Give until it hurts

December is the month for donating. If you have the means, you should be donating things you are no longer using all year round. But in December it’s good to step up the efforts because winter is starting (or in full swing depending on what part of the country you are in) and less fortunate people could really use the help.

I know what you might be saying; “I’m too busy and I don’t have time to gather the stuff and go donate it.” Well, you may only need to look as far as your work or to an event you may already be scheduled to go to.

Today my office had scheduled a blood drive. Since I’ve been getting tattooed for the past 20 years, I haven’t been able to donate blood for quite some time. But, I did a little research and found that my last tattoo was about 20 months ago. So I stepped up to the plate and donated blood along with 36 others at my office. What an awesome turn-out for such an important cause.

Tonight we went to an event called First Friday. Technically speaking we went to an off-shoot event, but close enough. It was hosted by the guys over at Black Diamond Digital. They open their doors once a month to clients and friends for a few drinks, some snacks and some excellent networking. The invitation for this month’s event prominently requested you bring a bag of gently used clothes to be delivered to charity. We were already planning on going to the event. Grabbing a plastic bag and filling it with forgotten items in our closet took no time at all. We didn’t have to go more than 5 steps out of our way to deliver the clothes to charity. By the time we left the party, the two bins they had out were overflowing with bags of clothes all because they took the time to include it on the invitation.

If you aren’t sure how or where to donate, the American Red Cross’s website is a great resource for easy ways to donate.

If you are feeling a little more adventurous, Avenue Z is trying to coordinate a Virtual Food Drive where 200 readers each donate a 10 pound bag of non-perishable food items. That’s literally a TON of food donated to charity. Your part wouldn’t cost you more than $20.00 and a few minutes.

There are dozens and dozens of ways that you can donate. Pick one that suits you and get out and do it. But by all means, please do what you can this holiday season.

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