There is a lot of sadness in the world. I hate to think about how much pain people are in, and how powerless I am. I feel like there's nothing I am able to do to help them.

And in ways, that's true. I'm not able to travel to third world countries or donate to cancer research. There are a lot of issues that, currently, I can't really do anything about. But that doesn't mean I can't make a difference somewhere, without spending any money at all.

I love to visit nursing homes. I've done this before with my choir and it brings me so much joy to visit with older people who have a lot of advice and stories about their life. You can learn so much from them, and they immediately make me so happy and full of warmth.

I'd recommend calling ahead about visiting hours, or ask if there's anyone who could use a visitor. You will have an immediate mood boost, and you are providing company to someone who would really love to visit.

Another way to give back to your community is to donate old clothes, canned food, or other non-perishable items at local food banks or food drives.

This might cost a few dollars or so (depending on how much you donate) but most of the time we have cans upon cans of green beans, soup, and fruit cocktail we weren't going to eat anyway.

You probably won't miss them, but they could really help to feed hungry families for a while. Clothes that don't fit anymore won't be missed either, so why not donate them?

There is most likely someone who could use your help that lives on your street. Someone with a disability might struggle with keeping up on lawn care or cleaning responsibilities and might not be able to afford a service. Reach out to them and see if you could relieve them of that stress. Are you good at a particular subject?

Tutor local students! You can even earn volunteering hours if you are with an organization that documents them. Single parents struggle with a lot. If you could reach out to them and offer to babysit while they're working, or help with chores, you could really make a difference in their life.

So, yes, you might not be able to solve big problems right now, like curing cancer or world hunger. But you can always make a difference in your own community.

There is always a way for you to help someone, even if you think it's small, and it could mean the world to someone who really needs help.