Did you ever go through your closet and realize you have tons of clothing in there, good condition too, but you NEVER wear them? Why not donate the extras in your closet to a thrift shop, a shelter, a clothing drop...sometimes day care centers, and pre schools are in need of baby clothing, furnature, toys, etc! Please, really LOOK before you throw things out. Is it reallly trash? If it has holes and stains, YES, trash it, or use it as a rag. BUT if it can be worn by someone in need, please take the spare moments to find a clothing drop or organization that can use yout "junk", and bring it to them. Some places even pick up things like furnature, or clothing, etc...

I can tell you that as a kid, we had no money. We lived on donated food, and second hand clothing. Some of the stuff was VERY nice!

Donating food is good too. But think of what you would like to eat, or your kids, or you as a kid. A kid cannot live off canned beansand soup alone. Think of donating gift certificates for certain supermarkets, this way families can go an pick out their own food. And even get things like fresh milk, and meats! You don' t realize how cherished these things are unless you wne without, and I went without!

Please think of these things seriously. Can you afford $5 to donate to a church or food pantyr? Can you look at your cabinets and donate something YOU like to eat? I gurantee you it will make you feel good, and it wil make someone needy feel WONDERFUL!

Take care, Love Dara

here is another good idea that we do here in my family, and places of work. Find a needy child, or a family in need, and ask for the childrens birthdates. The, go and get them presents for their birthday! This can be done over christmas, Hannukah, for teh start of the school year, buy clothing, sneakers, etc. My sister and I bought a wardrobe for a little girl we know in need for hte start of the school year! OH, she was so happy, like she just hit the lotto! Try it. Look, we are NOT rich by any means here. We scrape by actually, but we can afford a little extra to help out. And when we can't squeeze any mony out of the ol' account, we give of oursleves!

TRY IT...Please?

Alles gute, Dara

Dear Dara,

I like some of your ideas here a lot!

I know my parents regularly give my old clothes to charity shops and other worthy causes that are around the place. My mum also donates some money each year to Amnesty, Greepeace, WWF etc. I don't know about donating food, but the gift vouchers are a good idea.

These donations you speak of are so thoughtful!

Dear Aled,

Donations to Greenpeace are a wonderful way to spread goodness throughout the world, also Amnesty International. I'm a member of Amnesty International.
I also think Doctors Without Borders is a worthwhile cause so parents don't have to watch their children die because of lack of medical care. Heifer.com is a great website to support. They send livestock from rabbits, chickens, lambs and cows for various prices to families who then raise them for milk, eggs, wool to support their whole families. I think $250 sends a cow. I send whatever I can, not because I have so much but because I am grateful for what I do have in this country.
Habitats for Humanity is a wonderful way to spend a week...building a house for a family that would never have one otherwise. The world is a shared gift. Those aren't strings holding us together...they're ribbons!

How many people have had actual experiences with Habitats for Humanity or other groups? Please share them with us so we can all learn and possibly join up.

Janice

Dear Dara,

Your idea to give coupons to the supermarket is even better than donating cans from your cupboards that have probably been there for ages. Everyone needs a little treat now and then and the biggest treat of all is to feel you are in control of some parts of your life and can choose what you want. Keep those good ideas coming! :)

Right on Janice! The best is to let others pick out their own food! Especially when most of the food pantrys have dented cans of baked beans and soups. I mean, it is all well and good, but how much of that stuff can one eat?

When I was a kid, we lived off of donated food. It was terrible, I remember eating RAW JELLO, as there was nothing else donated. GROSS. The rare occasions we got food cupons, or food vouchers, it was like w hit the lotto! WOW, fresh food! REAL food! Funny, I guess the whole experience of living with no food has added to my eating disordered life!
A bit too much info about me???

Love, Dara

Dear Dara,

What made you strong in your life and what was really hard? These are the gifts you have to share with others along the way.

Janice

Janice,
To answer your question: "What made you strong in your life and what was really hard?"

Basically, what made me strong in life was everything that was really hard! All the things I struggled through in lif have made me a more sensitive person towards others.
Life has tought me this: Everything i need to make me  happy in life is free. What I need is LOVE, first and most importantly, then I need friendship. Love and friendship should go hand in hand. As long as I am loved, and i have friends to love in return, as long as my animals are taken care of and happy, I am happy.  ;D

Love to all, Dara

If you live in an urban area, there are likely to be local charities that bring food (and jackets and blankets during cold weather) to people.  In my hometown of Washington, DC, there's a wonderful service called "McKenna's Wagon".  The wagon (a van, actually) has scheduled service times, at set locations, every day.  As you might expect, most of the recipients are homeless, but some people step up to the wagon simply because they can't afford to buy dinner for themselves and/or their families.

You can prepare sandwiches and deliver them to a charity (sometimes, the organization will have convenient drop-off locations or might even offer to pick up your donations).  Or, if your schedule permits you to do volunteer work, you can help cook and prepare food in the central kitchen.  The best experience of all, however, is riding on the wagon and actually interacting with and distributing food to people.

Dear Lori_F,

Making sandwiches is a great idea! In the city, when I'm asked for a handout, I'll take the person to the nearest
restaurant and ask what they want to order. Then they can have coffee, soup or a sandwich--whatever they want for a meal. The man I helped wound up telling me about a place to find a job, which is what I needed so we helped each other out. Here's a thought..for all those who love to back pies or cookies but can't eat them all due to dieting, these can be shared along with those sandwiches. When I fix an extra lunch, I remember a neighbor who lives right around the corner who is often not able to get out on her own for a meal.
The half an hour of talking does as much good as the sandwich, I hope.

Janice

Hi Toneta,

You're practice of budgeting for your donations is a wonderful idea! Too many times, we'd like to do more but are broke or meeting expenses. I try to give anyway, even if only a dollar or my time. But if we plan ahead, we can do something really special like you do
and the people receiving your gifts really feel the thought, time and effort that went into it for them.
I think that might also raise their spirits. We can all take a page from your book.

Sincerely,

Janice

Janice,

What a kind and lovely person you are.

Life you, I offer to buy a meal for a panhandler who tells me that he or she is hungry.  Isn't it amazing how many people will gratefully accept the gift of food?  Contrary to general belief, some people don't ask for money because they're working scams or trying to buy drugs.  There are many, many souls who simply need the basic necessity of food.

Once, someone asked me if I'd buy him a meal from a nearby hotdog cart.  I was lucky enough to have enough money in my wallet to pay for as much as he needed to eat.  A man, who'd overheard the conversation, smiled at me and said, "The Lord will bless you for that."  All I could say in response was, "He already has."  (Right now, that memory just brought tears to my eyes.)

Yours,
Lori

Hi Toneta,

You have some great ideas to make those dollars add up so we can do something meaningful. I've started a small change jar and I can sure drop in a dollar a week all year. I'm looking forward to what I can do with it when the holidays come around.

Many thanks,
Janice