With the economy still in the tank, there are more families than ever that need our help this year. Our church helps several causes (which, in turn, means we do too). First, we donate gift cards to St. Columbanus Parish. The parish is very poor and could definitely use the help especially at this time of year. Their priest is Fr. Mike Knotek, and he is just awesome (he spoke at our parish earlier in the year). We also do a teddy bear drive. They donate the teddy bears to domestic violence shelters for the children there. Lastly, we also donate to PADS (public action to deliver shelter). They help the homeless out and are currently looking for socks and underwear.
We also donate to a wonderful project that Bill's work does. This is 9th Annual Toy Drive. Last year, they collected $879.00 in cash along with toys that people brought in. In all, they were able to purchase and donate over 600 pieces of toys, clothing, and coats. In addition to that, they purchased 16 small family sized dinner preparation sacks, where they put spaghetti, sauce, corn, juice, and several other non-perishable foods to a handful of families who were in need of food. Bill's company has less than 50 people who work for it, so this is awesome. The part that I love the most is that it was 2 (aff) men who came up with this. We've donated every single year, and it's such a great cause. I can't imagine a Christmas without enough food or presents under the table.
That is why I am proud to announce that I will be working with Champions For Kidsthis holiday season. Champions for Kids began with a core commitment: to improve the lives of children through the leverage of people. This year they are launching their first SIMPLE Service Project, The Champions for Kids Holiday Stocking Stuffer Party. Over 650 people have already leveraged their influence to touch the lives of over three thousand children in their communities. They are hoping to launch many more SIMPLE Service projects. If you are on Twitter, please make sure you attend the Champions for Kids Twitter party on December 15th at 9:00 EST! It is such a great cause.
In the coming weeks, you will be seeing a second post from me about Champions for Kids. I'll be creating a stocking stuffed with toys that I will be donating to the toy drive at my husbands work. I am happy to play Santa this year.
How are you giving back to your community this holiday season?
This post has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study forCollective Bias.
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