t know how widespread this concept is, but community refrigerators are precisely what they sound like. These are public refrigerators located around towns that people can stock with food items for people in need. The best part about these is since they are located in multiple areas, more people have access to them. There usually aren’t long lines of people waiting to get items, giving people more choices. The cons are that it doesn’t limit or regulate how much a person can take. So, one person may take everything. If the refrigerator isn’t in a location where it’s needed, food may spoil. There’s an upkeep/ maintenance cost to the community. For this reason, some communities also have or use community cupboards instead. These cupboards stock dry goods and non-perishable food items. Community refrigerators and cupboards can make donating easier as donations can be made at any time on any day, have multiple locations for drop off, and don’t restrict what can be donated.Time. Many years ago, my church offered free babysitting on Black Friday to allow parents time to shop. They also offered this service on Valentine’s Day to afford parents a date night. Members of the church (mostly the youth groups with some adult parishioners supervising) volunteered to make this happen. Initially, these events were only extended to parishioners. It was later expanded to the community. Additionally, free babysitting was offered the day before Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve, and any day that a known job fair was known to be scheduled. With job fairs came an extra service. Parishioners brought their laptops to the church’s recreational area and helped anyone who asked to either create, update, or improve their resumes. During the summer, free lawn mowing and clean-up services were offered to elderly people on fixed incomes. And there were many other activities created to help the community. Very few of them involved money. What they required was people volunteering their time and expertise.Blood banks. Donating blood can save a life. Enough said. Supporting tent cities. The argument against tent cities is that they are unsafe. Possibly a better explanation would be that they are unsightly and a reminder to city officials that there are constituents who are suffering. A huge misconception of persons who are unhoused is that they are all lazy, substance addicts, or choose it. Yes, this does comprise a portion of the population. But the population also includes persons who are mentally ill, veterans, children, and persons who have fallen on hard times. These people need a place to go. A colleague relayed his experience with the unhoused person’s problem.

Due to traveling for his job, he’s a regular at many hotels. As he was checking in and chatting with the receptionist, a man entered and asked to use the phone. “Initially, I didn’t pay attention to the man other than a brief glance. The receptionist was showing me photos of her granddaughter’s birthday party, and I was occupied with that. However, when her demeanor immediately changed, this drew my attention to the man. Other than his slightly disheveled hair and untidy scruff, I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. I often look rumpled and slovenly and with heavy bags under my eyes. I know I enter hotels not looking my best. after traveling for hours, too. However, the clerks always treat me respectably. On this occasion, this very soft-spoken kind woman who I’d only seen smile was suddenly transformed in front of me. An edge entered her voice. Deep frown lines etched her face, and she wasn’t at all friendly. Gruffly, she asked him what phone number he wanted to call. Instead of handing him the phone, she dialed the number he told her and then handed it to him. Whoever he called didn’t answer, and he dialed another number. I saw the receptionist’s eyes narrow. Since it was the hotel business phone, outgoing calls required obtaining an outside line. So, when he dialed the next number, another hotel line rang. The receptionist firmly told him to return the phone. There were a few other words exchanged which I don’t remember, but the man left. The receptionist looked back at me, and her smile returned. She apologized, but I didn’t understand why. She explained that she usually wasn’t ‘that way,’ but that the man had lied about why he wanted to use the phone. I can’t quote verbatim what transpired between the two of them because, as I said, initially, I wasn’t paying attention. I heard him asked to use the phone and tuned out as it wasn’t my business. The clerk continued that she had to be rough because he and other unhoused persons would frequently sleep in the hotel breezeway (sometimes smoking marijuana) and that this unnerved some hotel customers. She also informed me that he would leave a mess of cigarette butts and food wrappers that hotel staff would have to clean. I do recall that the man was wearing a t-shirt and cargo shorts—nothing unusual for that time of year. But the first cold front had swung through, and the temperatures were beginning to drop at night to what much of the nation would call pleasant but what southerners would consider chilly and cold. The reason I recall this is because the receptionist said, ‘He wants someone to come pick his butt up because it’s getting cold out.’ I felt a dilemma. The idea of someone sleeping in the cold disturbed me. My spirit told me to go after the man and pay for him a room for the night. However, the face and reaction of the receptionist made me think that there was a much deeper story. I didn’t know this man. If I rented him a room, it may have caused problems for the receptionist. What if he destroyed it, brought in friends, used drugs, etc.? I was familiar enough with the town to know that the one shelter in the community was miles away and, by that time of night, likely full. The issue became apparent. If he had no welcoming place, his choices were limited to staying in unwelcomed ones.”

In summary, there are plenty of ways that a person can be charitable during the entire year even if he/she does not have money to donate. Charity isn’t something that is limited or restricted to one or two designated days. People in need often have those needs for a lot longer. Helping a little can actually be helping a lot.

And that wraps up all I have to say. What did you think? What is your take on the subject? Do you agree or disagree? Did you find this information helpful or informative? Did you learn anything new, or did it change your opinion? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section. Also, let me know if you would like me to cover more of these types of topics or dive deeper into this one. If you like this post, please click the like button and share it. Your feedback allows me to know the content that you want to read. If you’re not following me on Creole Bayou blog, what are you waiting for? There’s always room at the bayou.

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When a college hockey player needs the help of an attractive older attorney, he gets more than he bargained for when trying to sort out the troubles in his career. Falling in love was never part of either man’s plan, especially as Corrigan’s and Sacha’s lives should never have collided. Now they’re left questioning if they’re standing in the way of the other’s future goals, or if there’s room for redirection.

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