Giving back during the holiday season
If you’re looking to donate this holiday season, or you can spare some time to volunteer, we’ve put together this handy guide to give you inspiration on some local charities you can help out in the southern Ontario region. So, why not check out some of these opportunities and give back this holiday season!
1. Help out at a care home at Christmas
Why not ask your local care home if you can help over Christmas? Most will be happy to accommodate you whatever you would like to do, whether that be playing board games with the residents or helping to cook on Christmas day, you could make a big difference to the lives of many seniors that are living in a home over Christmas.
2. Check out “Be a Santa” to a Senior
The premise of “Be a Santa” to a Senior is simple. You find a location that’s participating, and you remove a bulb from a Christmas tree that has a senior’s gift request inside. You then purchase the requested gifts that are listed on or in the bulb. You can then place the gift and the bulb in a box, ready to be delivered to a senior. You can also volunteer for the service to help deliver the gifts! So far, 60,000 volunteers have helped, 1,200,000 gifts have been delivered to seniors, and 700,000 seniors have had their Christmas immeasurably improved by this small showing of generosity! Check out more about the program, here.
3. Invite a senior for Christmas dinner
Make sure the seniors in your life all have plans for Christmas. Sometimes, seniors can be embarrassed to ask for company on holidays such as Christmas. As such, be proactive, and you may be surprised at how positive the reaction you receive. Also, you could consider a local program that pairs isolated seniors with families for Christmas, to make sure that no one is lonely on Christmas day!
Here’s a list of some local charities that are doing amazing things for the senior community:
Reaching out
If you’re looking to donate or volunteer this holiday season, reach out to local charities, call local care homes and make sure those around you are well supported and not lonely over the Christmas period. Remember, just a phone call can help combat the senior loneliness epidemic in Canada, and any small gesture will always be well received for those that are looking for friendship and companionship over the festive season!