HELPING OTHERS: There are lots of ways you can give the little back this Xmas (Image: Aaron Amat/Getty)
Christmas is a time of feasting and indulgence, when families gather to open gifts, drink and eat rather too much, then snooze in front of Christmas specials on the telly.
But December 25 is not like that for everyone. For those who cannot be with loved ones, it can be the most lonely time of the year, while financial pressures mean that many are worried about how they will afford food and presents this year.
Coming out of the pandemic and with the Cost of Living crisis upon us, now more than ever is the time to embrace the true spirit associated with Christmas and think if there’s something, big or small, we can do to help others.
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1 Food glorious food
Food banks provide an essential lifeline to those experiencing hardship. Many people are usually facing impossible decisions this winter, having to choose between staying warm or buying food. As the cost of living rises, donations are falling, yet more and more people are needing help.
Check out InYourArea’s ‘About my area section’ for contact details with regard to food banking institutions near you. Often they will mention which items are the majority of needed – usually tinned tomatoes plus soup, pasta and rice, cereal and biscuits, tea bags plus instant coffee – and where they should be taken.
2 Warm welcome
Right now, thousands of people are worrying about how to pay the bills and keep a roof over their head. Every year Crisis at Xmas opens its doors to people who are facing homelessness, offering the safe, warm and friendly place over the festive season.
Last year, thanks to generous supporters plus 1, 860 dedicated volunteers, the charity provided hotel accommodation, hub services, meals and wellbeing packs for around 2, 000 people on the Christmas period – but that’s just the start of specialist support that lasts all 12 months round, helping people leave homelessness behind.
Find out more about Crisis at Christmas or even make a donation here .
3 Random acts of attention
Simple, unexpected acts associated with kindness from Christmas can put a smile on a stranger’s face and give you the nice comfortable fuzzy feeling too. It doesn’t have in order to be anything dramatic or expensive:
- Give a tip to a friendly waiter or even barista
- Give up your seat to someone on the busy bus or train
- Thank and smile with shop assistants
- Leave a gift for your binmen or postie
- Offer to assist someone struggling with the buggy
- Pick up groceries for an elderly or even vulnerable neighbour
- Compliment a fellow shopper if they are wearing a particularly nice woolly hat.
4 Charity crackers
Advent of Change make donations in order to 24 charities when you buy their special Christmas crackers, Introduction calendars plus candles.
Now you can assistance charities while enjoying your Christmas dinner. Inside each of the particular six crackers you’ll discover which particular charity you’ve helped and a cardboard bauble you can hang upon your tree, detailing exactly how your donation has helped those in need.
As well as a traditional paper head wear, the non-profit social enterprise has teamed up with celebrities to write brilliantly bad jokes regarding the veggies. More than 80 per cent of proceeds from the purchase go directly to charitable organisation.
Crackers are available from John Lewis plus Waitrose and you can find away about all the Advent associated with Change products and the charities these people support here .
5 Helping hands
Across the UK, teams of dedicated volunteers help supply foods banks with goods through local supermarkets and collection points. More than 28, 500 people volunteer across the particular Trussell Trust network – from warehouse assistants and delivery drivers, to PR coordinators plus parcel packers.
Without the legion of volunteers, the Trussell Believe in ’s food banks simply wouldn’t exist and the hundreds of thousands of people they will help each year wouldn’t receive the particular support they need.
Whether you want to commit a few days a week or the few hours a month, your own support may make a real difference. To find out about the different methods for you to volunteer with the Trussell Rely on, visit right here .
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6 Time to talk
One million older people in the particular UK will be eating supper alone on Christmas Day, according to a survey by Age UK. Getting older and spending more time on your own can sometimes feel lonely, boring or make a person miss friends or family.
But no one should have to feel alone. Age group UK’s vital telephone services are there to provide friendship, guidance plus support. Last year, thousands of over-60s enjoyed weekly chats with volunteers, from the comfort associated with home, and more compared to 200, 000 calls were taken by The Silver Line’s 24-hour helpline service.
Your support could help a good older person feel less alone this particular winter. Find out more about supporting Age UK’s telephone services here .
7 Festive fundraising
Change the life this Christmas simply by organising a festive fundraiser in aid of the particular Alzheimer’s Society. From a movie night in order to mince pie sales, by raising some cash this particular festive time of year you will truly become making a difference to people living with dementia.
- Host a carol concert within your local hall, living room or online
- Test your own knowledge along with a Quiz Kringle
- Get cosy with a festive movie night
- Take your Secret Santa to the street plus include your neighbours.
Kickstart your own Christmassy fundraising journey simply by downloading the particular Alzheimer’s Community festive suggestions here .
8 Everyone needs some thing to unwrap
Help spread the joy of Xmas to family members whose children would otherwise not receive a gift. Numerous Salvation Army churches and centres across the UK is going to be collecting donated presents until mid-December. This year they are expecting the number of families requesting help to rise as a result of the particular cost associated with living problems.
Over the years, millions of kids and young people have benefited from brand new toys plus gifts given to The Salvation Military. Here are some ideas:
- Up to 3 years: dolls, teddy bears, cot mobiles, baby clothes, bath toys, puzzles
- 3 to five years: plaything and action figures, toy cars, CDs of music and nursery rhymes, colouring sets, pencils, crayons, books, puzzles
- 5 to 9 years: educational games and toys, coloring sets, pencils, crayons, family-friendly DVDs, books, puzzles, wordsearches, crosswords
- nine to 12 years: games and playthings, stationery, DVDs, books, t-shirts, hair accessories, gloves, scarves, hats
- 13 to 16 years: publications, make-up plus toiletries, gloves, scarves, hats, t-shirts, hair accessories and gift vouchers
Contact your local Salvation Army to find out where to donate your gift and there is more information about the Christmas Present Appeal here .
9 Eco-friendlier festivities
Festive decorations and elaborately wrapped presents look wonderful but the environmental cost can be quite dramatic. We bin an eye-watering 227, 000 miles of wrapping paper every year but , fortunately, there are simple things that cut down on waste.
- Buy cards plus wrapping paper which can be recycled – shiny metallic and glitter varieties of paper can’t go in the recycling bin
- Avoid sparkles – glitter may be pretty on cards and adornments but the tiny reflective pieces of plastic never break down, harming the environment
- Remove all sticky tape and embellishments from credit cards and covering before you recycle your festive waste.
The World Wildlife Fund has a green gift guide and top tips intended for a sustainable Christmas right here .
10 The present of life
Demand to get life-saving blood donations doesn’t slow down on Christmas. If you’re fit and healthy, aged more than 17, plus weigh over seven stone 12 pounds (or 50kg) you should be able to give bloodstream.
The whole experience is relatively quick and is one of the many selfless and rewarding things you may do – plus you get a well-deserved cup of green tea and the biscuit afterwards. Learn more about giving blood here .
You could also sign up to allow your organs in order to be contributed after your own death via the NHS Organ Donor Register here .
11 Volunteering isn’t just for Christmas
Volunteering at community events within the holiday time period helps transform the lives of many people. Websites of individual charities are usually a good way to find seasonal opportunities, plus links in order to festive fundraisers and community collections.
But in case you are looking for a way to volunteer throughout the yr, Do It is the networking site with a nationwide database associated with projects, activities, groups plus events in order to match against your skills and interests.
Opportunities include:
Discover the particular wide range of volunteering placements at Do It, right here .
