7 ways for how to give back during the holidays in the middle of a pandemic.

The upcoming holiday season may well feel quite different than the merry and jolly time that typically denotes the end of the year. That’s exactly why this year, it’s especially important to know how to give back during the holidays to communities and groups who need extra support, love, and care.

There are several ways for how to give back during the holidays during a pandemic. Below, find seven ideas for safely supporting local communities, marginalized folks, and anyone in need during the 2020 holiday season.

1. Write letters to essential workers, the elderly, and incarcerated individuals

The holidays can be a frustrating, lonely, and upsetting time for those who are away from their families and loved ones or not celebrating for one reason or another. With that in mind, spend some of your free time writing “thank you” letters to health-care US / Health-care UK and frontline workers, holiday cards to seniors in retirement homes, notes to incarcerated people through the Prisoner Correspondence Project US, / Stay in touch UK  or those who may be experiencing intense feelings of loneliness or anxiety this upcoming winter through organizations like Letters Against Depression, Age UK, and Letters of Love.

2. Donate (in any number of ways) to communities in need

Help out your local animal shelter–Donate a blanket, food, or toys (Utah Human Society, RSPCA UK, Animal-Kind International Armenia.)

Help One Refugee students with tuition, textbooks, and other resources to help them succeed in college and prepare for the future. Donate to Utah’s largest not-for-profit, Utah Youth Village, which provides programs for children and families that are going through a difficult time. OR if EMEA based, we support Spotlight UK in the UK who support and help the youth in the local area. however, please support those in your local area if you wish. 

Are you planning to clean out your closet before the New Year? Do you have nonperishables sitting in your pantry that you’ll never eat? Consider donating clothes, toys, and food to local organizations in need. There’s also a current shortage in blood donations due to the pandemic, so donating blood is another no-cost way to give back, if you’re able to do so.

Google companies that are in your area who are accepting donations that directly support various marginalized individuals and communities that have been affected by COVID-19, including those who are immunocompromised; Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC); and LGBTQ+. For some ideas for where to donate, check out the Salvation Army, CSL Plasma, and the American Red Cross. Please refer to EMEA specific websites. 

3. Support causes you care about on social media

Social media has the power to boost awareness for and positively affect important causes. So, this holiday season, share and promote the charities and causes that you believe in by signal boosting on your various platforms. Another way you can use social media to support others in need? Use Facebook Marketplace to purchase items from small business owners and neighbors in your local area who may need the money during this uncertain time.

4. Volunteer your time to local non-profit organizations

Points of Light Engage pulls volunteer opportunities from sites around the web to provide the most comprehensive database of volunteer opportunities around the world. VolunteerMatch provides a hub to explore hundreds of virtual volunteer opportunities in cause areas like health and medicine, education, and community building, that you can do from a computer, from home, or anywhere. You can also participate in local charity drives, events, and workshops held by various organizations, like LGBTQ+ equality foundation Human Rights Campaign or Reveal Beauty, which works to empower woman-identifying victims of sex trafficking and domestic violence. 

EMEA please find a non-profit in your area if this is something you would like to do. 

5. Offer your services for free in a virtual space

Take your skills to the internet, and host Zoom workshops and online events to benefit your community. Lead yoga classes or meditation sessions. Edit resumes for unemployed job seekers. If you’re a writer and have the availability, create content for non-profits and organizations in need. No matter your skillset, you are likely able to offer a service to those in need.

6. Buy holiday gifts from brands that give back

If buying (or sending) holiday gifts for friends and family is still on your radar, double down by purchasing them from organizations that will give back on your behalf. Below are a few ideas:

• Buy a gift for your furry friend. Found My Animal supports numerous animal shelters and charities across the United States and has started the Rescue Orange Project, which sees them donate an orange leash to a dog in need for each one sold. And if you are looking to adopt, they have a section on their website dedicated to animals looking for homes.
• Gift a backpack to your best friend who loves to hike from Adventurist Backpack Co., which provides meals to families in need by partnering with non-profit Feeding America.
• World Vision gives gifts that empower kids to create lasting change. Honor loved ones with a free personalized card.
• Send scented Pomegranate and Champagne candles to your parents from Bright Endeavors, which hires young mothers from marginalized communities and trains them to handcraft sustainable soy candles as a means to cultivate economic security (with 100 percent of proceeds going back to the program).
• Like the convenience of Amazon but still want to give back? AmazonSmile is an easy way to support your favorite charity while browsing the same products and paying the same price as you would normally.

7. Be kind

Above all else, practice gratitude and kindness this holiday season. You can do this by engaging in friendly conversation with (or expressing a heartfelt thank you to) the cashier at your grocery store, showing extra compassion to your co-workers during virtual work meetings, and packing homemade gift baskets and dropping them off on the doorsteps of friends’ and neighbors’ homes, for just a few examples. You never know what people are going through, and this especially rings true throughout 2020. A little bit of positivity can go a long way and help to spread some much-needed cheer during the end of a very challenging year.