If you want to get involved in your community, there are more things you can do other than to donate money to an area charity. While monetary donations are extremely helpful, they won’t give you the same level of emotional connection that getting personally involved will provide. Here are a few ways you can donate your time and talents to make your community better for everyone.
Attend Local Events
You can have fun as you get more involved in your community by attending local events. For example, when you buy tickets to a high school musical or sports event, your money will improve your area schools. You can look for arts and crafts festivals, music festivals, art exhibits, and other activities that will use the money they raise to benefit that particular part of society.
Shop Locally
Simply avoiding the big box retail stores can help you improve the quality of life for hundreds of people in your community. When local small businesses are supported in this way, they can hire more local people in your community. Additionally, they will get their supplies and inventory from other local businesses. When a big retail store needs to build up their inventory, they order from the national chain supplier that their corporate office requires them to use. Buying from local farmers markets and small businesses will help you keep money flowing through your community, which will boost the area’s overall economy.
Do Some Spring Cleaning
As you go through your home, look for things that you don’t use or want any longer. From canned foods to clothing and books, almost anything can be donated to the needy. Many schools and libraries will take any reading material you may want to give away. Clothing, blankets, and footwear are also desperately needed in most areas. There are also options for giving away old eyeglasses and unwanted vehicles. You can give these items to an organization in your community, or you can simply donate them to someone who you know is in need of them.
While the ideas given here are a great start, there’s much more you can do for your community. As you go about your normal routine, look for ways that your community could be improved. There’s no reason you can’t start your own initiative to meet that need in your local area.