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Causes define the world. Worthy ideals, vital support systems: there are endless quests to choose and endless paths to take. And you… wish to experience them all. Volunteering is not a burden. Instead you consider it a value — wanting to offer your time, energy and passion to those who need it most.

Choosing just one venture seems impossible, however. You find yourself struggling to decide which cause is most important to you. Sympathy demands that you sample them all — and you do, dedicating yourself to a different philosophy each day.

The result is disastrous.

Those wishing to volunteer must refrain from over-extending themselves. Wanting to offer aid to every issue is understandable; maintaining the necessary patience, scheduling and energy for it, however, is impossible. Individuals will devote themselves to traveling between venues more than offering support.

It’s necessary to select one idea first. Volunteers — like yourself — should choose the cause that most appeals, giving all free time to it (instead of dividing their hours into useless little pieces). Narrowing the focus offers greater rewards: with individuals able to offer their complete attentions and skills.

And charities need this more than anything. Only an estimated 15 percent of the population offer their services to causes each year. This leaves many organizations without the necessary support — lacking the ability to accomplish what they need. Volunteers must therefore be fully functioning: rather than bounding from idea to idea and achieving little.

Choose one cause and reap the benefits.

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Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit, non-government organization devoted to building decent homes for those in need. This international organization’s headquarters are located in Georgia, but they have several area offices around the world. You might have already seen their ads in direct tv and other media networks. These houses are built by volunteers and are sold at no profit.

Founded by Millard and Linda Fuller in 1967, they began the work to build houses for those in need. In 1976 Habitat for Humanity International was established. Since then, this organization has received several awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and they have built over 400,000 houses around the world, sheltering over 1,750,000 people.

Habitat for Humanity has many programs such as their Youth Program, where they try to find people ages 5 to 25 to become involved in the program. With their Colligiate Challenge, they attempt to get students involved during their school breaks such as spring break or summer break. During these programs, students spend a week working with the local Habitat affiliates. They are provided with housing and food for the week and are able to perform services for those in need.

Habitat for Humanity also has several annual events. Because former president, Jimmy Carter, became involved in Habitat for Humanity in 1984, the organization has named one even after him and his wife, The Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, and they still attend these events. During this annual event in 2008, volunteers were able to build 60 houses in one week and frame 48 more, and in 2009 they were able to serve 166 families through this annual event.

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The experience that most people have with volunteer work ends after their mandatory high school volunteer hours. However, by not volunteering, people are missing out on a great experience. There are many benefits to volunteering your time and effort.

First, doing something altruistic for other people makes you feel good. It makes you feel as if you are doing something worthy with your time and enrichening other’s lives as you do it. The impact you have as a volunteer is long-reaching. Building a home for Habitat for Humanity, for example, benefits people for decades. If you have self-esteem problems or feel like your personal growth is stagnant, volunteer work fixes that promptly.

Second, volunteering for a worthy cause puts your own problems in perspective. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to get stressed about a late bill or fight with a family member. However, when you do volunteer work, you are often working with people who truly are experiencing some of life’s worst hardships. Helping people with their problems can make your seems more minor in comparison, which helps you enjoy life more fully.

Third, volunteering looks great on a CV. When unemployment is at a recent high, people worry about filling in the blank time slots on their CV. Volunteering is something you can put on your resume as work experience, and it shows that you keep yourself busy and work even when you are not getting paid for it. It shows that you are willing to go the extra mile for something that’s important to you, which makes you a valuable job candidate.

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A neighbor of yours likes to get out once a week on a date with their spouse, but you see that they have a hard time finding a sitter. Offering to watch their children for free is a great way to help strengthen their marriage and family as well as see that you can have an immediate and positive influence on your community.

An elderly lady whose husband died a few years ago is struggling to get her trash can out to the street; you notice that she is having a hard time. You decide that you want to help. You get her garbage can the night before and put it out at the curb while she sleeps so that she has to wonder who it was that helped her. You can even take that old car that you do not use anymore and donate it to Kars 4 Kids. There are many ways that you can help others that do not require you to use money to do so.

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Volunteering can be a very fulfilling experience for those who are passionate about helping those in need. There are several volunteering opportunities in the US as well as at international levels. You can volunteer for different kinds of services like distribution, administration as well as on-field work. However, not everyone can make a good volunteer. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to do a job that carries lot of responsibilities with it. There are certain character traits that every volunteer should have in order to be effective. Some of these traits are:

1. While volunteering, you will come in contact with people from all over the country as well as several foreigners. It is important to respect each other’s culture and be tolerant towards each other’s beliefs. You should always keep in mind that, at the end of the day, you are all there for the same purpose – social service.
2. You should never hesitate to fulfill any tasks that you were not expecting. Emergency situations often require volunteers to take on a host of roles and you should think of each task as an opportunity to learn and grow.
3. You should be flexible enough to switch roles without causing much of a fuss. Volunteering is more about the end result of uplifting those in need and a good volunteer puts his work before himself.
4. Be serious and passionate about your work. If your feel sincerely for a cause, you are more likely to show a great deal of dedication towards it!
5. At the same time, try to have a bit of fun and cheer those around you as well!

You can easily find a list of potential charities to work for by doing a simple search on Canada 411. This site offers a user-friendly interface where you can quickly bring up a variety of potential organizations in only a few minutes. This way you have a broad range to choose from and the necessary contact information to get in touch with them. All of this can be done within the comfort of your own home and get you started on the road to helping others who are greatly in need.

Your interests may lie in helping someone who has been the victim of a natural disaster, such as a hurricane or flood. You may also be interested in helping with a soup kitchen, donating used items to charity or working directly with the unfortunate. No matter which avenue that you choose, you will be able to easily find a ready list of organizations to contact by taking advantage of this search service. Your personal ambitions to make a difference in the world can be realized and you will make a difference by helping others.

1. Are you volunteering because you really want to help others or because it may seem cool to others? Your motive behind volunteering will go a long way in determining your dedication towards your work.
2. What are you good at? Do you have good people skills? Can you handle children with special needs? Or are you good at physical labor, like building homes as part of Habitat for Humanity?
3. Do you want to volunteer for on field work or administrative tasks? You could be distributing medicine and food at refugee camps or keeping stock records at the warehouses!
4. If you have a full time job, do you think you would have the kind of time volunteering requires? Will you be able to manage the stress levels?
5. How much time can you dedicate in a week to volunteer work? Are you pushing yourself not leaving time for socializing or distressing for yourself?
6. Are you more concerned about the problems of your own community or do you want to travel abroad and help internationally?
7. Do you feel strongly about community service and volunteering?

Brainstorming Opportunities

You and the committee for your charity should get together and brainstorm different ways that you can advertise the event without spending a lot of money in the process. You can save money on advertising for your charity event if you plan ahead and know what you are doing. One way that you can distribute information about your charity event is to create flyers and then to distribute them in various ways. You can, for example, distribute them via mail in the local area, or you can blitz different targeted areas within the community.

You should sell tickets for the event to earn money for the charity and to offset the costs associated with advertising. Buy advertising in the newspaper and utilize social media to advertise the event. Hold a raffle with prizes so people will feel compelled to buy tickets and attend. This will guarantee a turnout because people love the idea of winning prizes, and will often buy tickets just for the chance of winning something. Brainstorm different options when it comes to advertising your charity event and you are bound to have a turnout that is worth writing home about.

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If you are not an actual expert at donating things to charitable organizations, don’t worry about it. This is far from rocket science, and the not-for-profit organization is probably going to be happy to tell you what they need, if you only ask. Generally, since the economic downturn has hurt a lot of charitable groups, they can use all of the help that they can get. While 10 bucks may not seem like much (one or two fewer delivery pizzas), it might end up really making somebody’s day. Since most charities help a lot of people, giving what you can might not even require that you give them any money. Of course, it is a truly rare person or entity that declines such a gift, though.

Maybe you want to donate, but you are strapped down to your last dollar. Nobody ever said that you should feed the hungry while your own belly rumbles and your kitchen shelves gather dust. That would be downright foolish, if extremely generous of you. Maybe you have the skills to help Habitat for Humanity build some houses — they could probably use the help, especially if you are a skilled trades person. Even if all you can do is bring donuts, haul supplies and plant flowers, you can still help out and make somebody’s day a little bit brighter.

However, you might be in a good spot to provide some financial help to someone who is in need. If so, good for you! It’s nice to have enough that you can provide for your own family, and help out other people who have far less than you do. If so, you have got a lot of options for what you can actually give. Naturally, a check will always work, and cash will do in a pinch (especially if you can only give a small sum). And in some cases, a prepaid credit card might even be the best to give.

The location of your home can dictate if the home is going to rise or fall in value in the future. If it is a developing area then you home value is most likely to rise in value. If the neighborhood looks like it is going down the dumps then more than likely so will the price of your new home. If your perspective home resides in the woods then you want your home to stay there. If any kind of clearing has to take place it can dramatically reduce the price of a house.

Check to see if the home you want to buy has a lot of attic space or a basement. Extra space in a home can greatly increase its value. You might also want to see if you can easily add on to the main structure. A home is an investment and the easier that you can grow that investment the easier you can sell it for more money. All these features should factor into how much you should pay and if you have stumbled on a great deal.

When you are looking for a home you need to remember that homes have a past to them. You want to figure out that past to know what you are getting into. A foreclosed home might not be the best choice, because the previous occupants may have literally torn out the walls before they left.  Finding out the history of a home could save you on future repair bills that you don’t have the money for.  You should also try to find out how old the structure is. Finding the age of your home will tell you if work needs to be done on any of the structural supports.

One of the most important features of your home is where your home sits. Does your home sit in a flood zone, does it sit on a solid rock foundation and is it safe from natural disasters? All these questions factor in to how much the property is worth and if you even want to move into it. A good home should be sturdy, newer, and reside in a peaceful community that doesn’t have to rebuild itself every decade.

Mornings can be pretty hectic in a large household if you don’t have enough bathrooms to accommodate all the people in your home. When everyone wakes up they usually need to go to the bathroom first to do all their personal stuff. Having enough bathrooms is a must when it comes to households with five or more people living in them. You will also need to find a home that can evacuate everyone living inside in a timely manner. This means you need to find a living space that have pathways large enough to fit a healthy flow of people.

A big family eats a lot of food and people need a large space to prepare their food. The more people you have to fit in a home the larger the kitchen should be. People are always coming in and out of kitchens to see what’s cooking and to help prepare dinner. Kitchens are not only for eating, a lot of children use kitchens to do their homework and to hang out with friends. If your family is the friendly type then you may need more room to accommodate friends too.

Having a home by a school can be expensive, but the communities around them are usually a great place to raise your children. Most of the homes by you have a higher chance of having children the same age as your own. Other families have picked that place to live, because it is safer to let their children walk to school and they like the neighborhood.

Your home should be by the places that you’re going to commute to the most and that includes the places that you shop at the most. If you like to shop at privately owned stores then moving closer in town might be the best choice. If you don’t mind shopping at large grocery chain stores then your choices of where to buy a home is not limited. The most important thing to remember when buying a home is how close it is to your workplace. A long commute is a burden on most families, but if you’re willing to travel to work then you really aren’t sacrificing anything.

Many times, microgiving is used to help give to charity. With more and more people hearing about this concept, there are inevitably more people who are starting to use organizations like microgiving.com to help others. Many people who have used it to receive money then use it to donate, as well. On top of this, those who receive money give a portion of their donations to a charity. The great thing about this is that the more people give, the more philanthropy thrives in the world.

Many times, microgiving is used to help those who are the victims of a natural disaster such as Hurricane Katrina. Sometimes this is through large charitable organizations, but more and more often it is individuals who are trying to raise money to help these people. Knowing that you are able to help those in need, especially those who have no control over the dire circumstances in which they find themselves, is something that appeals to many people today.

As the concept of microgiving becomes more popular, supporters of the concept believe the world will become a better place. As donors are able to help people overcome adversity with a small gift, the more the world will become a nurturing place where people can receive the help they need. Even those who don’t feel like they have enough money to give to charity usually will find that they are able to help others through microgiving.

It is very important to know how to take care of the body when it has received trauma or damage from an accident – even one simple wrong movement can lead to paralysis. Fortunately, it is very easy to learn the skills by taking a simple course at a community college. Not all students will find themselves in situations that require them to use the skills they learned, but for the ones that do they will be glad they learned them.

Disasters are an unfortunate reality that often hit at the worst time possible – because of this any reliable relief aid should be welcomed so long as it properly executed. If the majority of the population had a little medical knowledge then the severity of emergency aid could be reduced dramatically.

If a disaster struck your neighborhood and you were hurt you would want someone that was knowledgeable to help you. The perfect situation for an emergency worker is to arrive to a disaster and see that people are taking care of each other properly. This can be a reality if we all just learn how to take care of our bodies in a crisis situation.

Don’t be an animal and use your ability to think for others and give to those who need help. How can we call ourselves humans if we don’t act on our emotional response to help others. You might be in a hard spot, but you are doing better than most people in world. Look around you, look at your house and all the things that you have, most people go without these things daily. Don’t give away all your stuff to help others, but just realize that you are in a position to help others. If everyone could give just a little bit it would help a lot of people.

You don’t have to give away your stuff to help other people and you don’t even have to give away your food either. Most of the time charities and churches just need good people to work with them to feed and clothe people. Your time is the most valuable thing that anyone could have, because there are so few people willing to give it. Be one of the few people that actually try to make a difference in the suffering that they see and donate your time. If you cannot give you time then please donate something you don’t need that can benefit someone else more.

Charities are always in need of different items to give out to people that need it the most. Food and clothing are major items that are needed by everyone. Most charities try to take in non-perishable foods and canned foods more than they take in fresh foods. Food items like meats and fruits may not be accepted by any of the charities in your neighborhood. All clothing items will be taken in by any charity organization that you want to donate to. Charities try to clothe everyone that comes through their doors that don’t have anything for themselves.

A hot meal and some clothing may not sound much to you right now, but when you go without it you start to appreciate having them. Charities see a lot of people that have gone without clothing for months and are days in between meals. Everyone has a different story to tell about why they are in that position, but the fact remains hey are going hungry and they are cold. If you would like to be one of the people that care enough for their fellow man then donate anything to any charity of your choice.  These are hard times for everyone and you can help someone out by providing their next meal.

All of the homes that have flooded the market have really transformed the real estatae market into a buyer’s paradise real quick. The fact that no one could get a loan to buy houses still further dropped the price of foreclosed homes. There are so many homes in the market right now that have been sitting there doing nothing that the prices have reached rock bottom. Everyone has a choice of where they want to live and which kind of home they want to be in. The only thing that people need right now to get into a new home is a little bit of money.

Banks are offering different kind of loans for people that are in the right position to buy. All loans have to be at fixed rates and the people getting the loans have to know what they are getting into from the get go. No longer can the banks hide different rates in their own contracts to milk money and property out of the American people. It is about time that bank regulations have caught up with the present. Most of the regulations that banks were running by came straight out of the 1920’s. The way we bank has changed over the years and the banks have finally caught up.

It’s the year 2011 and sadly, the world doesn’t see very many philanthropists today. You may be wondering what in the world a philanthropist is. Well, a philanthropist is one who believes, and strives, to improve the quality of life for the human race. Today, more often than not, we see people who are only concerned about how they can improve their lives. With selfish attitudes like this, it will be a constant battle to help those struggling to live. However, when you look at people like Blake Mycoskie, the founder of Toms Shoes, it’s easy to see that the world still has hope.

So, how can the owner of a popular shoe company be considered a philanthropist? Well, the answer is quite simple. Mr. Mycoskie is using his shoes to help clothe men, women and children all over the world. After competing in The Amazing Race, Blake made a second trip to Argentina and found that many of the people in the country couldn’t afford shoes. This got him thinking about how he could help improve this situation, and essentially, improve the quality of life for these people. For those in Argentina that can afford shoes, they wear shoes called espadrilles. Blake decided to create a shoe similar to Espadrilles because they are practical for all people to wear, regardless of where they live. Designing practical shoes was important because Blake had plans to donate one pair of shoes for every pair of shoes that were purchased.

This is how Toms Shoes came to be. The company has given away more than 1,000,000 shoes to needy people all over the globe. If more companies begin looking for ways they can give back to humanity like Mycoskie has, the world would be a much better place – for everyone. However, until that happens, it’s nice to know that we can make a difference just by purchasing a pair of shoes.

People don’t like to give up their homes and they act out in childish ways to relieve their frustration. Some of the homes have spray painted walls or even holes in the walls made by sledge hammers. Other homes have even been found with cement in the drains so that the next occupants have to pay replace all the piping. There are horror stories of how people throw a foreclosure party and people get together to trash a house. They will spill paint on the floor and walls and tear out electrical wiring making the home a virtual money pit.

When you are looking for a new home to live in make sure that all the damage has been repaired properly. There are so many foreclosures out there that companies can’t really keep up with the demand of fixing all of them in a timely manner. Companies cut corners to save on money and to start on the next job. This has become a nightmare for many people, but it doesn’t have to happen to you. There are some people out there who just leave their homes quietly and still intact. These are the goldmines of the foreclosed market, because virtually nothing has to be done to make the home habitable. Always make sure you shop in the area that you are interested in and if you don’t find what you want immediately just wait, foreclosures happen all the time.

Some of the items the Red Cross is looking for are items like blankets, food, and water. These items are to provide people with the basic necessities that they go without after a disaster. You can also make emergency kits that are handed out by the Red Cross to those in need. Some of the items in your emergency kit should include any basic items to live. Water and food kits are always appreciated and will defiantly be used for people in need of them. Make sure that your kits have foods that are ready to eat or can be easily made.

The Red Cross also accepts cash and credit donations to buy supplies that promote healthier living in third world countries. Mosquito nets are bought in the tens of thousands to give out to poor villagers and nations that do not have access to them. Cash donations will also go to Red Cross relief efforts that continually operate around the world. You can be a part of this amazing program and donate some cash to help with all these costs that are so badly needed. They also conduct blood drives to provide badly needed blood to the victims of disasters. Blood is always needed and the supply is always running low as more disasters continue around the world. Be a part of something bigger than you and give what you can, you are the only thing that stands between the total disasters of doing nothing at all.

San Diego property management, however, is taking the lead on that initiative. It’s a well-known fact that gentrification is a means to self-deconstruction of a community that would otherwise benefit better from helping hands. Sure, when disaster strikes in some areas, the natural tendency is to act quickly and rebuild in a timely manner, it’s understandable. But you have to grasp the real core of the situation. These residents are suffering. It’s not about the houses or the neighborhood, it’s the people. Focus on the people. Moreover, steps to take in the ability to create low-income housing with the help of volunteer work and community donations can do just that. Don’t rebuild a dying neighborhood by replacing it. Rebuild a neighborhood by actually rebuilding it!

Yes, it would take a lot more work, planning, and extra hands to make it happen, but in the long run, it benefits the community. Rebuilding strives to remind everyone that no matter how large a disaster, helping hands can always come on top! That’s how communities want to be remembered.

When people are in need it is up to those that were not affected to come together and organize a relief plan and rebuild communities that are destroyed. The area that was affected will not be able to pull itself out of the rubble; they need a little help and a hand up.  There are lots of programs that do this kind of work; Habitat for Humanity rebuilds homes for the people that once lost theirs. Habitat does a lot of other great works, like trying to provide a home for the homeless and food for the hungry, but without volunteers they wouldn’t survive.

It’s up to you if you want programs like Habitat to survive and to keep on working with society’s problems. They can rebuild, but only if you are there to volunteer your time and help. It’s people like you that allow such great programs to survive and not crumble into dust. Houses need to be built and people need help, they need help from people like you. The people who are going to help are the ones who care about that kind of suffering and want to relieve it. The people who care about their fellow man are the ones that volunteer to remove this kind of suffering from their nation, people like you.

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Habitat for Humanity has built hundreds of thousands of homes for people in need of shelter. They have made homelessness their enemy and they are winning the fight. They cannot do it alone they need your help they need you to donate building materials or your time. You can also donate other things like couches, chairs, and clothing to help the people that need them the most. Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization that utilizes volunteers to build affordable simple shelters. The program is christened based, but anyone from all walks of life and any race can join in the fight against homelessness.

The homes or shelters are not a hand out; they are not given out for free. The family and the charity pick a mortgage that has easy payments for the family to pay off. The family pays for the materials and not the labor, anything that is donated to a project will save a family money. If the family needs help with a mortgage then Habitat will step in and pay for that month. All cash that Habitat spends needs to come back in order to pay for more shelter for more families in need of it.

Habitat for Humanity also sells cheap furniture that was donated to pay for parts of their program. Anything from fake plants to washers and dryers can be donated to any of the retail Habitat for Humanity sites. Donate your unwanted clothing they always need clothes to help out the people that are really down and rely on clothes to keep them warm.  Building supplies from trusses to 2x4s and even gardening supplies are always taken in for the cause. The one resource that Habitat for Humanity needs the most is man power. Without your volunteering efforts this program cannot function and strive to help others. You are the most important tool to make any of these projects a reality and the people that are in need will be the most grateful for you.

Although it’s been 5 years since Katrina devastated New Orleans, emergency assistance is still needed by many people living in the city. House fires, domestic violence, sudden homelessness, and a variety of other hardships fall on people daily. It’s not always easy to know who to turn to. However, there are a few key organizations that can help a person in need get the assistance they are looking for.
The very first thing to do when looking for emergency assistance is call 211. 211 is actually available nationwide, but it is localized so that the operator gives you information for your area. 211 can help with food, housing, employment, health care, counseling and more. Explain your situation and your needs, and they’ll get you in touch with the resource that is best for you. For the New Orleans area, call 504-827-6899.
Many people only think of the Red Cross during a major disaster. Their presence is always prominent in news casts and media coverage of major events. However, the Red Cross helps people every day. Did you know that they come whenever there is a house fire? They will offer assistance with alternative housing and other needs the family may have. The Red Cross also offers education on how to prevent and/or prepare for a disaster. They also teach CPR, water safety, and baby sitting training courses. Call the Red Cross at 504-620-3105.
In this tough economy, food banks are an important resource to the people of New Orleans. Along with providing emergency assistance, organizations like Second Harvest offer ongoing programs for children and the elderly. 211 is the best way to find the food bank nearest you. Finally, emergency housing can be found throughout the city if domestic violence makes it necessary to leave home. If you feel your life is in danger, call 911. Otherwise 211 is your best resource for finding assistance. Just know that help is available for your particular situation.

Along with serving as a revenue stream for Habitat for Humanity, ReStores also provide an environmental and socially responsible way to keep used goods out of the land fill. Not only does the Restore serve families looking for a better life, they also market to subcontractors, apartment companies, and other small business looking for cheap, quality goods.

Occasionally, a large corporation, like Whirlpool, will donate product to ReStore. When this happens, Habitat for Humanity usually sees a significant increase in their retail operation’s revenue stream. Not only do new products increase sales, but they also boost the image of resale shopping. The products tend to move very fast, so if you hear about new products at a ReStore, don’t waste any time getting over to buy some.

Habitat for Humanity opened its first American ReStore in Austin, Texas in 1992. It was such a success that there are now 700 outlets in 48 states. Canada has 60 locations. The ReStore has become the face of the greater organization. As people come in for a good bargain, or to donate, they get a sense of what Habitat for Humanity does, and who the people who run it are. Often a shopper comes in for an appliance and leaves with doors or windows, too. Once you’ve entered a ReStore, it’s hard to not browse through the whole place.

If you have items you would like to donate, check their website at http://www.habitat.org/restores for the location nearest you. You can even schedule a pick up of you can’t bring your items in yourself.

Start with Community Activism

The community leaders in the neighborhood can organize “clean up days.” Churches, youth groups, and the unemployed should be encouraged to come out and start removing trash from the lot. Ask local businesses to donate food and drinks. A local home improvement store might donate tools, top soil and landscaping lumber. It doesn’t hurt to ask, and you might be surprised at the positive response you get. People love to help people who want to help themselves.

Elect a Master Gardener

Someone in the neighborhood probably knows a lot about gardening. Ask that individual to be the Master Gardener or garden consultant. It is important to get good advice on how to start a garden. If there is no one available, ask a gardening store if they would donate the time and advice. Once you’ve started creating that garden, you’ll probably start to draw plenty of positive attention. Now’s the time to hit up the newspaper for a feature. Start hanging fliers and get everyone involved!

Set Up a Work Schedule

To reap the benefits of the garden, folks need to do their work shift! Again, it could be youth groups or churches. If you have kids who got themselves in trouble with the law. They may need community service hours. That’s a great way to maintain the garden and teach them the positive value of honest work.

Once your garden takes off, so wil the community spirit in the neighborhood. Hunger seems less daunting, and pride will start to overcome despair.

Most of us ignore panhandlers. These are the homeless people who stand near traffic lights with signs begging for money. Some are hustlers looking for drug money, but some are really good folks who are really down on their luck. If you’re sitting at a long light, and one of these people comes to your window, try talking to them before you decide to give them money or not.

Hey, What’s Your Name?

That’s a good place to start. Just ask the person his or her name. Then ask them where they’re from. You may not need to ask anything else. That may be all a homeless person needs in order to tell his story. As they talk, do they seem drunk or high? Does the story seem real? Is he really a vet? Sometimes you’ll discover the person is well educated, bright and truly in need of help. You decide whether that help is a little money or a the name of a good homeless organization.

Get to Know Who Advocates for the Homeless in Your Town

Every major metropolitan area has organizations that cater to the homeless. There are usually a few shelters, several food kitchens, and even churches who will assist transients and people living on the streets. Nobody likes living on the street, but not everybody has the means to overcome homelessness. If the person is new to the area, they may appreciate knowing where the nearest hot meal can be found.

Do a Little Outreach Legwork

Once you find those homeless organizations, either drop by or drop an email and ask them for some business cards. If you can’t give a person the money he asks for, then give him a card for the nearest homeless shelter or food bank.

A Cool Idea

There is a woman in Austin, Texas who gives clean socks to the homeless. She claims it is more appreciated than money. Now, that’s a cool idea!

We all know that poverty comes with multiple sets of problems, and it can be really hard to find one place that can assist most of the needs a family may have. Head Start was created in 1965, and it is the longest running and most successful program of its kind. This organization knows that children in poverty require many resources to be successful in school. Hungry children cannot learn. Displaced children cannot learn. The program is designed to help preschool aged children. In that way, these kids are getting a head start!

Resource Central

Head Start’s website is http://www.nhsa.org. This is the best place for families and community activists to start looking for important resources. Under the “services” tab, at the top of the page, you will find program links. From there it is easy to navigate to FEMA’s resources, tax resources, and food resources. This section also lists a number of organizations that can help with mental health problems and child trauma issues.

Not only will Head Start direct parents and families, but it is an excellent resource for community activists. So often, a family in distress is unable to really help themselves, and they need their community. However, concerned neighbors don’t always know where to go to get resources for helping. Head Start is a great place to begin.

Find Your Local Office

Most towns and cities have local Head Start programs. Find that office in your area and stop by for assistance. Not all people in poverty have internet access, so the local office can help people locate the help they need.

Education is the most important component to eliminating poverty. With early child hood assistance and good family resources, Head Start helps families break the cycle of poverty.

The national organization formerly known as Second Harvest has changed its name to Feeding America. They still provide the same services, and still support affiliate programs throughout the country.

Feeding America is a network of food banks that has become the country’s leading hunger relief charity. They serve all 50 states, The District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In turn, the affiliate programs support local food banks that collectively support more than 35 million people in need of food.

Why the Name Change?

In 2008, Second Harvest changed its name to Feeding America to create brand awareness. The former name presented a problem with low public awareness. By changing its name to something that directly defines what they do, Feeding America hopes to reach more people.

Since the organization works on both the national and local levels they are able to solicit food and resources from both local business and national corporations. Con Agra is a major sponsor. Also, because of the organization’s size, they have the capability to affect public policy. Their website lists a number of programs that they support.

Supporting Role

Some of the organizations that Feeding America support are:
CSFP – This program assists expecting mothers, infants, children and the elderly with food.
Emergency Food Assistance Program – This is a government program that helps with food assistance for a limited amount of time.
Summer Food Assistance Program – This program provides meals during the summer months for children in need. The programs are locally run.
SNAP- This is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It was formerly known as the food stamp program. It helps Americans suffering from emergencies and economic hardships.

How You Can Help

As the tax year comes to a close, and you look for tax deductible charitable donations, you may want to consider Feeding America or some of its local affiliates. Poverty and hunger are huge, but they are solvable with your help.

Public housing comes in many forms and sizes. It may be single family homes, apartments, or high rise buildings just for the elderly. HUD administers federal funding to the local housing agencies that manage the rental properties. The HA is required to keep the rent affordable for its residents. These income limits are developed by HUD. The limits can vary from area to area, so a family may not qualify in one area, but be eligible for public housing in another area.

How to Qualify

An HA determines a person or family’s eligibility based on several factors. The agency will look at gross income, whether the applicant qualifies as elderly, disabled, or as a family, and whether the applicant is a legal resident of the U.S. Next, the HA checks to see if the applicant has a history of being a good tenant. If there is a history of poor behavior that will affect other residents’ quality of life, the application can be denied.

To apply for public housing, the applicant needs to contact the local housing authority. The application must be written. The HA can assist with this if necessary. The agency will go through a list of factors that determine eligibility including current address, names and ages of people to live in the home, and current income. The HA may also visit the applicants’ current home to see how they live and how they manage property upkeep. Also expect the HA to check identity of applicants through requested documentation.

This starts the process, and more information can be found at the local HA.

Food banks are one of the easiest ways to help combat poverty, but what are the best items to donate to food banks? For those who do not have money to give to charity, a can of beans or bag of rice can have a huge impact for someone who is suffering from hunger. Although those are some great basic items to donate, there are some things that are preferred by agencies who provide food assistance.

Keep It Small

Often a donor thinks that a huge can of peaches is a great gift for the food bank. If the donation was for a food kitchen, it would be good, but as a single family item, it is impractical. As people gather things to donate, they need to put themselves in the shoes of a family or individual in extreme poverty. Does an enormous can of food make sense? What if there is no refrigerator to keep the unused portion cold? What if there are only two people in the family? The rest of those peaches are going to go to waste!

Buy 15 oz. cans or smaller. If the product comes with a pull top, that’s even better. The recipient could be homeless and not have a can opener.

Keep It Practical

The artichoke hearts in the back of the pantry make no sense. Just because the donor won’t eat it, don’t expect a ten year old to want it! Hunger shouldn’t taste bad, too!

Be practical. The most requested items are hamburger helper meals, canned beans, vegetables and fruits, peanut butter, jelly, canned meats, macaroni and cheese, powdered milk, instant tea and fruit drinks, Ensure, and baby formula and diapers.

See the trend? These are things that don’t have to be refrigerated, and most can be made with water or a small carton of milk.

If in doubt, contact the local food bank. If in a hurry, donate grocery gift cards.

If the individual lives in the South, the border states offer more education and adult literacy programs. This is due to the large number of immigrants entering the US via Mexico. ESL, or English as a Second Language, classes are offered by school districts, community colleges and community organizations. In order to advance in America, it is important to read and write in English. Once English is mastered, other education goals are much easier to achieve.

One of the best resources for finding adult literacy and ESL programs is through “America’s Literacy Directory.” The website is http://www.literacydirectory.org. From this site, a person can either search for programs by zip code or city and state. The website also gives the individual the option to put in a mile radius, so that he can search beyond his exact location. Once a program is found, the site also gives driving directions, a map, and details on the program.

For the person who needs to complete a high school diploma, most of the programs offer ESL, GED preparation courses, and the GED test. Without a diploma, it is virtually impossible to rise from poverty. Therefore, ESL and the GED programs serve a very valuable role in American society.

One of the programs discussed on this website is “The Health Literacy Program.” This programs works to improve adult literacy. It also helps people navigate the health care system. Better reading skills make the process of receiving health care more manageable. The value in this program is that healthy people can achieve more.

As more and more people find themselves living below the poverty level, it is very important to know how to get food assistance. All 50 states offer food assistance programs. The United States government funds it. The program is usually called WIC.
Be Prepared Before You Apply
Before you can apply for the WIC program, there a few things you need to have. You will need:Drivers license or ID cardSocial Security CardProof of income or proof of no incomeIf you are pregnant, you will need proof of pregnancy
Take these documents to your local WIC office. This office is usually located in the Health Department office or the public clinic. Schools, hospitals and doctors’ offices should be able to tell you where to find the WIC office if you are unsure. Just ask where you can get food assistance. You can also call 703-305-2746 to find out where to get food assistance in your state.
You will need to set up an appointment to go in an apply for the WIC program. A health department representative will give you an application to fill out. They will then go over it and determine if you qualify. If you do, they will give you a form to give to the WIC office. WIC will give you food options, like cereal, juice, bread, beans, cheese, milk and other foods. You can return every month for a new supply of food.
The food assistance program is designed to give low income families, children and pregnant women food from all the food groups. It will not pay for sodas, chips, candy, cigarettes or alcohol.
For extra assistance, ask your WIC representative where the local food bank is located. A food bank is usually run by community organizations, and it may be able to help you with extra foods you will need, like meat or baby supplies.
Community activists should consider volunteering at local food banks.

Here’s the Breakdown

Using Texas as an example, let’s look at one week of eating off the dollar menu. Let’s do this with a family of four. First question, will a one dollar meal fill up a growing child? Question number two is a little deeper. Will the dollar meal provide the nutrition that a growing child needs to be healthy? Here’s the breakdown. When tax is applied, each meal costs $1.09. Multiply that by four and then multiply that by seven. That’s $36.52 per week in fast food. That doesn’t include the drinks! Now, we’re talking closer to $60.00 per week. A similar meal can be made at home, and it will be much more filling, and much healthier.

Childhood diabetes growing in epidemic numbers. For the same amount of money even bigger meals can be made for about $5 per family. These meals can be chock full of low fat, low sugar nutrients. A chicken, vegetable and rice soup is delicious and nutritious. Food banks will provide many of the staples that a meal like this requires. In that case, the cost is reduced even more.

Long Term Health Concerns

Cheap fast food is cheap quality food. That means high fat, salt and sugar content. It may not seem like a problem in the present time, but down the line, it leads to multiple health problems that add unnecessary health costs to an impoverished family. Diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer become big problems. It’s not just the medical costs, it’s the cost of lost wages.

Making good, inexpensive food choices can help the poverty stricken family save money in the long run.

School lunches are an important tool in meeting a poverty stricken child’s needs. Since most elementary age children need about 1500 to 2000 calories, the school lunch helps meet that goal and then some.

It is assumed that there are children in the school who are not getting their caloric needs met, so a school lunch is 821 calories, and it has a 30% fat content. Therefore, this very important meal covers about half the nutrition needed for the day. It is important to know that the 30% fat content is at the top of the recommended daily allowance. Children who consume junk foods are at risk for obesity as they take the fat allowance over the limit.

At the other end of the spectrum, school lunch programs have to deal with plate waste. Many elementary school children will not eat everything on their plate. This leaves educators with the task of educating these kids about nutrition. Due to junk food competition, this may not be an easy task. Parents will likely have to help in that area, and many of them are unaware of the nutritional needs for their kids.

In recent years, the Federal School Lunch Program has mandated that no food be fried in a school cafeteria. Even the french fries must be baked. This keeps the fat content in check. Inspectors can show up in a school lunch room and literally measure weights, check nutrition ratios, and make sure that the children are getting what they need to be healthy.

The ever increasing concern with childhood obesity is making school lunch programs one of the best options for children living in poverty. It may be the only real nutrition a kid gets all day. Some school districts restrict choices to the point that a child has to choose between a banana or an apple instead of chips and candy. These districts will likely see the greatest success in curbing hunger.

Oregon State University has come up with an excellent budgeting tool, that every food assistance program and food bank should pass along to its clients.

This is a simple budget plan:

Step One. Add up the money available for food each month.
a. cash = ?
b. food stamps = ?
c. WIC = ?
Add a+b+c to get the total food budget.

Step Two. Divide the total food budget by 4.3. This is how much money can be spent on food each week.

Step Three. List all other food resources available to the client, like food banks, school lunch programs, or local churches.

Here’s an example of a food budget plan:
A mother gets $50 in food stamps each month. She gets $30 in WIC vouchers. She is able to set aside $150 a month for food. This gives her about $53 a week for groceries. There is a food bank in this mother’s community that gives her a monthly box of staples that include bread, rice, beans, dry milk, cooking oil, and canned vegetables. With this set up, this person is able to use her food dollars to buy perishable items like milk, eggs and meat.

If food banks can help council their clients in how to use their food dollars, and continue to monitor the success of the budget plan, these valuable organizations can make an even bigger impact on the war on poverty and hunger. If the budget process is successful, then a family in poverty may eventually begin to have extra financial resources for other needs like housing and clothing.

People in poverty often lack the ability to budget and plan, so the charitable community can be a valuable education resource.

One of the worst assumptions our society can make is that all Americans value the same thing. Dr. Ruby Payne wrote a ground breaking book called “A Framework to Poverty.” Ms. Payne makes it clear that middle class values don’t apply to people in poverty.

She defines poverty as the extent with which people do without resources. Resources are more than just money. Resources include a car, a home, reliable family and friends, and education. The resources the poor value are different than the ones the middle class values. For those in poverty, a reliable family goes much further than it does for a suburban resident.

If a poor person’s car breaks down, he needs a friend or family member willing to give him a ride to work or loan him a car. Simply pulling out a checkbook to have the car repaired is not an option. If this individual has no family resources, he has to decide whether to use his cash resources on the car or whether he should just stay home and risk losing his job. He’s going to lose money either way.

Not only will people in poverty rely on each other for transportation, they often need each other for housing and money. In poverty stricken families, cash is often pooled. If one individual has cash, he may be the person responsible for food that week. When he runs out of cash, it is understood other family members will, in turn, support him.

People in poverty live in the moment. Saving for the future is non-existent because survival is a daily struggle. To assume a poor person can overcome his situation with the right discipline and planning is naive. A middle class individual can lose a resource and limp along. An impoverished person can lose a resource and find himself in the middle of a disaster.

Understanding poverty is one of the first steps in eliminating it.

Habitat for Humanity runs its organization on a local level, so you must first attend an orientation meeting with the group in your community. These meetings are held several times a year. Attendance at one of these meetings is a mandatory first step in receiving a home. Gather all financial information to take with you. Fill out the application and demonstrate your need for housing. The organization aims to help those who are truly in need.

Some of the things Habitat for Humanity looks for is whether your current home is substandard, located in an unsafe neighborhood, costs more than 35% of your income, or is temporary housing. Along with hardship information, you have to prove your ability to pay for the new house. That means you are responsible for the down payment before construction begins. It will be 1% of the projected mortgage. A small deposit is required when your application is accepted. You will then be expected to pay 25% of your income in mortgage, and the payment must be on time.

Recipients of Habitat for Humanity homes also have to put in hundreds of hours in volunteer time. That means sweat equity in your own home. You will help build it. You’ll also be expected to help build other homes. If you cannot meet these demands, then you will not qualify for a Habitat for Humanity House.

The organization is about helping people who want to help themselves, so hard work and financial integrity are expected regardless of your situation.

In the last three years the United States has seen a significant increase in poverty. One of the most shocking and disappointing statistics is that food insecurity is at 15% in the United States. The U.S. government does not measure hunger, but rather measures this problem in levels of food insecurity. This basically means the number of households where normal intake is disrupted or reduced at some time during the year.

Households with very low food insecurity experience hunger seven to eight months out of the year, and one to seven times in each of those months. Ninety-seven percent of those in this category were adults who reduced the size of a meal or skipped a meal because there was not enough food in the home. Twenty-seven percent reported that an adult did not eat for a whole day because there was not enough money for food.

Households who were able to curb food insecurity are rated a little higher, but are still not stable. A total of 17 million households in the United States are either very low or low food insecure. Households with children who were food insecure rank as 16% of the homes in America. All at risk families would need to spend 28% more of their income to become secure.

This is not likely since the poverty rate has increased to almost 15% of the population. Although there are assistance programs to help with hunger and poverty, there will need to be a fundamental shift in the economic culture of the United States in order to defeat the problem. Corporate profits will need to shift to the working class more than they have, and political figures will have to shift focus away from corporate donors and the funding of wars in order to really turn around the hunger problem in America.

Federally Qualified Health Clinics are community clinics that provide low cost preventative care, primary care, dental care and substance abuse assistance. These clinics were originally designed to take the burden off of emergency rooms, but their purpose has changed over the years.

Federally Qualified Health Clinics primarily serve an underprivileged population. They serve migrant workers and non-U.S. citizens, as well as Americans. FQHCs provide care regardless of ability to pay, and a community board decides on a sliding scale fee based on a patient’s income and family size. In return for their reduced fee services, these clinics receive government grants, cost based reimbursement for their Medicaid patients and free malpractice coverage.

Varying forms of the Federally Qualified Health Clinic include, Migrant Health Centers, Health Care for the Homeless Programs, and Public Housing Primary Care Programs. Migrant clinics serve the seasonal migrant workers. The homeless clinics provide preventative and primary care as well as substance abuse assistance. Public housing clinics serve as community clinics that are located near the public housing projects they primarily serve.

As poverty increases in the U.S., Federally Qualified Health Clinics have begun to increase their presence. By 2006, over 15 million people had been served by a FQHC. This is partly due to President Bush’s initiative to increase health care access in 1200 communities throughout the country.

Approximately two thirds of the clinics’ patients are minorities. Nine out of ten have incomes that are below 200 percent of the federal poverty line. One fourth of the Federally Qualified Health Clinic patients have no insurance. This means that the program’s federal funding has grown to over $1.9 billion in recent years.

Although the FQHC programs receive government funding, they are community based programs that also rely on community donations and support. The presence of such a clinic in any community is certain to improve the overall quality of life there.

In order for society to truly help those living on the streets, it is important to understand the top causes of homelessness. The general myth is that homelessness is caused by mental illness and substance abuse. Many will find it surprising that the top causes are things that could happen to any of us.

Minimum Wage

In the last decade, a survey of 30 U.S. cities showed that 20% of the homeless population held a full time job. If a community does not provide enough affordable housing, then those working for minimum wage are always a few dollars away from homelessness. Lack of low income housing, public assistance and vocational education can play a big role in how a person’s life plays out.

Don’t Blame it on the Individual

It is common for society to blame homelessness on personal problems such as substance abuse, poor money management and not wanting to work. However, these problems alone do not lead to homelessness. In fact, there are plenty of middle class and wealthy individuals who have these kinds of problems. The difference is they have stable structures in place to help them. They have families and material resources that keep them off the street. When certain structures are present, people have homes. It is those who lack stable resources who can end up on the street because of personal problems.

Single Mothers and Children

Single mothers and children make up almost half of the homeless population. Poor wages due to minimal job skills is certainly a big factor in this. However, many of these women are running from domestic violence, and they lack a strong family structure to help them out in this kind of crisis. The shocking reality is that this means there are one million homeless children in America each year.

Community understanding and proper support structures are key to solving the problem.

Do the Research

Before donating a car to charity, find out if the organization plans to drive the car, sell it or have a dealer sell it. Often times, a dealer handles the sale, and the charity may get as little as $45 a car! That seems like a waste of valuable income if that car is worth any amount of money. Make sure the charity is eligible to receive tax deductible contributions. Ask for a copy of the organization’s IRS designation letter to verify this, and to keep for tax records.

IRS Tips for the Donor

It is the donor’s responsibility to determine the value of the car. Therefore good record keeping is key. Be sure to get a receipt of the donation from the charity. Be aware that non-cash donations are a big audit trigger for the IRS. Make sure the value of the car is documented and keep records of it. If the car is worth more than $500, an IRS Form 8283 must be filled out and filed with the tax return. If the charity sells the car, it must provide documentation that the sell occurred between unrelated parties. The donor can only deduct what the car was sold for.

Keep Good Records

Since a car is a good reason for an IRS trigger, keep very good records of the donation. Take pictures of the car to back up value claims. If the car has new tires and other upgrades that increase the value, these photos will be the only proof that those things are valid. Remember that the donor, not the charity, is responsible to the IRS.

Many nursing homes offer on the job training for CNAs. The students are actually working and getting paid as they learn and work towards certification. Once certified, the student may be expected to commit to staying with that nursing home for a certain amount of time. This will give the individual the chance to improve skills in a familiar environment.

Certified Nurses Aides are the backbone of the long term care industry. They assist the nursing staff in providing care to those living in nursing homes. Their primary job duties include helping people eat, bathe, dress, and ambulate. Many nursing home residents cannot move without help, so the CNA is specially trained to properly move these frail individuals. CNAs are also the eyes and ears of the nursing staff. Since they will spend the most time with patients, they are often the ones who recognized problems before a nurse or doctor will. Therefore, this can be a very rewarding job. Because CNAs are in such high demand, a person who develops good work habits is virtually guaranteed to find work.

A career in health care is not for everyone. Before making the decision to enter a CNA job training program make sure you can handle sickness, frailty, death and dying. These are daily issues a CNA faces. The CNA has to love helping others. They have to be patient, loving and understanding.

No one working in direct care can have a criminal record. Therefore felony offenses immediately disqualify people from CNA programs. A clean record and strong work habits can make this a rewarding career.