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Charity Thread: Giving Back to the Community. What do you do? (1 Viewer)

Helping the Homeless:  I began working with the homeless while living in Cincinnati Ohio in 2006.  It was a different approach than simply going to a soup kitchen providing meals.  I was part of a grassroots group that started working with city council to begin a major clean up of Cincinnati and from what I understand, it's really caught on and continued to grow since we left in 2007.  The key difference approach was the focus on education and teaching the homeless the basics and providing the resources to do the basics.  We'd donate time and knowledge to teach and provide resources around finance, medical care etc.  I donated my time to teach people about money.  How the systems worked, what to expect when they got their paychecks.  Helped them get bank accounts for their paychecks etc.  We also helped people get on their feet by finding housing and helping them qualify etc.

After moving back to SC, I found another organization in my local town doing something similar, so I jumped in there doing many of the same things I was doing before.  This went a step further and our family would actually take in homeless people (sometimes a family, sometimes an individual) for a period of time to help them through their journey.  I was part of that group for almost 10 years before we moved here to Florida.  Oddly enough, I haven't found a similar group around here yet, but have talked with some local churches to see if they'd be interested in starting something like that.  It's in desperate need down here.  I've never seen so many homeless people.  So far, we've only had minor discussions with no real commitments.  

 
I volunteer coach and take care of our fields and equipment.  Its not the most noble thing but if I don't do it stuff wold never get fixed/ ordered etc
As a coach in my son's little league this is a big deal....don't sell yourself short GB :thumbup:  

 
I donate to my local church, St. Joseph's.  They do amazing things in the community & have a handle on all the things that should be done that I don't regardless of religious preference.  I do lend a physical helping hand on some of their charity activities, although not enough.   I'm leery of some of the bigger charities where the CEO commands a multi million dollar salary.  That is heartless IMO.  I'm on a few boards that sponsor or promote activities benefiting cancer research & also kids sports.  I do what I can but I should do more.

 
I set aside a portion of every job I do for a donation to my local Make-A-Wish Foundation. 

http://rocketjuiced.com/make-a-wish/

I would love to do more direct charity, but I unfortunately let my intentions slip by the wayside. However, my daughter was recently inducted into the National Jr honor Society and part of her membership requires a fair amount of community service. I am looking forward to helping her with that and doing some volunteer work along with her. 

 
Thank you for this @The Commish  Great idea to encourage each other on this.

One thing I've learned is Comparison can really suck sometimes. And I mean it in this context: Doing a little is way better than not doing anything. And this principle applies in lots of things, not just work like this. I'll see people and they have in their mind they need to do some sort of grand program. That solves a ton of problems and makes everyone feel great. But those things are really difficult. They start thinking about all the work it'll take, reasonably conclude they don't have that kind of time and money, so they don't do anything. 

Don't let that be you.

I forget who said this but I believe it to be true: "Do what you can with what you have". 

Full stop. Don't sweat it that it's not perfect or awesome. Do what you can with what you have. That's enough. 

 
As a coach in my son's little league this is a big deal....don't sell yourself short GB :thumbup:  
Thanks. I mean I know I do a lot - minus coaching I probably have ~50 hours of field maintenance/ordering etc etc.

And I enjoy it.  We also run free clinics for the younger kids but overall its a small blip :)

 
I set aside a portion of every job I do for a donation to my local Make-A-Wish Foundation. 

http://rocketjuiced.com/make-a-wish/

I would love to do more direct charity, but I unfortunately let my intentions slip by the wayside. However, my daughter was recently inducted into the National Jr honor Society and part of her membership requires a fair amount of community service. I am looking forward to helping her with that and doing some volunteer work along with her. 
Don't be too hard on yourself GB....no one is going to stand in the 12 hour lines for Harry Potter for you :D   :D   :D  

 
Thank you for this @The Commish  Great idea to encourage each other on this.

One thing I've learned is Comparison can really suck sometimes. And I mean it in this context: Doing a little is way better than not doing anything. And this principle applies in lots of things, not just work like this. I'll see people and they have in their mind they need to do some sort of grand program. That solves a ton of problems and makes everyone feel great. But those things are really difficult. They start thinking about all the work it'll take, reasonably conclude they don't have that kind of time and money, so they don't do anything. 

Don't let that be you.

I forget who said this but I believe it to be true: "Do what you can with what you have". 

Full stop. Don't sweat it that it's not perfect or awesome. Do what you can with what you have. That's enough. 
It took me a minute to word this because I didn't want it to come across as "look at me" stuff.  Something I should also mention in this is that participating in these groups almost cost me my marriage.  I got consumed by the dire need people were in and it felt like no matter what we did, it was never enough, so this post hits me at my core and gives me a shiver to remember those times.  I agree with every word of your post.  People don't realize how big an impact their perceived "minor" contribution has.

 
I'm the treasurer of a non-profit kids hockey program; I do all of the bookkeeping, check-writing, etc.  

When I have time (admittedly I've had less lately), I will volunteer at Friends of Night People.  It is a small local operation that manages to serve a free hot dinner, no questions asked, 365 days a year, to anyone who walks through the door that day.  Mostly refugees, homeless, and working poor families.  They also offer free clothing, limited medical services, Planned Parenthood, and housing assistance.  They are my main financial donation annually as well.

 
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Been a board member of our local youth hockey organization for the past 5 years, and currently in my third year serving as President. 

My kids and I also volunteer to help coach the special needs hockey team in our area.  That has been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. Working with those kids and seeing them progress is nothing short of awe-inspiring. 

The first year we were doing it, we got a kid who had never skated before out on the ice.  These are kids who are all over the Autism spectrum (and other disabilities), who have never had a chance to 'play' sports in a team setting. 

After helping him get around a bit, I see him work his way back to the door where his Mom was watching, and it looks like he is about to head off. I skated over towards them thinking that he didnt like it and wanted to leave, as his Mom leaned down towards him.

I then heard him tell her, in a hushed but excited tone..."Mom...I CAN DO THIS".  He then turned and headed back out on the ice with a big smile on his face. 

I had to turn away as it had apparently gotten quite dusty, and  knew this was something we all had to continue with. 

 
Been a board member of our local youth hockey organization for the past 5 years, and currently in my third year serving as President. 

My kids and I also volunteer to help coach the special needs hockey team in our area.  That has been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. Working with those kids and seeing them progress is nothing short of awe-inspiring. 

The first year we were doing it, we got a kid who had never skated before out on the ice.  These are kids who are all over the Autism spectrum (and other disabilities), who have never had a chance to 'play' sports in a team setting. 

After helping him get around a bit, I see him work his way back to the door where his Mom was watching, and it looks like he is about to head off. I skated over towards them thinking that he didnt like it and wanted to leave, as his Mom leaned down towards him.

I then heard him tell her, in a hushed but excited tone..."Mom...I CAN DO THIS".  He then turned and headed back out on the ice with a big smile on his face. 

I had to turn away as it had apparently gotten quite dusty, and  knew this was something we all had to continue with. 
Awesome :thumbup:  

 
I donate a fair amount of money, but have to admit I don't physically do a lot to help. Trying to fix that by increasing the amount of pro bono work I do.

 
My only contribution right now is money. My company offers payroll deduction for a local charity organization and we have a few events during the year for additional support. 

I work long hours but that’s just an excuse. I don’t make time on the weekends to do anything for others except myself. 

As I’ve gotten older, I’m coming to the realization that I could be doing a lot more to make things better for those less fortunate than myself. My wife and I have had excellent careers to this point and without children, we are planning for early retirement next year. I’m getting tired of my job and it just feels like I could be doing something that directly impacts people. I’m sure that what I do now helps in some indirect way but I’m just a cog in a big machine and there are times when I really wonder why I’m doing it. 

Volunteerism is very high on my list of things to do when we retire. I’ve done some tutoring in the past and have enjoyed it. I don’t speak any other languages but would like to learn. One of the charity activities we did at my company was to work with a group of people with limited English-speaking ability. On that particular day we worked on math/life skills like how to estimate tax on buying items at a store and other things like that. It was a little challenging for me due to the language barrier but I’d like to think we made a little progress. 

I’m guessing I only have about 40 more years until my road comes to an end. I’d like to do something more meaningful with the 2nd half than what I did with the 1st. I’ve mostly enjoyed being an engineer and solving problems but there’s nothing personal about it. I don’t feel like I’m making a difference in the world or for anyone other than myself. I’m not saying I want to solve climate change or end world hunger but if I can make someone’s life better in any way, it’s something I feel like I need to do and I’m fortunate to be able to use my time to do it. 

Good topic. Thanks for allowing me to ramble on. 

 
My only contribution right now is money. My company offers payroll deduction for a local charity organization and we have a few events during the year for additional support. 

I work long hours but that’s just an excuse. I don’t make time on the weekends to do anything for others except myself. 

As I’ve gotten older, I’m coming to the realization that I could be doing a lot more to make things better for those less fortunate than myself. My wife and I have had excellent careers to this point and without children, we are planning for early retirement next year. I’m getting tired of my job and it just feels like I could be doing something that directly impacts people. I’m sure that what I do now helps in some indirect way but I’m just a cog in a big machine and there are times when I really wonder why I’m doing it. 

Volunteerism is very high on my list of things to do when we retire. I’ve done some tutoring in the past and have enjoyed it. I don’t speak any other languages but would like to learn. One of the charity activities we did at my company was to work with a group of people with limited English-speaking ability. On that particular day we worked on math/life skills like how to estimate tax on buying items at a store and other things like that. It was a little challenging for me due to the language barrier but I’d like to think we made a little progress. 

I’m guessing I only have about 40 more years until my road comes to an end. I’d like to do something more meaningful with the 2nd half than what I did with the 1st. I’ve mostly enjoyed being an engineer and solving problems but there’s nothing personal about it. I don’t feel like I’m making a difference in the world or for anyone other than myself. I’m not saying I want to solve climate change or end world hunger but if I can make someone’s life better in any way, it’s something I feel like I need to do and I’m fortunate to be able to use my time to do it. 

Good topic. Thanks for allowing me to ramble on. 


Lots of retirees join the Peace Corps. Have you thought of something like that or Americorps?

 
The other thing I used to do and it kind of overlaps the homeless stuff is poverty education.  It's a subset of the things that we did to help the homeless, but its about teaching people about money basics.  Teaching them how to balance their checkbook, how to open a bank account, how to begin accumulating a positive credit history etc.  These would be classes the instructors would donate their time to and some even offered one on one guidance through the process.  They'd go to the bank with the people.  They'd sit down with them and go over bank statements.  They'd help them formulate a plan to get them out of debt.  People poo poo that sort of thing, but IMO, it's one of the biggest things we can do to help break the poverty cycle.  

 
Joe Bryant said:
Thank you for this @The Commish  Great idea to encourage each other on this.

One thing I've learned is Comparison can really suck sometimes. And I mean it in this context: Doing a little is way better than not doing anything. And this principle applies in lots of things, not just work like this. I'll see people and they have in their mind they need to do some sort of grand program. That solves a ton of problems and makes everyone feel great. But those things are really difficult. They start thinking about all the work it'll take, reasonably conclude they don't have that kind of time and money, so they don't do anything. 

Don't let that be you.

I forget who said this but I believe it to be true: "Do what you can with what you have". 

Full stop. Don't sweat it that it's not perfect or awesome. Do what you can with what you have. That's enough. 
Amen!

 
The Commish said:
Helping the Homeless:  I began working with the homeless while living in Cincinnati Ohio in 2006.  It was a different approach than simply going to a soup kitchen providing meals.  I was part of a grassroots group that started working with city council to begin a major clean up of Cincinnati and from what I understand, it's really caught on and continued to grow since we left in 2007.  The key difference approach was the focus on education and teaching the homeless the basics and providing the resources to do the basics.  We'd donate time and knowledge to teach and provide resources around finance, medical care etc.  I donated my time to teach people about money.  How the systems worked, what to expect when they got their paychecks.  Helped them get bank accounts for their paychecks etc.  We also helped people get on their feet by finding housing and helping them qualify etc.

After moving back to SC, I found another organization in my local town doing something similar, so I jumped in there doing many of the same things I was doing before.  This went a step further and our family would actually take in homeless people (sometimes a family, sometimes an individual) for a period of time to help them through their journey.  I was part of that group for almost 10 years before we moved here to Florida.  Oddly enough, I haven't found a similar group around here yet, but have talked with some local churches to see if they'd be interested in starting something like that.  It's in desperate need down here.  I've never seen so many homeless people.  So far, we've only had minor discussions with no real commitments.  
That is super awesome stuff.  Thank you.

 
Some have asked about the BBQ thing. Goofy video from a couple of years ago. 

One of my favorite things about this (And  I can this to you guys without bragging) is it's great BBQ. I love it that the best BBQ in all of Knoxville that night served under the bridge.

In a very small way, there's some dignity in that. To serve people great food who normally get the stuff that's one step short of the dumpster is a positive thing I think. 

 
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Have done a little bit of volunteering at a couple places, mainly to try to impact my spoiled daughter's thinking (not working so well...)

I think that she would like Habitat for Humanity, but you have to be 16, so hoping to do that in a couple years at a minimum.

A great (and EASY) way to give back a little without spending money or really any additional time is https://charitymiles.org/

Charity Miles is a socially-driven, for-profit company connecting charities, individuals, and corporate sponsors to create social change. Our product is an iPhone/Android app enabling you to earn money for charity every time you walk, run, bike, skip, dance or do any human-centered activity. So far our members have earned over $2.5 million to charity!

Just choose from 1 of our over 40 charity partners like Feeding America, Pencils of Promise or World Wildlife Fund and get moving. When you finish, you have the option to share your activity on Facebook or Twitter: to build awareness about the cause you supported and to say thanks to your sponsor.

Based on how far you go, you will earn money for charity just by using the app. The money comes from our corporate sponsors who are repurposing their advertising budgets for good. We are grateful for their support and hope you are too!

 
Some have asked about the BBQ thing. Goofy video from a couple of years ago. 

One of my favorite things about this (And  I can this to you guys without bragging) is it's great BBQ. I love it that the best BBQ in all of Knoxville that night served under the bridge.

In a very small way, there's some dignity in that. To serve people great food who normally get the stuff that's one step short of the dumpster is a positive thing I think. 


I mean, this is great and all, but anyone can smoke pork. Until you can bring them some brisket ... hard to be impressed.

I'm obviously joking. Just a Texas thing. This is awesome and the BBQ looks fantastic. 

 
The Commish said:
As a coach in my son's little league this is a big deal....don't sell yourself short GB :thumbup:  
I have been a youth sports coach for 24 years now.  I have coached soccer, football, basketball, and baseball.  I even did community Swim team for 1 season. 

I took classes, got certifications and even got my coaching license! 

I have tried to be a role model for the kids (from age 5 thru high school) and support them in their efforts to grow & develop.  I have written multiple letters of recommendation for jobs, National Letters of Merit and College applications.  I have had players return to "help coach" to give them leadership skills.  I try to teach them morals and values.  

 
I have been a youth sports coach for 24 years now.  I have coached soccer, football, basketball, and baseball.  I even did community Swim team for 1 season. 

I took classes, got certifications and even got my coaching license! 

I have tried to be a role model for the kids (from age 5 thru high school) and support them in their efforts to grow & develop.  I have written multiple letters of recommendation for jobs, National Letters of Merit and College applications.  I have had players return to "help coach" to give them leadership skills.  I try to teach them morals and values.  
:thumbup:

The funnest time I had with LIttle League (outside of coaching my kid's team) is being an ump.  I did that through college to make my beer....er, spending money.  I had a blast.

 
:thumbup:

The funnest time I had with LIttle League (outside of coaching my kid's team) is being an ump.  I did that through college to make my beer....er, spending money.  I had a blast.
FUNNY YOU SHOULD MENTION THAT!   I took up umpire a few years ago as a hobby...  while getting $30/hr to watch a baseball game!  

I told my wife it was my "retirement hobby"..  

 
FUNNY YOU SHOULD MENTION THAT!   I took up umpire a few years ago as a hobby...  while getting $30/hr to watch a baseball game!  

I told my wife it was my "retirement hobby"..  
:lmao:

My only tip....don't put up with crap from crap parents.  You know who they are.  I can't count how many I had removed from the field during my tenure behind the plate.  You get a reputation and they leave you alone.

 
@The Commish thanks for doing this. Assuming this is AMA...

1) How were you able to determine which folks you would allow to live with you and your family?

2) Did you find your thoughts being consumed by those who you knew to not have personal shelter?

3) What percentage of homeless do you guess could thrive with direct assistance?

4) Did you find agencies already in the homeless space (and financed) to be negative towards your beginning efforts?

In my area there is a great need, however, when checking with the agencies they all seem to want money instead of hands-on help. Two segments I have a passion for but unable to find a way to plug-in is foster kids who have aged out of the system and homeless/trafficked teens and young adults. 

Thx again.

 
My wife and I are not rich people. But we will do random acts of kindness throughout the year as we come across situations where someone might need a little help.

But every year I save my spare change and throw them into old coffee cans in the garage. About a month before Christmas I will go with the kids and they round up their change and we go to the bank and cash them out. This is our donation money for the year.

(they have to save a certain portion of their allowance for donations)

Anyway, we use this cash to give to people in our community. One small gift at a time. We will pick out people we know that need a little boost, or maybe a little thank you just for doing their job and being friendly. This includes our mailman, the lunch lady at work, a fire station in the inner city here....things like that.

We’ve also given money to the kids school to give to kids whose families cannot afford a good christmas. It gets the kids involved and we spread the money among 10 or so worthy people.

 
Don't really have the financial freedom to donate much money to charity.

I've volunteer coached a few times.  For basketball... once about 20 years ago, and then another about 3 years ago.  I also coached my daughter's soccer team on year.

I also help out at my church.  They did some renovations to the outdoor seating area and needed folks with construction or related experience to help plan things out.  I also help put up the massive Christmas tree each year.  

I've given thought to helping with my church's "soup kitchen" thing they have every Sunday.  Especially since there's no football on right now.  

And I've always wanted to do a Habitat for Humanity build.  My current company is doing one next month, but it's during a time where my wife and kids are away and I may take the weekend and go to Palm Springs or something.  I need a vacation!  :lol:  

 
I do a few things. The biggest is volunteer in scouting. Inside my town, but also at district and council level. This in turn supports countless other community level charity efforts including annual support for the local food bank. I've coached soccer in the past, but stopped when I realized that it was a fools errand in my town. The local soccer association is run by a bunch of Lombardi wanna-bes who have lost sight of what a life sport means to the vast vast majority of people. But hey, I hope that D1 schoalarship comes through for ya... My wife and Idonate to the hospice that helped my FIL at the end of his liver cancer battle. I also give blood to the red cross as often as I can. (Which isn't as often as the RedCross would like, but still pretty darn frequent.)

 
I donate a fair amount of money, but have to admit I don't physically do a lot to help. Trying to fix that by increasing the amount of pro bono work I do.


One thing I forgot - I do Meals on Wheels deliveries once per week. Not much but the people appreciate it.

 
I do coaching with Special Olympics in the summer with softball and then as needed in winter months. My older brother is involved as an athlete in lots of sports including softball so it's an easy one.

Aside from that, my wife and I volunteer with a dog rescue organization, basically co-ordinating volunteers, advertising, sponsorship, events etc... for their biggest annual event, the picnic that brings out hundreds of dogs (and their owners). Admittedly my wife does a lot more than here and gives a ton of time to it. 

I'd like to do something with heart and stroke foundation, my dad died of a heart attack and I get 40 paid hours of volunteer time during work hours every year but haven't found the right event or task yet. 

 
Cool thread. I volunteer at a couple local medical clinics for the un- and under-insured a few times a month.

Anyone have younger kids (like first-second grade aged) involved in volunteerism? I’d like to expose mine early but not sure how they can realistically help.

 
Cool thread. I volunteer at a couple local medical clinics for the un- and under-insured a few times a month.

Anyone have younger kids (like first-second grade aged) involved in volunteerism? I’d like to expose mine early but not sure how they can realistically help.
When my son was young we made some blankets and donated them. He enjoyed making them and it was a chance to talk to him about what we were doing and why. 

 
Anyone have younger kids (like first-second grade aged) involved in volunteerism? I’d like to expose mine early but not sure how they can realistically help.
In the food drive I talked about, we have the Cubs on the front end helping. They drop off door hangers/bags door to door the first week and then return the week after on collection day to collect the food and bring it to the sorting center. The older scouts then sort the food and get it into the pantry. We are generally able to fill the pantry to the gills this way. We'd move literally tons of food this way. Sadly it doesn't stay that way for long these days. The need for the pantry has only gone up. When my son was doing the front end, we'd talk about the reasons why we doing it. Maybe there are similar efforts near you?

 
In the food drive I talked about, we have the Cubs on the front end helping. They drop off door hangers/bags door to door the first week and then return the week after on collection day to collect the food and bring it to the sorting center. The older scouts then sort the food and get it into the pantry. We are generally able to fill the pantry to the gills this way. We'd move literally tons of food this way. Sadly it doesn't stay that way for long these days. The need for the pantry has only gone up. When my son was doing the front end, we'd talk about the reasons why we doing it. Maybe there are similar efforts near you?
Yeah there probably are, thanks for the tips. We’ll check out our local food pantries.

 
1) How were you able to determine which folks you would allow to live with you and your family?
When I initially started doing this sort of thing, it was just me and my wife.  Working in the system I was working with, I got to know the people pretty quickly.  Once we moved and I started having family, it was definitely a concern, but our help shifted to focusing on helping families.  Some we took in (3-4 families) we didn't know until introduced at the facility.  Some I got to know through the programs as a volunteer.

Did you find your thoughts being consumed by those who you knew to not have personal shelter?
Not sure exactly what you are asking here, but initially, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people that were homeless.  It's staggering.  You peel that bandaid back for the first time to see the true situation and all you can say is WTF!  I was obsessed with helping all the people all the time and it wore me down and pulled me away from my wife a bit.  This was early in our marriage so I was trying to figure that relationship out too.

3) What percentage of homeless do you guess could thrive with direct assistance?
This is a tough question because the answers are specific to the individual.  I'd say 90% of all the people I dealt with just needed support.  They needed consistency in their lives and needed a sense of normalcy.  Most of that group had jobs already, but because of circumstances, bills etc couldn't put enough together for rent.  But that's specific to the group I worked with.  There was a set that also had no desire to work.  They didn't want to invest in themselves because they had no self worth.  That isn't fixed by giving material assistance.

4) Did you find agencies already in the homeless space (and financed) to be negative towards your beginning efforts?
Not sure what you're asking here.  There are agencies there to be profit centers.  They work on donations and over half end up going to the staff and people who run the place.  Those are drains on aid, much like the various places we donate money to.  I find the large, national agencies kind of suck.  If its something one wants to pursue, find one that is 100% local and focused on the people in the immediate area.  There is a small battle lesser known organizations face in fighting off the stigma of being in it for the money, but that's generally on the donation side and not the need side.  People truly in need will take help however they can get it.

 
But we will do random acts of kindness
This triggered a thought in me.  Have any of you guys ever driven up to the drive through to find out the person in front of you paid for your order?  That happened a lot to us when we were in SC.  Only a few times here in Florida.  Little things like that go a really long way in some people's lives.  I always continue it by paying for the person behind me.  For whatever reason it usually happens at Chic-Fil-A.  One of the kids in the youth group at the church I attended up there said they had one morning where over 50 cars paid for the car behind them in a row.  All triggered by one person who thought, "Hey, I'm going to pay it forward to the person behind me".  That person probably has no idea that their one act of kindness morphed in to 49 other acts of kindness that day.  It's really cool to see that in our society.

 
I have one activity currently and used to do two others but fell off when I started feeling a lot of pressure at work. I really need to get back on the horse with item two.

Give platelets to the Red Cross: I do this as often as possible. At one point I came close to the maximum frequency (twice a month), but wound up slightly anemic. Now I go for several sessions in a row and when my iron shows a bit low I'll take that week and the next session off so I can give more instead of being denied and having to wait longer. I got a call last year thanking me for 100 platelet donations.

-------------

Lunch buddies mentoring program - I had lunch with the same awesome kid for two years during their journey through elementary school. When they moved schools I never picked up another lunch buddy, but I still am able to keep tabs on my former throughout their journey so long as they remain in NMPS. I'm rooting hard for them to graduate.

Volunteer tutoring math. Used to do this all throughout high school and college. Thankfully my new company has such a focus on community that I've been able to connect with a volunteer placement organization and will be starting up again in the fall!

 
I donate to United every pay. Once a quarter, I do some time at The Fisher House or Food Bank. Not a lot, but better than nothing I guess. I definitely could do more.

 
I often think about how we really don’t do anything other than donate to some charities. It feels like between having small kids at home and a demanding work schedule, sometimes I can barely keep together the basic demands under my own roof, let alone make the time to get out and help others.  One day I hope. 

Kudos to you guys who do it. Great stuff. 

 
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Aside from the stuff everyone has probably posted, I do 2 things that I get a kick out of:

I launder/funnel $10's of thousands a year in devices and products to doctors doing pro bono in struggling countries.

My favorite thing of all, especially this time of year - I take a handful of waters and keep them in a cooler in my car.  Instead of $ I give beggars cold water, they seem to appreciate it.

eta - except for the beggars that aren't happy with the one water and ask for all of my waters.  Those beggars can suck it.

 
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-established an annual scholarship award at my wife’s old HS in memory of her mom

-drive for meals on wheels 

throughout the year perform random anonymous acts, such as paying pet adoption fees, donating toys and supplies, donating to donors choose to finish projects, etc.

 

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