The holiday season is here. In the United States, the end of November is synonymous with Thanksgiving and shopping deals. It is a wonderful time to take inventory of all the blessings The LORD God has bestowed upon you and your family in the last year. This is also a great season to help the less fortunate. Although you can check with your county’s local relief organizations for ideas, you can also plan your own outreach event as a family! Here are some suggestions:
- Invite a single and/or widowed individual to your thanksgiving celebrations.
- Call a friend or family member whom you haven’t spoken to in a while.
- Package sandwiches and bottled water, and distribute to the homeless.
- Hand out blankets and gently-used (and new) coats to the homeless.
- Call up your local animal shelter and see if they accept unwanted pet toys and blankets that you may have.
- Donate funds to one or a few charitable organizations of your choice.
- Volunteer with a local soup kitchen in your community.
- Donate unused new and gently-used clothes to local organizations.
- Surprise a friend or family member with a gift basket “just because.”
- Encourage the children to write thank you and encouragement cards to servicemen and women.
We do not suggest you should wait for the holidays to help others, but this season can be especially difficult for many people for different reasons. Whatever you do, find a creative way to help someone else while you are giving thanks for all that The LORD has done. From our place to yours, have a truly happy thanksgiving day and season.
