It has been said that the best cure for depression is helping others. It's true that you get a feeling of fulfillment when you help a fellow human in need - however brief. It's as easy as opening a door for a mom with her hands full or picking up a fallen object for the person in front of you at the check-out counter. These are actions that you willingly take because you want to make someone else's life just a little easier. But what about those of us who want to do just a little bit more?
There are a lot of options out there for people who want to invest their time helping. There are tons of volunteer actions to take such as: helping out at a local shelter, volunteering at your public library, helping at animal shelters, building homes with Habitat for Humanity, and cleaning the highways. Churches are a great place to start looking. They almost always have a program you can join to help humanity in one form or another. It's also so helpful to donate your blood. You do have limits to donating, but it can help save someone's life if you have healthy blood to give. These are all great options for helping locally without spending your money. But what if it is money you want to donate? Or what if you want to help across seas?
Again, if you want to use your hands to help in another country, a great place to start is at a local church. Many churches have missionaries who go to other countries and help rebuild or preach. If you like the idea but can't or don't want to make the trip, you can sponsor the missionaries so they can buy their supplies, food, etc.
When you begin talking about money contributions, it gets a little trickier. It is very difficult to tell the real from the scam. You probably receive mail asking for your donations and receive calls from telemarketers asking if they can count on you, but how do you know who you can trust? And you want to help every cause, but you can't afford to donate to every cause. I would suggest picking one or two charities or causes and making those your core contributions for the year. It's nice to donate small amounts here and there but don't go overboard trying to help everyone. You have to eat too! It's ok to kindly say, "no, I'm sorry." As far as accountability, check into charities before donating. How much of each dollar you give goes to your cause? How does it get spent? How long has the charity been in business? Do they send tax information at the end of the year? You can even check with the BBB to see if they have any complaints filed and see how the charity responded to the complaints. Always be cautious. There are people who capitalize on others' kind hearts.
If you still aren't sure which charities are trustworthy or you just don't know where to help, there is a great charity you can donate to online or through the mail called Compassion. Your donations will go towards helping a child in another country go to school, get medical care, learn about nutrition, have a meal, spend time at a church, play sports, and hear the ministry. It is a Christian charity. On the website they break down exactly how your donation is spent. You get to pick the country the child is from and which child to sponsor. You will be the only sponsor for that child and you will receive letters and pictures from the child at least twice a year.
Justgive.org is a good place to start too. You can make a one time donation or a monthly contribution to charities of your choice. You can even give a donation in someone's name. You can donate to disaster reliefs and other urgent causes around the world or here at home. This is a good website to visit if you're new to donating.
An even easier way to help out is to go through your closet, attic, basement, or garage and give away all the things you just don't need and never use. Use the one year rule - if you haven't worn it in one year, chances are you aren't going to wear it again. Take them to local clothing banks, churches, or The Salvation Army.
Good luck in your giving. Whether it is time or money, what you do for others does make a difference ... even if it's just a pair of socks or an old t-shirt. Leave comments if you have a favorite charity or cause you like to give to.
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