Get Into the Giving Spirit: Ways to Give Back to Our Community for National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week

It’s the season of giving and giving back, and since this week is National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week, we’d like to celebrate by illustrating some amazing ideas for you to give back and help out other people.  One of the most important values to us here at Classic is to support our community. This can include fundraising efforts, donations to local pantries, collecting toy drives or clothing drives to those in need, and more. The world could always do with a little more kindness, so why not use today’s blog list as a springboard!  

Here are some great ways to inspire others around you, and get you started with thinking in a community service oriented mindset:

• Make a donation to a local food bank or host a food drive in your neighborhood.  Encourage your friends, neighbors and loved ones to donate non-perishables to your efforts or add to your donation bin. Remember to include shelf-stable specialty goods like allergen friendly ingredients, gluten free food, and even seasonings! These items can help folks in need more than you’d realize, by providing accommodations for specialty diets, salt-free flavorings to those bland canned and box goods, and are items not usually available by non-profit funding.  Additionally, consider donating some pet food as well, since every family member deserves to be happy, healthy, and have a full belly.
  
• Create a Little Free Pantry for your home or local park. Stock the free pantry with shelf stable goods, toiletries, hygiene products, and refill it often.  This small act of community giving provides easy access to healthy foods and necessities without having to fill out lengthy applications for funding, stand in long lines, or other prohibitive measures.
  
• Do some volunteer work! Donating your time  within your local community soup kitchen and/or shelter can do a world of good.  Volunteer your cooking prowess at your local soup kitchen to help shop, prepare, organize, and serve meals to those who need it most.  Volunteer your construction, carpentry or woodworking skills to building tiny homes, Habitat for Humanity, community rebuilding projects after natural disasters, and other nonprofit housing groups.
  
• Voice your support in local, state, and federal elections. Exercising your right to vote is a vital part of the process to improve local legislature to ensure public assistance programming, special grants, and local non-profits receive essential funding. Electing  lawmakers and legislature which support community-based care programs, free and low-cost school lunches, public housing, and affordable medical/psychiatric care programs makes a big difference.
  
• Put together some care package bags of allergen-friendly snacks and toiletries. You can drop them off at the local domestic shelter or homeless shelter or you can give them out to people in need as you meet them.  You can also include a little card with the names of local assistance organizations or safe shelters in the area.  Consider in cold weather months to add hats, mittens, scarves, and thick socks to your packages. Toss in some gift cards to local food stores or ride share services to help the folks sustain their safety and access resources.

• Help a “stranger.” There’s lots of ways to give back even if you don’t have the largest social circle.  This can look like helping someone load groceries into their car, paying for someone’s meal behind you at the drive through, paying in advance for the coffee of the person in line after you, leave an extra large tip at the next restaurant or bar you visit, leave a “Just because” gift card on someone’s windshield for a few dollars to the store they’re parked at, call the local utility company and pay off someone’s bill, or even donate some brand new books or clothing to a local family shelter.

What are some things that you and your family do to give back to your communities and help fight hunger and homelessness, and provide stability to those in need?  Feel free to contribute to the conversation by pitching in your own community-centric, neighborly suggestions in the comments on our social media. 

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