People will appreciate it if you want to get involved in your community. Aside from that, it’s always a great feeling when you can donate gifts and help charity foundations. Nothing can surmount the joy after helping someone and seeing their smile and the joy in their eyes. But how can you get involved?

Consider some of the following if you want to get involved in your community:

Step 1: Research

Your community will always have its strong spots and some weak spots. Try to conduct some research first to see what areas need the most help in. It’s possible your town has an issue with providing activities for the elderly in a retirement home. There could be a big issue about poverty and street children.

By doing the research you’ll see what you can or should focus on. Speaking with government officials and teachers are a part of this step. Talk to them. You’ll want to know what they think about it.

Step 2: Volunteer

Volunteering is a big step but it’s an important one. If you want to get involved in your community you have to volunteer to lend your aid. It is a good thing there are many different organizations for you to sign up for. You could volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. You might want to help local feeding programs at Salvation Army and the like.

Step 3: Organizing Your Own Project

Sometimes volunteering isn’t enough. There could be a problem in your community that no one is paying attention to. To solve this you’ll have to organize your own group. There are simple ones that can even only a few members can handle. Some of these include Yuda Bands and Livestrong.

Step 4: Focus on Cash and Dry Goods, Not Canned Food

Whether you’re volunteering or starting your own project you will want to focus on cash and dry goods. Canned food is one of the worst items you could donate or gather. Many organizations don’t accept them anymore because they already have a surplus in canned food. Most organizations prefer cash since they can use the money for things they need. This includes medicine, different kinds of food, infant milk, and clothes.

 

Samples of Charity Groups and Service Projects:

Student Clubs

Are you a teacher or student? You should start a student club. It’s one of the easiest ways to help your community. You need to know your school’s rules first, though, because different schools have different rules on how clubs get formed.

Even if you’re not a student or teacher you can still organize a student club. 826LA, for example, is a third-party group that visits schools. They focus on helping students read and write. You can get involved the community doing the same type of thing.

Charity Events

There are several charity organizations active in every town and city. You could volunteer to help Habitat for Humanity, PETA or city charity activities. Whether you’re alone or with a group you can volunteer.

Yuda Bands Project

A Yuda Bands project is ideal for those working alone or with a group. This project focuses on selling bracelets to provide education for children in need. It’s one of the easiest ways to get involved with the community. It’s also free.