The Season of Giving VS Covid
For many people, the holiday season is a time of giving and helping their community. While presents are often the way to spread holiday cheer, the best gift you can give is helping people who are not as fortunate. There are many safe way you can give back this holiday season.
Give Back to the Children
There are many children who are going without essential items during the pandemic. This time of year is the coldest and hardest to get through if you do not have the proper clothing or food. There are ways you can help and still follow corona virus regulations. Donating new, unwrapped gifts or asking if local charities accept used toys or clothing
- Donating new, unwrapped gifts or ask your local charities if they accept used toys and clothing.
- Finding out if any of your regular purchases or activities can benefit children: For example, you can go to a charity’s Amazon wish list of items that they need and order them, or donate your frequent flier miles to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
- Providing virtual tutoring for students or donating money, equipment or time to close the gap between technology and students who need it for virtual or in-person schooling.
Food Drives
Money can be extremely tight during the holidays, especially with the coronavirus causing many people to become unemployed. You can collect any non perishable foods such as cereal, canned beans, pasta, rice, or peanut butter and deliver them to a food bank. You can ask your family and friends if they have any canned goods they could spare. Even a social media post could help you raise awareness of food banks in need this holiday season.
Food banks are struggling now more than ever. They have more people in need and less food to give. If you want to find a food bank near you please visit https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank.
Donate Blood
When you donate blood, you are performing a lifesaving service. Donating blood does have criteria you must meet to be eligiable.
Blood donation is a safe process, regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and the American Association of Blood Banks to make sure the donor, blood supply and recipient stay protected. Donations are essential for trauma patients and people undergoing a variety of situations, including surgeries, transplants, chronic illnesses, blood disorders and cancer.
Even if you have had or are recovering from covid your blood could save people’s lives. the plasma in your blood may contain covid antibodies that can attack the virus. This plasma is being looked at as a possible treatment for current covid patients, so your donation could help save the lives of patients battling this disease.
Help yourself
In order to help others, you have to help yourself first.
- Get a flu shot, which will lower your likelihood of catching the flu.
- Make hand hygiene a priority by washing your hands with soap and water or using hand sanitizer.
- Eat healthy foods, which will boost your immune system.
- Wear a face mask over your mouth and nose when you can’t be at least 6 feet away from others to prevent the spread of covid and other illnesses.
- Avoid close contact with people who don’t live in your house.
Our country is still attempting to heal from a pandemic. It’s not easy to keep spirits up during these hard times. It will get easier if we come together to support and lift everyone who is struggling right now.
