It Takes Very Little to Help A Lot

Thanksgiving and the holiday season soon will be upon us. You can make this year memorable for yourself and others, and spend very little money in the process.

All it takes are three simple actions.

1. 1. Donate blood. Blood banks face critical shortages this time of year, mainly due to alcohol-fuel automobile accidents. Allow about 90 minutes total to complete the paperwork, make the donation (the needles used are very thin and pain is minimal) and recover. It’s also a great excuse for a large meal.
2. Clean out your pantry of canned and packaged goods. That second jar of spaghetti sauce no one likes? Donate it along with those other items that might be great for the summer but not for cold weather. Food banks can use anything you care to give. Animal shelters can use any extra pet food, blankets or old towels too.
3. What about last year’s horrid ties, dresses or coats? Take them and any other old clothing, toys, furniture or other items and drop them off at a thrift shop. You get a tax donation—ask for a receipt—and other folks get low-cost gifts.

If you want to impress the importance of giving on your children, even if they are adults, consider volunteering at a community Thanksgiving dinner or joining a local service club. The Lions, Rotary, Kiwanis and others have a serious manpower issue because many of their members are too old to handle the heavy lifting.

Have you got other ideas for sharing? Post them here. I’ll promote them on my Twitter page too.