Today as I was writing and I felt the need to give some suggestions for ways to serve your fellow man during the holidays. I hope you will read this and get some ideas that you can use for service.
I believe that giving to individuals is much more fun than giving to organizations but if you have fully checked out the organization it can be a really great thing to give to nonprofit organizations too. Here are some suggestions that I would like to make; A poor college student may need travel money to get home for the holidays, a new or reused computer, books for the next semester, a small gift card to purchase small gifts for his or her family members (when I was in college 60 years ago a couple at church gave me money to go to the book store and buy some gifts for my family), quarters for the laundry at college, etc. The homeless all need caps, socks, food, gloves, shoes, thermal underwear, soap, shaving supplies, etc. The elderly need home repairs, heating bills paid, a tank of gas for their vehicle, a gift certificate to a restaurant, if you live in the city, bus tokens or subway tickets are great gifts for the homeless and the elderly. Find a family with an old car, pay for their gas tank fill up at the service station. As you walk out of the restaurant, look at the customers, pick a family or an old couple and pay for their meal. If you go to the utility company, pay for someones utilities then send them the receipt. See if your grocery or supermarket will let you come at the end of the day and pick up day old breads and bruised fruits and vegetables to take to the Salvation Army shelter.
If you want to wrap some useful gifts and just pass them out randomly on the street, it is great fun.
There are so many little things you can do to serve others; sit down and make a list then do it!! This is most important if you have children, so that they can develop a gratitude and giving spirit.
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