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Paying It Forward
Charity made easy and, in some cases, free!
By Marcy Lovitch
Published: Dec 01, 2007
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YAHOOFeel like karma may be catching up with you? Maybe it’s time to spread the love—before it’s too late. The good news? You can do a charitable act everyday without busting your budget or giving up hours of your—cough—free time. Here, DAME offers up a few simple ways to get you started…
1. Must Love Dogs. Animal shelters and humane societies desperately need volunteers for dog walking and doggie play dates so if you’ve got a half hour, stop by and show the pups a little love. One caveat: you’ll probably have to fill out some paperwork and attend an orientation beforehand, but a wagging tail and smile when Fido sees you will be well worth it. And of course, be prepared to a) cry and b) want to take them all home. To find an animal shelter or humane society near you, go to pets911.com or petfinder.com.
2. Bottle your own H20. Instead of paying more than a dollar for designer water, help save
the planet by bottling your own. Bottling it yourself saves water—it takes three times the amount of water you’re buying to produce just the container—and the stuff from your tap is likely as good as, or better than, what you’d buy, especially if it’s filtered.Treat yourself to colorful one for about $11 from Nalgene (nalgene-outdoor.com) that you’ll be proud to reuse.
3. Donate without opening your wallet. Help an impoverished business owner overseas without spending a dime of your own money. Simply clicking on the donate button at PovertyFighters.com sends 25 cents in loan credit to those in need. The best part?: the money comes from corporate sponsors. The organization acts as a banking service for poor people who want to work, allowing them to borrow anywhere from $25 to $5,000 to open a small business like a fruit stand or a bakery, or make a business they already have more profitable, without having to put down any collateral.
4. Go organic and local. When you buy organic produce, milk, eggs and meats, you’ll help cut down on the demand for pesticides, chemical fertilizers, genetically modified food, and you’ll be lending support to small farmers. And now, it’s easier than ever to find organic grub: most mainstream grocers carry these products along with healthy-food chains such as Whole Foods. Check to see if there’s a farmer’s market too. For more information on where you can buy organic food in your area, go to organicconsumers.org or localharvest.org.
5. Take Off Your Shoes. Got a pair of flats or loafers you can live without? Consider giving them to Soles4Souls (soles4souls.org), a non-profit charity that provides disadvantaged people around the world with footwear. Don’t have any shoes to donate? You can also help by volunteering your time like hosting a shoe drive at work or your child’s school, or simply making a tax-free contribution.
Marcy Lovitch is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn, New York. She's written for such publications as Glamour, Marie Claire, Essence and Good Housekeeping, to name a few, and is thrilled to be writing for DAME.
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