Giving Back

As I pulled into my local mission driveway to buy a loaf of day old bread, I realized that some of the ways I’ve been giving back to my neighbors might be helpful for some other families that aren’t independently wealthy and spend their cash on their families, but still want to help those in need.

Photo: SXC

(I know there are a lot of reports saying we’ve reached bottom, there was a bit of growth, etc., but do you know how long the recovery will have to go on before all your unemployed or underemployed neighbors who are exhausting benefits can get new jobs? Me, either, but I bet it won’t be two weeks or even two months.)

So, on to how to help your neighbors when you don’t have a lot of cash to donate:

• Check for places like my local mission center. It feeds people hot meals once a week and has a food pantry and community garden. It also sells surplus food that was donated, like the cart filled with spices I saw the other day. So, if you need spices anyway, why not buy theirs? And if you need bread, why not take it from the day old bread rack in the store and drop the two dollars you would have spent at the grocery store in the donation jar?
• Offer your children’s outgrown clothing in great condition to your neighbors. If you’re worried about offending them, set up a neighborhood clothes swap, instead.
• Put items in good condition on Freecycle for your area instead of throwing them away. I never dreamed that a single unused window that sat in the shed for a year would be such a blessing to a mom who wanted to put one in the wall overlooking her back yard so she could supervise her children when they played.

Do you have some ideas for helping your neighbors through tough times?