Christmas giving question....

[SonjaB]

While we're on the positive thread kick (yay!!), I hope this hasn't been asked already and I just missed it, LOL, but what do you guys do as far as charitable giving at Christmas? Do you participate in Toys for Tots? Adopt a family in Letters to Santa? Make a donation to the Salvation Army or a local homeless or domestic abuse shelter? Do you do something as a family? By yourself? With your office or company?

I love "paying it forward" stories and just wanted to hear yours.

 

[binny]

We donate the Salvation Army everytime we pass a bell ringer. Both my parents were ordained with the Salvation Army its just second nature and my kids have picked it up now too

We also try to do the joy tree at Church where you buy a present for a less fortunate child.

Christmas is about giving and not just to family IMHO

This year in Boise the Food bank lost their funding for the Turkey dinners and are in need of 6000!!! Turkeys. I cant believe that.
We'll be trying to do that too I think.

Great thread!

 

[preshi]

I do Toys for Tots. DB is a Marine. I also give canned food, jackets... I am a donator... just like my Mom. Actually i have 3 full boxes of brand new Barbie stuff I got for good prices during various Internet sales.... that I don't need... maybe I'll give those this year.. that would make me feel pretty good.

 

[alabamaalan]

Of course we always contribute to the kettle ringers and each year we collect shoeboxes full of good for "Operation Christmas Child"

We were at the Dollar Tree yesterday and saw a large number of people with lists and brochures in hand who were doing the same thing!

 

[kejoda]

I always get rolls of quarters at the grocery store so the boys can put in the kettles. They have more fun with the change and I think I give more that way also.

We also pick names off the trees at church and malls. Last year someone wanted a years supply of toothbrushes and toothpaste for thier family. Tim got such a kick out picking that one and I, for once, got to use all my teeth coupons.

 

[Pam]

These are some of our favorites from the past couple of years:

•DS always rings the Salvation Army bell for the Kettle Drive at the local supermarket. He's a Scout and this also helps him earn Community Service hours. (I go along)

•Last year I went over to the Crisis Pregnancy Center across the street from our office and asked if there were any young children who wouldn't be having much of a Christmas. The director told me about a Grandma who was raising two toddlers that her daughter had abandoned. I got sizes, ages, etc. and we went shopping for clothes, toys, books, even wrapping paper.

•One year while my son was a Cub Scout, our den "adopted" a family where the father had just died and there were 7 children!! We anonymously filled a giant stocking over 4 feet tall with clothes, toys and even gift certificates to wal-Mart.

•We also anonymously adopted a single Mom with two small children who lived down the road from my parents. We got toys, clothes, and food, rang the doorbell and then ran like mad!

•This past Sunday our Methodist Youth Group and the Presybyterian Youth Group combined for a Scavenger Hunt for the local Food Cupboard. In 1 hour and 15 minutes, less than 20 children had collected over 350 food items!!

 

[Ricola]

I personally am a little bothered by the whole "Holiday Charity" thing. The people who need help need it all year, not just in December. We try to participate, help where we can with both time and money, and teach our children the same. But we try to do it all year.

My mother worked in a nursing home, and she was always amazed at the number of volunteers that wanted to do something over the holidays. There were too many volunteers for her to handle. She would often ask them to come back another time of the year.

 

[Pam]

Ricola,
That is very true and should shake most of us to the core and make us resolve to "shine the light" all year long.

That reminds of when DS was in 5th grade. He was in a student leadership program and his group decided to raise funds and provide Christmas presents for all the residents of a small, local nursing home. There were maybe 8 students in group. They went Christmas shopping and selected the gifts, wrapped them and personally took them to the home. The residents were thrilled.

DS decided to do something more - on his own, he enlisted the help of his sister and they made presents on Valentine's Day and Easter. He went back each time and visited each and every one of those residents personally and delivered the little gifts.

The director of the nursing home called the principal to tell her what my DS was doing and to inquire if she [the principal] knew that he was doing it. (She didn't.) At the end of the school year, during a school assembly, the principal called my DS down to the stage and told the story and presented him with a special Community Service Award.

DS has gone back with the Youth Group, making Valentine's etc.
Pam

 

[denisem]

Our 15-person office "charges" $5.00 to wear jeans on Friday during the year. (People not into the "jeans" thang make their own donation at the end of the year).

Last year we bought $1100.00 worth of gifts at Wal-Mart for a domestic abuse shelter (The Haven) which Wal-Mart will MATCH with proper non-profit documentation.

TOTALLY amazing how many toys, art supplies, clothing, grooming/household items and inexpensive electronics you can buy at Wal-Mart for $2200; and ALOT of fun to shop for.

Denise < ---- personally can't pass up a Salvation Army bell-ringer at xmastime...it's a superstitious thing .

 

[charlie,nj]

We do a couple of things. The best is the “Pick an Angel” tree at work. It is a tree that is decorated with little angels. Each angel has the name and age of a little boy or girl along with a present that they wish for. Each year I pick two angels one for each of my sons. I try to pick boys around the same age as my sons. My sons really get into shopping and wrapping the presents for their angels.

 

[SonjaB]

Very good point, Ricola.

 

[Kermit]

My cousin and his wife are missionaries, and we give them monthly support throughout the year. They have 2 precious little boys who are 1 and 2, so we'll probably buy them something special that their parents can't get them. We'll probably also get something for my cousin and his wife as well.

We usually "adopt" a child or family, but I just don't feel well enough to do all that shopping this year. I'll probably make a big donation to a crisis pregnancy center of all the stuff I get for my baby and don't end up using (and some other stuff that I buy just for that) this spring.

 

[Goofyposter]

I agree Ricola...we all need to focus on giving yar 'round!


Fer the Christmas season...we 'adopt' a family....we...git the name and data on a 'local' family that's experiencing difficulties..and my whole extended family pulls to gether to,
1-make sure any Kids get some desired and nice gifts
2-that thar taxes, water sewer are paid fer a year
3-we usually buy the parents (in addition to a few gifts) gift cards at the local food store, oil company etc..
4-If their needs are more 'specific'...we've been know to acquire, split and stack firewood for 'em...replace applicances...we even reroofed a house a couple years ago...

...the power of several...can make the "ill's" of the few...much better!

 

[LuvTigger]

I work for the State, and they actually support many year-round charity events including collecting money for Aloha United Way (I have a payroll deduction), collecting household goods for the Institute for Human Services, a school-supply drive for needy children, Toys for Tots, and collecting food for the Food Bank. It seems like something is always going on! Though we "complain" about how we're always asked to contribute something, we always pull through and there are a few workers in my office who are VERY generous in their giving.

Last year, in light of 9-11, we decided that we shouldn't exchange gifts, but instead donate the money for local charities. So many people were donating to the 9-11 cause that local charities supplies and funds were diminishing. We collected food for the FoodBank, and Toys for Tots as a "usual" departmental collection, but our individual office decided to collect money for a fund collected by one of the local newspapers. In turn, they give the money to an agency who works with many agencies to help families in need during the holidays.