Monday, November 15, 2010

good deeds ~ the little things you can do!

hello again! i hope you all had amazing weekends. i had a lovely date night with dannon exploring the los feliz neighborhood, eating dinner at home {yum!}, and watching a classic movie. simple, but sweet!



as you may remember, i recently started a new series all about the good things we can do to help others. last week i talked about raising money for heifer international. this week, however, i wanted to highlight some ideas for those of us who don't have much money to spare. there are tons of great non-monetary ways to do good for others!

donate your stuff
even though it's fall, you can still do a little spring cleaning. i mean, do you really need that many clothes {i'm talking to myself here too}? someone could probably make much better use of them, not to mention the fact that you'll need to make room in your closet for upcoming holiday gifts. donate your unused clothes, shoes, toys, and other house stuff to your local shelters!

be a school volunteer
working in schools for many years now, i know that there's always a need for volunteers to help with tutoring, prepping for class activities, decorating bulletin boards, and helping with supervising the kiddies. inquire with your local school district, or if you're in college, your university may already be connected to some schools where you can get involved.

clean up
hey guess what? anybody can clean up a park or neighborhood, anytime, anywhere. all you have to do is take a few minutes to pick up trash you see on the ground, and viola! the world's a better place.

visit a nursing home
the stories you hear from many of the residents in your local nursing home are inspiring to say the least! unfortunately many of the residents rarely get visitors. with just an hour or two you could brighten someone's day by reading to them, playing games with them, or just chatting.

be a story teller
i know a lot of libraries and bookstores that love to have volunteers read to the kids during story hour. this usually involves really cute stories, really fun dramatic readings, and really adorable children. icing on the cake: studies show kids gain intelligence by having someone read to them just as much as reading by themselves. that means you would be entertaining children and making them smarter!

share
feel like baking? why not make a little extra to share with your neighbors? you'll put a smile on their face and cultivate an environment of safety, kindness, and togetherness right outside your own door.

adopt
just to add a little laughter to your life, how about adopting a word?! i saw this on brandi's blog last week and it was so fun. head over to savethewords.org and save one through adoption {it's free}.

and perhaps, while we're at it, we can all adopt the spirit of love?...
happy monday.

17 comments:

  1. I love this post, Kim! Filled to the brim with great ideas! Whenever the Canadian Diabetes Society calls to ask if I've got anything to donate (clothes, small household items) I always say yes. I know we have too much stuff, and that other people could genuinely benefit from it. It feels good to clear some space and help someone out.

    I'm also a big fan of baking some cookies and taking them to a neighbour. Little things make such a big difference in somebody's day.

    And oh boy! Our schools can use all the help they can get!

    I saved a word the other night. It was so much fun. I might just go save another right now!

    Hope you have a really wonderful week, my dear! Tell me... who is your ornament swap partner? I'm working on finding the perfect ornament for mine this week.

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  2. Terrific! You've just inspired me to volunteer at a school. Thank you for this!

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  3. I will second volunteering at a school. I've been doing it since September and it's so rewarding. There are lots of teachers out there that need just a little extra help, especially in low income areas. People so often forget that there's so much you can give even if you don't have the money. That little bit of time really helps. LOVE this post, Kim.

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  4. beautiful post! i love the image, and the ideas are wonderfully simple and practical. everyone loves to give back a little, especially this time of year!

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  5. Sounds like a great weekend! And thanks for all the tips - these are definitely great ways to give back, and get involved in helping the community!

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  6. I adore your ideas! I love volunteering, it brings so much joy to my heart!

    Every Christmas I always choose a child off the "Angel" tree and buy them presents, since without me being their "santa" they would receive nothing Christmas morning.

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  7. great ideas. I am need to short through more of my stuff and head to goodwill. Adopting a word...that sounds like a fun idea.
    Sweet.

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  8. Some really great ideas. Thank you for this post.

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  9. I'm volunteering through my school right now. Great post Kim!

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  10. i adopted a word! sinapistic: consisting of mustard. I love mustard!!

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  11. you're the greatest. thanks for the simple inspiration! it's the little things, isn't it??

    oh, and i'm glad you liked the song. it's my favorite this weekend. i'm not usually a big rap fan, but kid cudi is so artsy and has really great concept albums. matt loves his music and has really helped me broaden my music taste like crazy over the past couple years!

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  12. You got Lauryn for your partner? Yay! She was my partner last year! I sent her a pretty silver ball and little red felt bird. I bet you'll come up with something fantastic! She's lucky to have you...

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  13. What a cute idea! Just reading this makes me feel all warm and happy inside : )

    Thank you for visiting my blog so that I could find yours!

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  14. i'm already on it! i donated two bags worth of clothes this morning. oh yes i did!

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  15. This post made my heart swell! I love the idea of sharing love and volunteering. It does so much good for the giver and the recipient to be so generous. I've been donating a lot in the moving process, and I can't wait to volunteer at different places throughout the holidays!

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  16. I adore all of your ideas for spreading the love, you kind-hearted lady!

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  17. This is such a wonderful post, if there were more people like you around the world would be a much sweeter place :)

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