Six Ways to Give Charity This Christmas

A joyous occasion such as Christmas envelopes everything in its wholesome warmth. It is an occasion to laugh, to celebrate, and spend time with your loved ones. Not all of us can get into the holiday spirit though. Some people have big burdens to bear. This is why the yuletide season is a great time to try and lessen each other’s burdens. Here are six ways you can give charity this Christmas, to light up someone’s Christmas day:

Volunteer:

As we count our blessings this Christmas, together with our families, gathered around a warm fire or a table laid with dinner, we should remember those who do not have someone to share the holidays with or a roof over their heads. The holiday season can be hard on people living in homeless shelters, for example. Your time as a volunteer can mean so much. You can arrange for food, presents, or even just spend time having a genuine conversation with someone there.

Another great place to volunteer is nursing home to give charity this Christmas. There are many old people there without families who have many colorful stories to tell but no one to listen to. Spending time with them, lending an ear to what they have to say or just a casual cup of coffee or a game of chess could light up their day. Better yet, you could volunteer as a family and take your children with you, if you have them. Aged people in nursing homes can really miss their grandchildren, especially around the holiday season. If their own family is unable to visit, you could fill in for them. This form of charity wouldn’t cost you anything but could bring immense happiness to someone.

Run a Marathon:

More and more people are realizing the benefits of running nowadays. It keeps you fit, connects you with nature, and invigorates your day. As running gains more popularity, so does running for charity. Charity marathons are a great way to raise money for your favorite charity. A marathon event not only raises money but also generates buzz for your charity, helping it become more well-known in your community.  The best part is that you can participate even if you aren’t a seasoned runner because there are many types of runs to choose from. You can choose the distance you want to run and you can even opt to walk or jog instead of running.

How running for charity works is that a few months before enrolling in a marathon, you start gathering sponsors. These could be your family members, friends, colleagues, or anyone around you who is interested. Each sponsor pledges an amount that could range from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars. You could also ask them to pledge a certain amount per mile or kilometer so that the more you run, the more you earn for charity. These funds can be collected in the form of checks, cash or you could simply ask your sponsors to pledge online on a crowdfunding platform.

Running for charity is a win-win. You get numerous personal benefits and a sense of purpose, all while working for the greater good. To find out about a charity marathon near you, run for charity is a good online resource.

Sponsor a Deserving Patient’s Medical Treatment:

Naturally, everyone wants to be healthy and up and about for the holiday season. What better gift to give to someone than a gift of health? There are so many patients in need of urgent medical help who cannot afford it, especially in developing countries like Pakistan.

Transparent Hands is the largest technology platform for crowdfunding in the healthcare sector of Pakistan. It offers a complete range of free healthcare services including medical and surgical treatments, medical camps and tele-health facility to the underprivileged community of Pakistan. The platform provides visibility of needy patients and builds a personal and trusted bond between patients and donors while ensuring complete transparency. It also sets up free medical camps in the rural areas of Pakistan in which, free medical consultation, free medicines and free diagnostic tests are provided to the deserving patients.

Donors from all over the world can use this online crowdfunding web portal and donate through 100% secure payment modes. You could select any patient, fund the treatment and receive regular feedback and updates until the patient is recovered completely.

Related Articles:

• List of Top 19 Charity Foundations in USA

• Top 5 Charity Organizations Providing Free Medical Care to People in Need in Pakistan from UK
• Top 5 Charity Organizations Providing Free Medical Care to People in Need in Pakistan from Australia
• Top 5 Online Christmas Charity Organizations You Can Donate to

Donate Blood:

While we may have the gift of health by our side, not everyone around us has the same privilege. Some of our fellow humans may be lying in wait for a blood transfusion. Just taking half an hour to an hour out of your day this Christmas (give charity this Christmas) season can save somebody’s life. If you have a rare blood group like O- or AB-, all the better because these types are not readily available in blood banks.

Sometimes, after losing too many red blood cells, the body can run short of oxygen, leaving you feeling slightly weak and dizzy. If you are unable to donate for such reasons, you can also opt for Apheresis, a process in which only components of your blood are taken out for donation and the rest is returned to your body. Opting for plasmapheresis to donate just your plasma or plateletpheresis to just donate your platelets are two viable options.

To find out who is in need of blood, or about a local blood drive, simply visit redcrossblood online.  Here, you will also find out the eligibility criteria for blood, plasma or platelet donation. While donating blood, also make sure that the whole process is safe and sanitary, brand new needles are being used and disposed of in the proper way and standard tests on you are conducted to make sure your blood is suitable for donation.

If you are not eligible for donating blood or are just dead scared of needles, keep reading for something else you can donate.

Donate Hair:

Planning to change your hairdo this Christmas? Well, if you are chopping off 10 inches or more, you may just qualify to donate that hair. All you need to do is to wash and dry your hair and put it in a ponytail before cutting it off (or ask your hairdresser to do this). You can then package the ponytail and mail it to some of the top NGOs in the US for hair donation like Wigs for Kids or Hair We Share. They will use it to make natural hair wigs for people who cannot afford wigs but are in need of them, such as those suffering from cancer or alopecia.

So, if you are thinking of getting rid of your hair anyway, this is a great way to help make someone feel a little more confident about themselves this season, at absolutely zero cost to you.

Give Back to Nature:

Keeping our environment healthy is a charity too and give charity this Christmas. It contributes toward the combined good of mankind and our planet. What with our ever-increasing carbon footprint, Mother Earth is in dire need of balance. One way to restore balance is by taking care of our trees and planting more. This Christmas, you could turn to plant trees into a family or even a community charity activity. The greener the planet, the better for all of us!