7 Easy Ways to Make a Big Impact When You Give Back This Holiday
One of the best parts of the holiday season is giving — not just giving gifts to friends and family, but spreading a little love and cheer around for everyone. If you want to share some of your joy with even more people, there are a lot of awesome ways to donate a bit of time or money to some very worthy causes. Here are seven of the easiest ways to make the biggest impact when giving back this year.
Direct Relief: This charity has a perfect score on the website Charity Navigator, meaning that the way it is managed, how and who it helps, and where the money you donate goes are all way above board. Direct Relief provides medical assistance to people affected by poverty and disaster in the US and around the world, and in light of all the damage caused this hurricane season, they’ve been working overtime to help those still affected in places like Puerto Rico, California, and elsewhere.
Toys for Tots: It’s not too late to make a financial donation to this huge children’s charity! Founded by the Marine Corps, Toys for Tots donates tens of thousands of toys each year, giving out more than 530 million toys to children since its founding in the 1980s.
Treats 4 Toys: If you love both Instagram and making holiday snacks, this Kellogg’s Rice Krispies fundraiser is perfect. The next time you whip up a batch of Rice Krispies treats, take a photo and upload it to Instagram with the hashtag #Treats4Toys. Kellogg’s will donate $10 to Toys for Tots for every hashtagged Treats 4 Toys post. Fast and fun, this is the perfect opportunity for the kiddies in your life to learn about the joy in giving.
Doctors Without Borders: Doctors Without Borders (also known as Médecins Sans Frontières) is a boots-on-the-ground charity working with doctors willing to travel around the world — often to some very dangerous places — in order to provide medical care to those in need. Donating to MSF helps ensure that the organization can get their volunteers anywhere they are needed and as quickly as possible.
Heifer International: This international agency is working to end world hunger, not only by helping people gain access to farming equipment and animals, but also by providing people with funding to empower them and give them opportunities to get out of poverty. Donating takes moments, and you can always donate as a gift for the person who literally has EVERYTHING.
UNHCR: The official refugee support agency of the UN, this organization works to ensure stable living conditions in refugee camps by supporting refugee rights and by continuing their mission to ensure that no person is treated unfairly for fleeing from unsafe conditions in their home country.
The Conservation Fund: Need to buy something for the environmentalist on your list? The Conservation Fund creates opportunities for Americans to design and implement new technology to help save the environment. Through work with fisheries, farmers, and scientists, the organization wants to make the country’s habitat livable for longer.
How do you give back? Tell us @BritandCo!
(photo via Getty Images)