The holidays are supposed to be a time for giving, but sometimes it becomes hard to find a legitimate charity without having to worry about if they donate everything they say they will, how much profit they keep, etc. Here are a few amazing charities to keep in mind this holiday season.
Toys For Tots is an amazing charity with many drop-off locations throughout the valley. All you need to do is drop off a new toy, and United States Marines will drop them off to underprivileged children this Christmas. Most Toys-R-Us are designated drop off locations as well as other places, just visit their website.
A personal favorite of mine is Operation Christmas Child. The organization will let you pick what age range and gender you want and then you get the opportunity to fill a shoe box with anything they might need. Keep in mind these are sent to third world countries so you can pack socks, toothpaste and other essentials along with your toys. I have been involved in this for years and is one of my favorite things to do during the holidays.
Angel Tree has children you can sponsor or you can just make a donation but this organization specifically focuses on children whose parents are in prison during the holidays. If you end up liking this organization they have so many ways that you can get involved even outside of the holiday season. You can go to summer camp with them, become a mentor or again, sponsor a child.
Meals on Wheels is one of the coolest organizations that I recently heard about. You know sometimes when you see an elderly person eating alone and you wish you could go give them company? Well, now you can. Sign up to deliver meals to people and you get the opportunity to share it with them and keep them company. Plus, nobody should spend the holidays alone.
Something else that isn't through any particular organization and can be done around your own schedule with no spending required is to go visit a senior citizen home. When my grandma was moved into a retirement community, I noticed after many times of going, so many people never had visitors and after talking to the receptionist, she said that over half of their residents do not ever have visitors. You would not believe the difference it makes in these peoples day to have someone there to see them or chat with them.
There are so many ways to get involved this holiday season and these are just a few, but some I know are genuine and do great work in the community.
