Do you want to care for your community, but feel like the problems are too big to address?
The burden feels heavy and the responsibility overwhelming. It’s hard to know how to even begin.
For at-risk youth, families in need, veterans, and children in the foster care system, specific donations you contribute can make a world of difference for that person or child.
Here are 5 things you can pick up today to help someone in your community.
Diapers
1 in 3 families struggles with getting enough diapers.
When a foster family or adoptive parent suddenly and unexpectedly gets a placement with a baby or toddler, diapers are their immediate and urgent need. New parents need diapers to keep their baby healthy and safe, but diapers are too expensive for many low-income families or single moms.
Donating a variety of sized diapers and baby wipes to support networks is a great way to support families and help take care of children in need.
Clothes
Everyone needs clothes to wear, but affordable and durable clothes can be expensive for families trying to clothe growing kids. Shoes, socks, coats, and underwear are necessities that make a world of difference for families and individuals who need them most.
In Colorado, clothes for the harsh winter weather help kids stay healthy and safe. Donating clothes that are in good condition is an important way to help your local community stay warm, comfortable, and cared for in the midst of a crisis.
Food
Did you know that 1 in 10 US households was food insecure sometime last year?
Food is one of the first and most important ways to donate to those in need in our communities. Hunger in children is closely linked to poor health and poor school performance. In adults, food insecurity can lead to obesity and diabetes. Giving people a reliable source of food improves family’s mental and physical health.
Here are some of the top foods to donate in your community:
Canned vegetables
Fresh produce
Canned fish or lean protein
Whole grain breakfast cereals
Baby formula
Your food donations can help people in the most dire of situations.
Furniture
Furniture may surprise you as an important donation, but furniture donations can help people who are in between homes, getting back on their feet, exiting homelessness, or moving to a new community.
Furniture donations can include anything from chairs and tables, to cribs, highchairs, and mattresses.
Donating furniture can help foster families, veterans, single parents, and even those who have been removed from their homes due to natural disasters or housing emergencies.
Direct Cash Donations
One of the best ways to help someone get back on their feet is through cash donations. Many families have critical needs that cannot be met through a physical donation.
Cash donations can help families with rent, devastating medical bills, utilities, adoption fees, or insurance can only be paid through direct cash donations to in-need families and individuals.