I consider myself a practical gift giver. I don’t like spending money, so giving you a gift you won’t like or don’t need is hard for me. I do get joy out of giving something useful though – whether it’s a movie you love or a set of tools. Part of that is to giving to people who do need things.
One of the organizations I volunteer for, Everybody Wins! Iowa, partnered with Barnes and Noble to receive a portion of every customer’s bill who mentioned them at the cash register for one day. The organization improves children literacy through caring mentors. They even give the kids, which often are part of low-income families, a gift of three books at Christmas. My student loved his and asked me how I knew exactly what he wanted. I stopped by the store during the book fair and picked out a few things for those on my list and helped give the gift of reading to children in central Iowa.
Another organization I donated to is the Urbandale Public Library. They are doing a fundraising campaign to better serve their community. As someone who is there a lot checking out books, audio books, CDs, movies and TV shows and using their Internet, it only made sense I support them financially. Libraries are a key necessity to any community, and I’m glad my small donation will join a bunch of other donations to make a positive impact in my community.
There are so many wonderful ways to give to those who need things. I plan on giving in more ways throughout this season and the entire year.