Can you really help others when you don’t think you’ve got any time to give?
In 15 minutes or less, you can….
-Hold open a door for someone
-Help someone carry something
-Clean out your closet and donate the items to charity
-Scrape your neighbors windshield
-Clean up trash
-Smile at a stranger
If you’ve got up to 30 minutes you can :
-Drop off canned goods at your local food bank
-Read a story to children at a local library
-Call someone who is going through a rough time
-Visit seniors at a retirement home
-Weed your neighbors garden
-Write a letter to our troops
In up to an hour:
-Volunteer to serve a meal at a homeless shelter
-Put together play kits for Primary Children’s Medical Center
-Take a rescue dog for a walk
-Babysit someone’s children for free
-Make and deliver a meal
-Share a talent or profession with an outreach program
That’s something Flo McNeely knows a lot about.
“It’s just a matter of being creative and applying where it’s needed,” she said.
Flo performs acupuncture as a profession, but saw a need at the Center for Women and Children and spends an hour a week, providing a peaceful environment and sharing her talents with women in a chaotic situation.
“Holding somebody’s hand for five minutes can be life-changing so everyone has something to offer,” she said. “It makes your life so much richer.”
And if you happen to have an entire day to serve, your possibilities are as endless as your imagination.
But here are a few ideas…
-Hold a neighborhood food drive
-Organize a charity yard sale
-Take a group to volunteer at a homeless shelter
-Paint or Clean-up someone’s home
-Plan a fundraising walk for someone in need
-Donate your services to an outreach program for the day
It’s true there are only so many hours in a day…. but if you want to serve, Flo says there is time.
“It’s throwing the rock in the pond and having those circles move out,” she said. “You really don’t know who it touches.”
For information about Volunteers of America, visit www.voaut.org.
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