Small Acts of Kindness with Big Impact
With reports of celebrities like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie donating $1 million to aid Haiti it may seem as if small businesses and individuals with limited resources can do little to impact Haiti or others in dire need of help. However, there are many ways that almost anyone can help. There are many nonprofit organizations that depend on volunteers to give as little as 1 hour of time. Other organizations accept donations of canned food and clothes. In response to the earthquake in Haiti, we are seeing how organizations like Yele Haiti is working with cell phone providers to accept donations of just $5 through texting that will go to helping Haiti.On December 29, 2009, a group of volunteers led by Stacey M Design volunteered at the Aurora, IL office of Feed My Starving Children. We helped pack food that would be sent to various countries in critical need of resources. The group of volunteers who worked the shift that we worked packed 68 boxes of food that will make 14,688 meals. This food will feed 40 children 1 meal a day for a year. Haiti is one of the countries that receives food from Feed My Starving Children.
I found this experience both educational and rewarding in many different ways. I was reminded of the suffering many children experience both in this country and around the world. I got to see so many people of different ages, races and backgrounds work together toward a common goal. I was reminded that while all of us do not have the power associated with celebrity, big business, politics and money, we all do have the power to make a difference.
I look forward to working with Feed My Starving Children again. I also look forward to mobilizing my small ground of friends and family members to volunteer for other causes as much as we can.
Please post small ways to help that have big impact! Thanks!
Stacey Montgomery
Stacey M Design
Labels: Feed My Starving Children, Haiti, Stacey M Design, volunteer
posted by StaceyMDesign at Thursday, January 14, 2010
13 Comments:
anyone can buy or sell an item on eBay to help Haiti or any of their favorite charities. i use their program to help support charities that are important to me. you can volunteer in your community to help nonprofits. i am a volunteer art teacher at my sisters program - she has autism. just a couple of hours of your time, a few times a month will make all the difference in the world. find something that you are passionate about and help.
I agree with everything you said.Sometimes people feel so helpless after seeing things like Hati and seeing actors such as Brad Pitt give huge amounts of money which is good sometimes make others feel I can't give that much so why try.But let me say this having the heart of a servant by giving of your time a hug a smile can makeup for so much that you do not have as far as giving money.So many are already going through themselves and think they can't afford to give .Think of your time as as a gift people who are helping with food,clothes etc they need all the help they can get right now.Just being there as a friend to someone who is from hati cooking them a meal says alot.Hope that was not too long.Just don't compare yourself to someone who can give 1 million dollars cause your dollar adds with another persons dollar and if enough people give a dollar it will add to a million:)
Thanks, Betty, for the great ideas! I love the volunteer art teacher concept. For those who have lost their jobs and are looking for new jobs, if you have time to do some volunteer work, you can add that to your resume. Just another way volunteerism is beneficial to everyone! :-)
Stacey Montgomery
Stacey M Design
Thanks Africa! Also, if you do not think that small monetary donations do not really make an impact, think again. Check out how the organization uses money donated. Nonprofit's websites often provide a breakdown as to how donations are spent. For example, with Feed My Starving Children, $30 feeds 6 children for an entire month!
Stacey Montgomery
Stacey M Design
I received a request for more details about Feed My Starving Children, so I decided to post the details. The website is: www.fmsc.org. If you want to volunteer, check out the website for locations. There happens to be one in Aurora, IL near where I live. On the website you can sign up a for a time to have a group of at least 10 volunteer. I organized a group of friends and family members to go. I have also volunteered with my son's Boy Scout Pack.
I have heard of kids volunteering as a birthday party activity, schools going, families getting together to go, church groups, etc. In some areas you have to sign up months in advance.
Stacey Montgomery
Stacey M Design
Hi Stacey,
Here is another small act of kindness.
http://www.thesenderofcards.com/2009/06/send-greeting-cards-through-soldiers.html
Thank you for passing on the information about the Soldier's Angel Program.
Stacey Montgomery
Stacey M Design
Thanks for making a big difference in our "little" neighborhood, Earth.
Ron
Greeting Card Professionals Yahoo group
http://inspiredbyron.blogspot.com/
Thanks you, Ron!! Love your blog!
Stacey Montgomery
Stacey M Design
I am an artist that actually started my own foundation ~ New England Arts For Animals http://www.neartsforanimals.org . Through sales of NEAFA artists works we help support therapy, service and companion animals of all kinds, the people who need them and the programs that support them. Membership is open to anyone who supports our mission, as well as people in all of the creative arts, and animal lovers. It is not limited to New England (it just started out that way!) We have members from all over the country now. In under 2 years we were able to give out 3 grants: One supporting a female war veteran get her assistance dog, one providing a scholarship to a young girl (from a tough family situation) to enable her to do therapeutic horseback riding and one to a wildlife center's outreach program bringing wild animals into schools and nursing homes. This year we hope to help the local animal shelter, as well as a local group that teaches your animal to become a therapy animal, as well as others. We have also received our first grant from a major US corporation. Please check out our website--there will be a call for artists soon and contact me if you are interested.
Hi Jill:
What a great organization you have founded. Keep up the wonderful work!
Stacey Montgomery
Stacey M Design
Stacey,
I just booked my daughter and friends for an afternoon at Feed My Starving Children as a birthday activity. Do you have any more details on the birthday idea? Did they go out to eat? Did the children bring gifts for the birthday person? I'm thinking of making t-shirts for the girls using the FMSC logo as their parting gift. We go in a week.
Barb
Hi Barbara:
What a great way to celebrate! Every time I have gone there was at least one group of kids celebrating a birthday. However, I have not ever gone with a group celebrating a birthday. My guess is that after volunteering the kids go to another place for lunch, cake and opening of birthday gifts. I also think that in some instances kids are asked to make a donation to FMSC in lieu of bringing a birthday gift.
You might want to call FMSC to see if they have any thoughts on what people often do.
I like the idea of t-shirts. I provided t-shirts for my group when we went. I made them myself using t-shirt transfer paper.
Have a great time!
Stacey
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