It’s hard to keep a New Year’s resolution on your own, isn’t it?
Usually, it’s best to have an accountability partner — someone you can jog with every morning, someone who will join that book club with you, or someone who will challenge you to reach whatever goal you set together.
If your resolution is to help more people in need this year, some of the best accountability partners may be under your own roof!
Resolve as a family — yes, get the kids involved too — to give more of yourselves, your money, and your time in your community and around the world this year.
Here are five ways to get started:
1. Make small sacrifices
Your family probably got a lot of new stuff for Christmas, and you might be having hard time figuring out where to put it all. Maybe your kid’s toy box or closet is now bursting at the seams.
Now is the perfect opportunity to go through your closets and select gently used toys, linens, clothes, gadgets, or housewares that you don’t use anymore to donate. Take them to a local women’s shelter, children’s home, or give them directly to another family who is in need.
2. Donate your time
Volunteering as a family is a fun way to accomplish something together and teach your kids about helping others. Contact your local church, food bank, or other charitable organizations to see if they are accepting volunteers. Be sure to ask if children are allowed and what social distancing and safety precautions are required. You may also find opportunities to volunteer from home such as making no-sew masks to donate to a local nursing home.
If you live in Virginia, we’d love to have you volunteer with us at the World Help Distribution Center. We are always in need of volunteers young and old to help sort through donated clothing, shoes, hygiene kits, and more before they can be shipped to people around the world. Click here to sign up through our volunteer portal.
3. Spread a little warmth
Across the country, temperatures are plummeting, and being outside can be deadly for the homeless population. But there’s a simple way your family can help with this need.
Spend a day putting together care packages of blankets, thick socks, warm clothes, and other winter necessities for the homeless. Ask your kids for other suggestions of items they might want to include such as travel hand sanitizers or their favorite kind of granola bar. Then, drive around your community and hand out these warm gifts to any homeless men or women you see. They will be forever grateful, and your kids will learn a powerful lesson about showing kindness to people in difficult circumstances.
4. Make helping others a habit
One of the best ways to inspire a lifelong love of helping others in your kids is to make it something that they look forward to. Set aside one day each month as your Pay It Forward Day. Dedicate this special day to spending time together as a family showing kindness — whether that’s donating to help a child on the other side of the world or writing encouraging notes to people in your community who could use a smile.
Click here to download a list of ideas for your Pay It Forward Day each month. Print it out, put it on your refrigerator, and check off each month as you complete the activities together.
5. Donate monthly to help people around the globe
Another super simple way to make helping others a habit is by giving monthly to help meet some of the most urgent needs around the world. When you sign up to become a World Help monthly supporter, your family will provide emergency supplies to disaster victims, Bibles for persecuted Christians, food for starving children, and so much more.
Every $12 provides one person with urgent physical help and spiritual hope. So for $24 a month, your family can help rescue 24 people this year!
Gather your family around the computer or your phone and make the commitment to give every month today. Then, have everybody contribute whatever they can. Invite your kids to donate a portion of their allowance. Plan a car wash or lemonade stand to raise your monthly $24. Collect spare change throughout the month or come up with another creative idea.
It’s another opportunity to get your kids excited about doing something to make a difference.
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