Charity work and volunteering...

[Beekissed]

Free, I would have loved to do that! What an opportunity to share your skills!

We had a thread about this some time ago but it kind of petered out somewhere.....

I would love to do much more than I do, but working all the time kind of puts a damper on a lot of what I would LIKE to do with my time! Now I sort of consider my job as a sort of volunteering....my pay is the lowest I've made in many years and I have no benefits. My hours are not normal and I give way more than I ever get paid for, so I try to reason that my job is also a sort of ministry for me. That makes me feel better about earning so little and working so long....is that allowed?

Hospice work has so many opportunities to give more than just what the job requires, so I'm guessing that God has placed me here for a reason. With that thought in my mind, I don't worry about the low pay and lack of health benefits. God will provide!

I really only like to contribute to those types of projects that benefit my local community. I've always felt that, if one cannot take care of your family and community, it doesn't make any sense to send your money to some other place. If everyone would take care of their local community, no one would NEED to send money to others except in the event of disasters and such.

I donate money and two days of extremely hard work to the firewood ministry that our church does. People come from as far as New York and D.C. to work with us and we provide wood for people in two counties. Some of these people cannot afford wood, nor can they cut their own anymore due to health reasons. I wish more local churches would join funds and work with us for this very worthy ministry.

I am trying to get my church to have a garden ministry but they just do not want one. Very frustrating!

I also donate food and fresh eggs to the local Christian Assistance Network as often as I can...as they helped me one winter when I was out of work and out of food. For that I was extremely grateful and you could never know how that few bags of food helped my flagging spirits!

My kids and I also donate work to those who need it and cannot afford to hire it. We don't have much money but we do have strong bodies that can work, so this is what we usually give.

Sometimes I run across a single mom in need of money for car repairs or utilities and I always try to help them if I can. I've been there and it isn't a good place to be. Many a night I cried into my pillow worrying about how to keep a roof over my kids' heads and food on our table. I thank God for all the good Samaritans who helped me in little ways over the years!

I happen to think that volunteering and helping others keeps one's soul healthy. It really feels good to help others in this life! I have been taken advantage of a time or two over the years when I helped someone, but it didn't take away from the feeling I got giving of myself. I didn't really do it for THEM, but for me.

I know that sounds selfish but I like to give. Of course, it makes it sooooo much better if you can give to someone who appreciates it but I still feel good helping others.

 

[MorelCabin]

The most amazing thing happened to me yesterday, speaking of charity...
My grandaughter has a defect in her feet called matitosis or something like that. Anyway, the bottome line is that her feet curve inward from the middle to the toe and she toes in really bad. My MIL said the old way of fixing this problem is to buy her a good sturdy pair of walking shoes and put them on the wrong feet for a few hours a day for the next few months.
So there is only one shoe store I could think of that might carry the old style leather walking shoes, and I was just hoping we could find something to fit a four month old. Well, the man who owns the store had a look at her and agreed that it would probably work, but to start soon before her bones start to harden. He had a pair in the back, just what I was looking for! And you know what...he actually GAVE them to my grandaughter. That act of kindness touched me more than he'll ever know! I know where I will be buying her shoes as she grows older:>)

 

[Beekissed]

How nice! Morel, do they have Shriners in Canada? She needs a pair of straight-last shoes on a bar to sleep in at night. She may have internal rotation at the hip or even at the tibia. The Shriners in the States pays for these kind of things and helps them get to their fittings and everything.

I had two children with this type of thing. Putting the shoes on the opposite feet may help also but use thick, cushy socks so they won't rub her. Straight-last shoes that are designed for this are completely straight...no curve in or outwardly.

 

[Blackbird]

We used to donate some of our garden produce, canned goods, and fresh eggs, but now every place denies us because the food isn't 'FDA Approved'. Which IMO is really sad because there are people out there that would LOVE to have some food. I can understand why they do it, but its still sad. Now if we give anything, its canned goods. Occasionaly we give REAL food to elderly nieghbors and people in town that still live at home if we know them personally.
We also used to do a lot of volunteer work with the church, such as packaging food for children around the world, cleaning up the nieghborhood, helping the elderly and other community work, but now the church isn't that friendly and I don't take religion classes anymore.

When I was in public school I knew a kid who would eat food off the floor. He would walk around the lunch room looking for food laying around - while other kids would be throwing food at eachother. His parent's had enough money to sign up for the lunch program but apparently they didn't have enough money to buy food otherwise. I would always share some of my food. Nice kid and all, just really hungry. Occasionally I still see him, he's really skinny. His mom actually won the lottery a couple years ago, but I heard she gambled all of it away, got herself a new car, and went on a trip.

 

[Beekissed]

BB, that's so sad that I'm crying. How very heartrending that must have been for you to watch! It makes me sad and very mad!

I also have heard the whole bit about not being USDA approved but, thank God, they aren't that into rules in this county. They sort of march to the beat of a different drummer here. But that makes me sad that they actually turn away good food out of fear of lawsuits.

 

[big brown horse]

Just had a chance to catch up with this thread.

Kathyschix, that was really special. Those photos are so beautiful.

Morel, I'm so thankful you found the shoes you just happened to need at the time.

Bee, I think what you do for a living is the most wonderful job on the planet and at the same time the hardest. I had a dear friend that I lost this year to brain cancer, she was in hospice care and those nurses were angels.

BB, that story breaks my heart over and over again. I want you to give that poor boy my address and I will take him in and feed him! That mother should be !!! (Have you ever read White Oleanders? Gotta read it, the movie stunk.)

Free, thank you for risking your life at ground zero... I also hope you never have to do that ever again, but thank you. My cousin drove his dump truck there from Wisconsin and helped with the clean up too. I was soo proud of him...

Simply40's, thank you for caring for unwanted animals. CASA is a great orginazation I have heard really good things about it.

 

[HiDelight]

I do and will continue to ...adopt rescued pit bulls that is at least 10 years of hard volunteer work!

people always consider the fosters and the rescue groups to be the main volunteers in all of this..but I am here to tell you ANYONE who adopts a rescued animal is doing a volunteer service to improve this world
and since we are the "forever home" then we should get credit for doing good work!
also ...

I collect these tiny bandage kits from work ..
to give to homeless and addicts
they are perfect size kits for blisters or even to clean a site before using ...(sad but true)

they are packaged with an injectable drug I give and people were tossing them out ..so I just regifted win win! I am going to hit the dollar store and see if I can find antiseptic hand wipes to put in the kit

(thanks for the reminder I have a big box of these right now just sitting here waiting to go)


there are other things that can be and I do them as they come up ..I do not ever think you should have to plan a long term commitment to anything you can do little things that add up

oh my biggest claim to fame is one year I set up nursing kits for all the Red Cross shelters in our county ..that was kind of fun actually a lot of work but fun

oh and one of the most fun things to do as a volunteer is when you do something you enjoy anyway and it benefits something/one else...such as picking up trash! ..it is amazing the trails you can find out about ..the guideed hikes you can go on ... you can get free scuba trips if you volunteer for underwater clean ups! I found this out by accident while visiting my folks one time ..we volunteered got to dive and pick up trash ..very fun then got two free dives for cleaning up the trash! so I have done research and stumbled into other times like this..also volunteered for beach or trail clean ups and gotten a wonderful pre season choice of the campground spaces in return! ..most hikers pick up trash on the trail so why not pick it up on a trip someplace wonderful! and in turn save on yoru trip?

volunteership is a way of life for some people ..imagine living for a block of time in a National Park every year? I would love to do that!

 

[Wifezilla]

I am trying to get my church to have a garden ministry but they just do not want one. Very frustrating!

This blows my mind. A garden could teach so many people self sufficiency rather then having someone just receive a handout.

 

[kathyschix]

Thanks Free and bbh!

I love seeing all the different types of things people are doing. Every little bit helps!