The holidays are the perfect time to spend time with family and exchange gifts with loved ones or friends. However, this time of the year is also ideal to give back to the community. People can take part in various activities that will spread joy and make the community a better place. Juliana Neemeh (9) explains that “helping the community is a good way to make one feel better about themselves because they are doing something good for others.”

• Donate to Those in Need – One of the most well-known activities to give back to the community is a food, clothes or gift drive for the people who can’t afford these items during the holidays. One can donate food to local food banks such as the Second Harvest Food Bank in Orange County to help provide meals for families during the holidays. Any type of food can be donated to food banks, but it is preferable that the donated food is non-perishable. Gently used toys and clothes can be donated to charities such as the Salvation Army or Goodwill, who sell the donated items at their shops to raise money for various causes. The causes that charities support can range from supporting low income families to providing crisis support.

• Help Out at an Animal Shelter – Another activity that will benefit the community is helping out at an animal shelter. In addition to people, animals need love during the holidays too. People can donate and volunteer at a local shelter such as OC Animal Care. Pet food, blankets, toys and other pet supplies can be donated to keep the animals at the shelter happy and warm throughout the holidays. Also, one can volunteer by taking care of the animals at the shelter, and could even consider giving one a home.

• Shop With Amazon Smile – During this time of the year, online shopping for holiday gifts is very common. Although it may not seem this way, there is actually a way to help the community by ordering from the most used online shopping site- Amazon. Amazon operates a website called Amazon Smile, which has the same products and prices as the regular Amazon site, except that 0.5% of what people spend is donated to the charity or organization of their choice. By shopping from Amazon Smile, one can easily help an organization by purchasing holiday gifts.

All of the activities that are listed are only a few of all the different things people can do for their community. These activities are also not just limited to the holiday season, but can also take place throughout the year. Just by performing a simple action, one can change someone’s day, or can even impact someone’s life.