Today is a great day to help those in need as you clean out your house post-holidays.
The good news is that not all charity work needs to be a planned event. Often it is the planning that prevents us from getting it done; the research, the phone calls, the planning and scheduling. That is enough to throw our hands up and say we will try again another day (please do try another day! Nonprofit organizations rely upon volunteers to meet their mission).
But, here are a few ways to make a difference as you clean up your house post-holidays and donate items that someone in need may find highly valuable:
Donate clothes you no longer wear (women's business clothes can be donated to www.dressforsuccess.org)
Drop off old glasses at your local LensCrafter - www.lenscrafters.com/onesight?sid=OurVisionDD-Espot-Onesight-US-050814
Clean out the pantry and give extra canned and dry goods to your local food pantry - www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank
Clean out your kids’ gently used books and donate to your local school or community library
Send a care package (like extra Halloween candy) to an overseas military unit - www.operationgratitude.com
Unused furniture can be donated to the Vietnam Veterans - www.pickupplease.org or Habitat for Humanity - www.habitat.org/restores/donate-good
Donate extra dog food, crates, jackets, leashes, etc. to your local animal shelter - www.animalshelter.org/shelters/states.asp
Cleaning house and making a difference in the lives of others is a great way to start the year, and these are a few easy ways to start.
Anupa Wijaya, MS, is the founder and Executive Director of The Bag Project, an organization that provides emergency bags for children in crisis. She graduated from University of Michigan with a BA in Psychology. From the Harvard School of Public Health she received an MS in Health & Social Behavior with a concentration in Women's Health. Anupa was previously a Director of various programs at Safe Horizon (NY, NY), including the Anti-Trafficking program and a program for survivors of war torture and refugee trauma. Anupa also spearheaded Safe Horizon’s reorganization of their Hotlines program, as a consultant. Prior to consulting at Safe Horizon, Anupa was the Assistant Director for the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority (Chicago, IL). Anupa began her post-graduate career as the Education & Outreach Coordinator for the AIDS Clinic at New York Presbyterian Hospital (NY, NY). Anupa lives in Princeton, NJ with her two children and her husband. For more information on The Bag Project, please visit: www.thebagproject.org.