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This is the time of year when everyone is pulling out decorations, baking, dreading finals – and retailers are rolling out sales. Black Friday has become a huge cultural phenomenon; Amazon even began a week-long Black Friday campaign this year with sales for 7 days leading up to the traditional date. While you’re hunting down the perfect presents for friends this month, just remember you don’t have to spend money to bring a smile to someone’s face and it’s the perfect time of year to be kind in other ways as well. Here are 5 easy ways to give back this season without breaking the bank!
- Switch your search engine or homepage! Goodsearch.com is a Yahoo-powered search engine that donates 50% of its revenue to your favorite charity, usually about a penny per search. There’s a wide variety of charities to choose from; over 60,000 nonprofits are affiliated with Goodsearch! The Hunger Site is another great website to make free donations to charity: they donate every time you click and have tabs so you can choose literacy, ending world hunger, breast cancer research, preserving the rainforest, and more. Searching online or clicking is free and changing your internet habits just a little bit can make a big difference.
- Write a letter to a soldier! Amillionthanks.org and Operation Gratitude welcome your letters and will distribute them to military personnel (active, reserve, and veterans). Letters can really brighten the day of all the men and women serving our country, especially those far from home this holiday season, and those who gave their service already. Doublecheck the websites’ letter guidelines to make sure your letter makes it to a serviceman/woman!
- Buy a hot meal for a homeless person! It’s getting cold in Seattle, and a warm gyro or Chipotle burrito can make their chilly day a lot better. They’ll enjoy the meal and you’ll enjoy the smile on your face from this random act of kindness.
- Donate to a food bank! It’s as easy as picking up some extra cans at the store and dropping them off at one of many locations throughout Seattle (click here for a Google Maps of all the food banks in the city) Also consider donating dry or canned pet food – these items are often in lowest supply.
- Give clothing to a local women’s shelter! We all have perfectly good clothes in our closet that we just never wear…whether it was an impulse buy or just not your color, put these these items to good use and give someone in need a new outfit this holiday season by cleaning out your closet! Most shelters accept donations in person, and some will pick up for free as well – find one near you and see what their policy is.
Being a broke college student doesn’t mean you can’t give back this December! These 5 ways are a great place to start, but also consider random acts of kindness like paying for the Starbucks of the person behind you, babysitting for a busy relative, or leaving encouraging post-its for friends. It’s the thought that counts, and showing you care is the best gift.