Tis The Season to Give Back

This holiday make the season a little brighter for others. Giving back is a great thing to do all year round, but the holidays tend to bring out the charitable side in most people.

Try some of these ideas with your family and make a difference this holiday season.

•    Donate to a charitable organization

•    Volunteer at a local homeless shelter, nursing home or hospital

•    Invite an elderly neighbor or someone who lives alone to join your celebration

•    Deliver a meal to a family in need

•    Write a thoughtful note to someone special

•    Bring your host a small gift to show your appreciation and offer to help clean up

•    Donate clothes you’ve outgrown

•    Donate food to a local charity or food bank

•    Volunteer at a soup kitchen

•    Send a care package to a soldier

•    Visit hospital patients

•    Foster a dog or cat

•    Adopt an endangered animal through a zoo

•    Shovel snow for a neighbor

•    Help pick up trash at a local park

•    Join a church or school group that does community service projects

Visit the Holiday Project to get more ideas about volunteering. The site suggests wrapping presents the day before the visit and going with a group. If you don’t know of a local volunteer organization that is planning holiday visits, start your own group. Some community organizations need extra help over the holidays. Check with Volunteer Match and SERVEnet to find charities in your neighborhood that need holiday volunteers.

Share your stories with how you plan to give back this season! Tell us below in our comment section!