The Holiday Blues & Give 'til It Hurts

Image via Wikipedia
In my post The Holiday Blues & What You Can Do, one of the holiday coping strategies I suggested was:

Tap into the spirit of the season: share your time, talents and unwanted items, volunteer with your church or local non-profit

Now perhaps you are mostly home-bound like me and thinking to yourself, 'How in the world can I volunteer from home?' That, my dear reader, is an excellent question for which I have quite a few answers. Surprised?

Donate Your Unwanted Items

Make your spring cleaning easier by going through your home now and collecting all the items you no longer use or want. Then donate them to one of the many non-profit organizations who will gladly accept them. Can't get the items to the donation center? Many organizations would be more than happy to pick them up at your home, especially smaller, local groups who don't receive as many donations as the big ones.

Go Online to Volunteer

I found several websites that offer you the opportunity to volunteer in your pajamas. They include:

• Volunteer Match (click search for virtual opportunities)
• Help from Home - micro volunteering
• OnlineVolunteering.org - part of the UN Volunteering service
  

Do Good While Sitting on the Couch

Some of my favorite things to do are arts and crafts projects. So naturally I've sought out volunteer opportunities that fit with my talents. Some of my favorites are:

• Stitches from the Heart - hats and blankets for premature babies
• Head Huggers - knit, crochet and sew hats for patients receiving chemotherapy
• ChemoCaps - for knitters want to make caps for cancer patients

Even More Ideas...

Finally, I found this blog post over at The Morning News that lists a few more ideas for volunteering, including knitting teddy bears, sewing a security blanket and send a card to a child with a life-threatening illness.

So reconnect with the holiday spirit by giving to others. After all, it's giving that is the heart of this season of celebration. Beat the holiday blues by making a difference in another person's life!