How to Give Back to Your Community | Photo by Grace Ramsdell | Edited by Kayli Thompson | The Wright State Guardian
The holiday season is a great time to give back to your community and spread kindness. Although things might look different this year, there are still great ways to give back to others.
Volunteer at a food bank / donate food
One way to give back to your community this holiday season is volunteering at a local food bank. Spending an evening at a food bank can help so many people get a hot meal this winter and is a way to spread kindness.
If you don’t feel comfortable volunteering this year because of the coronavirus, another option is to donate food to local food banks or food drives. Make sure to find out what the drives and food banks are in need of and what types of food they do not or cannot take.
Donate clothing
If you go through your closet this winter break and end up with a pile of clothes to get rid of, donate them to a local shelter or clothing drive instead of throwing them out. As with food, make sure to call shelters or look at their websites to find out what type of clothing they are in need of and what they will not take. Most shelters won’t take clothing with holes or large stains, but every place is different.
Donate blood
Although more restrictions have been put in place for donating blood because of the coronavirus, blood donations are still essential for saving lives. The American Red Cross is testing all blood donations for antibodies that could potentially save someone currently sick with the coronavirus, so if you have had the coronavirus and have fully recovered, then donating blood could be a huge way to give back to others this year.
Write letters to nursing homes
Before the coronavirus, volunteering at a nursing home was a great way to spread happiness and cheer. However, that is not the safest option this year. Instead of volunteering, write letters to nursing homes to continue that human connection while keeping everyone safe.
Random Acts of Kindness
Giving back to the community doesn’t have to be something big and elaborate. Doing something nice for your neighbor, roommate, sibling, friend or parent not only brightens their day, but can cause a ripple effect where they then do something nice for someone else and so on.
Maybe cook dinner for your roommate, check in on your neighbor the next time you see them outside, or simply just give a heartfelt compliment. Giving back to others can be as simple as a smile.
