Kitchen and Living Room Combined Designs: giving

<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzU9sto0yCjwV-jI_Ax7hzD8fXRi04kUxzM0oM_IpSv03d-enh67Jb5RUMzKSEBNMPiitsLGb-pzGjdJJTGjZcbiJvbJce5t9J8f46HpPPCzLEhUKpw35NKzGstcrsrRj-qq1dWyjW53KR/s1600/IMG_3445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzU9sto0yCjwV-jI_Ax7hzD8fXRi04kUxzM0oM_IpSv03d-enh67Jb5RUMzKSEBNMPiitsLGb-pzGjdJJTGjZcbiJvbJce5t9J8f46HpPPCzLEhUKpw35NKzGstcrsrRj-qq1dWyjW53KR/s1600/IMG_3445.jpg" width="266" /></a></div> Did you know that there is enough food on the planet right this second to feed everyone in the world?  <blockquote class="tr_bq">‘When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’ - Matthew 25</blockquote>I don't give out of a need to get bonus points or to redeem myself in some way, or to help me "feel" the holiday spirit.  These types of giving become more about myself than others.  I give because I want to help.  I believe that this world, this earth is filled with so much bounty, so many gifts - enough for everyone.  I like to help others, strangers and ignored people just as I would help my own.  We have enough, we just have to figure out how to share.  I have more than enough, so I share.  If you are reading this blog, you likely have enough to share.  Each year I share my favorite ways to give (read last year's <a href="http://jennysteffens.blogspot.com/2011/12/3-ways-to-help-this-holiday-giving.html">here</a>).  Throughout the holiday season I find a way to give spontaneously to strangers, Emma helps me pick out toys to donate toys to children's' charities, I spend some time volunteering and and I give money.  I always give anonymously, if possible.  The credit is not mine to take.  I <strike>probably</strike> know I don't give as much as I can, but I try.  All of these things take some planning, but for me are a part of our holiday schedule - because we have enough, too much, not to share.   Giving Tuesday I know that most of you are givers, too.  Today I am going to give to you for giving to others.  For the first 10 people who donate any amount to a charity of their choice (I've listed some of my favorites below), I will send you a $20 gift card for my store.  Forward the confirmation email to store@jennysteffens.com from your donation (again, of any charity of your choice - church, foundation, soup kitchen, whatever) and I will send you a code for a $20 gift card.   We all want to give, but sometimes we don't know how or who.  I've listed some of my favorites below - some local, some global.  I would love to know some of your favorites, as well! <a href="http://www.hopehouse.net/">Hope House</a> (this is a local domestic violence shelter, but it is easy to find one in your neighborhood) The mission : Hope House services form a safety net of prevention, education and support for thousands of people traumatized by domestic violence every year locally in the Kansas City area.   Your money at work :  Last year we donated a car full of gifts to their Holiday Store where the women are able to "shop" for gifts for their children.  So, a mother who is a victim of domestic abuse and who is living with her children in a shelter will have gifts to give her children on Christmas morning. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/">Action Against Hunger</a></div> The mission: To feed malnourished children around the world and help communities grow their own food sources.  It’s simple. Action Against Hunger/ACF International fulfills its mission by delivering aid to 7 million people in more than 40 countries annually. “Saving the most vulnerable is our first priority, so we focus on rescuing young children who are on the brink of death, and we have a 90 percent survival rate in the communities where we work,” says the organization’s chief executive officer, Nan Dale. The group doesn’t only offer handouts: In Kenya, ACF has taught more than 43,000 people how to establish vegetable gardens and plant crops that are resistant to drought. Your money at work: A $45 donation provides 45 days of special energy-dense food for a severely malnourished child. <div style="text-align: left;"> <a href="https://www.oxfamamericaunwrapped.com/about-oxfam/">OxFam American Unwrapped</a> The Mission : Oxfam America is a global organization working to right the wrongs of poverty, hunger, and injustice. As one of 17 members of the international Oxfam confederation, we work with people in more than 90 countries to create lasting solutions. Oxfam saves lives, develops long-term solutions to poverty, and campaigns for social change. Your money at work : $18 can buy a pair of chickens which produces both eggs and baby chicks, providing families with income for today and tomorrow—making this a gift that’s worth crowing about.  A $100 donation can fund a woman's new business. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtqkA4rFM8vPTCok0_tjOlqIsknQhaJ-o6QiYgDME15XtsRpQQOEsyOmuDkTMxed7bxXBB1EfTGWifvmCkbqN8mpRrZEXp80S4kOHiLTgPlLQBoSf4au0dtxdyaxw0Pq41Vgo5LiRY__M/s1600/IMG_4579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtqkA4rFM8vPTCok0_tjOlqIsknQhaJ-o6QiYgDME15XtsRpQQOEsyOmuDkTMxed7bxXBB1EfTGWifvmCkbqN8mpRrZEXp80S4kOHiLTgPlLQBoSf4au0dtxdyaxw0Pq41Vgo5LiRY__M/s1600/IMG_4579.JPG" width="640" /></a> </div><div style="height: 0px;"> </div>

Giving Tuesday | Make a Charitable Donation and get a $20 Gift Card!

Did you know that there is enough food on the planet right this second to feed everyone in the world? ‘When did we ever see you hungry an...

Over the years, I have tried to do give back in unique ways during the holidays.  I like to give in ways that bring surprise and delight to those that I'm helping - to somehow bring the magic of Christmas to someone that may have never experienced the wonderment and joy Christmas can bring. Each year I think of a new way to share the spirit of giving, but I always follow a couple of rules: - It must be anonymous.  I always give without attachment of my name - if I'm looking for credit, then it is not giving in the Christmas Spirit.  - I must do it without reward.  This means that I don't even get to watch them experience the joy and surprise.  I know this might sound a little strange, but I believe that if I'm giving from a pure heart, the motivation should not be myself relishing in the reaction of the person receiving.  If I am giving to receive (in the form of joy), then it is a selfish act.  Also, if their reaction is not what I would've hoped, then I might be discouraged. - I have to give up something, too.  It can be easy around Christmas time to spend, spend, spend and add up the damage in January.  When I donate, I consciously go without something I was planning to buy for myself of for someone else.  It can be easy to write a check, but I encourage you to think about the act and method of your giving more creatively this holiday season.  Be sure to give in a way that honors the Christmas Spirit of good will and wonderment! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnZ2DT73Ua7ZiArbYTEc1VJj_v0YHl6MhZB86-7rYE36nYFjsGAsCElUXhw49UwggJucBqjNlNocKTHeomfvZUscdv3z6mp3_7j8aR4-uXNi7tjL5W1ZkSu2BTJkWgIWbEU2Le-c3XMM/s1600/IMG_9722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnZ2DT73Ua7ZiArbYTEc1VJj_v0YHl6MhZB86-7rYE36nYFjsGAsCElUXhw49UwggJucBqjNlNocKTHeomfvZUscdv3z6mp3_7j8aR4-uXNi7tjL5W1ZkSu2BTJkWgIWbEU2Le-c3XMM/s400/IMG_9722.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>1. Shelter Santa Mike and I usually set a spending limit for our gifts - about $100 or so.  We do this because we don't 'need' anything and it forces us to be creative rather than go buy something luxurious.  Last year, I decided to spend the $100 for his gift on toys, books and clothes to give to a shelter.  On Christmas Eve morning (when we exchange), I surprised him with a huge "Santa" bag (you'd be surprised how far $100 goes in the toy department at Target) filled with wrapped gifts.  We dropped them off at a shelter for families on Christmas Eve on our way to church.  He loved that I gave him the gift of giving - I'm lucky to have a husband that "gets it." 2. Surprise Santa A couple of years ago, I had set aside my $100 to donate or give at my whim during the holiday season.  I kept it in my wallet and waited for the perfect moment to bestow it somewhere or somehow.  Before I knew it it was Christmas Eve and I still had that $100 bill.  I thought, who would really need this tonight?  I went to a Dollar General Store at 5pm and walked the aisles until I saw the perfect candidate - she was dressed in a uniform from work and she was looking at books for children.  I had been watching her before and saw which car that she had arrived in.  So, I went outside and put an envelope with the $100 on her windshield and I left.  I didn't want to hand it to her in person, because I didn't want to embarrass her.  I didn't wait around to watch her find it.  I just wanted her to have it.  I love this method because she didn't find the money until after she had checked out so I knew that she had purchased whatever she could afford and the money would be an extra cushion for her - however she needed to use it. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgm2FJ4E5esMwJiOn_ZoMJ5pjTkDBpfJono7O_6CJp-zYFZoF4R0Kgoa3a2F13epBz934UQKV_7wsatS9W5wKRsNYzLYbeNz9N6955AM3aE2u94hjaQ2GgT-E8pZkmTZWVPdWt-EA1kM8/s1600/IMG_9474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgm2FJ4E5esMwJiOn_ZoMJ5pjTkDBpfJono7O_6CJp-zYFZoF4R0Kgoa3a2F13epBz934UQKV_7wsatS9W5wKRsNYzLYbeNz9N6955AM3aE2u94hjaQ2GgT-E8pZkmTZWVPdWt-EA1kM8/s400/IMG_9474.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>3. Holiday Baking Drop Off We all get joy from eating a beautiful Christmas sugar cookie or a festive cupcake.  There is something special about treating yourself to something beautiful that was handmade just for you.  While they might not be one of the basic food groups or at the top of the food pyramid, baked goods that are made with love can definitely have a huge impact on someone without much delight or love in their life.  One year Mike and I delivered 2 dozen beautiful cupcakes to a homeless man on the side of the road.   I know it seemed like a random gift to give someone without a home or proper clothing, but when he opened the box his face lit up.  As we drove away he yelled to us, "I LOVE CUPCAKES!" in the happiest tone.  Maybe those cupcakes brightened his day just a little.

3 Ways to Help this Holiday | Giving & Helping | Charities to Support this Holiday

Over the years, I have tried to do give back in unique ways during the holidays. I like to give in ways that bring surprise and delight to ...

Kitchen and Living Room Combined Designs

Giving Tuesday | Make a Charitable Donation and get a $20 Gift Card!

3 Ways to Help this Holiday | Giving & Helping | Charities to Support this Holiday

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