Giving Back—how to feel good and do something good when retail therapy isn’t cutting it

As I wrote in Monday’s post due to world affairs and the current political situation I have been fairly stressed out, and I am not alone in my feelings of unease and fear which can also bring on feelings of futility and depression. And sometimes retail therapy just doesn’t cut it, although the upside is, it keeps people employed, helps the economy and gives one a mommentary feeling of comfort, it is not enough.

Often, it is this time of year that people think of giving back. And I, much like many others, did exactly that. I donated three new toys to a toy drive they were having in the building in which I work. There was a sale on at Duane Reed where you could mix and match three toys for $15.00. I could certainly afford $15.00 so I picked out one for a girl, one for a boy and one toy that could be used by either a girl or a boy. I dropped $5.00 in to The Salvation Army’s red kettle and I donated $50.00 to Mercy Corps to help the people effected by the war in Aleppo.

And not only does this help the children who no longer have to sit on the floor when in school, it also creates jobs for the workers who make the desks

I also wanted to donate to UNICEF’s K.I.N.D project which Lawrence O’ Donnell has been promoting on his show but felt that the situation in Aleppo was more immediate. But I do plan on donating to the K.I.N.D project which raises money to build desks for children in Malawi. And not only does this help the children who no longer have to sit on the floor when in school, it also creates jobs for the workers who make the desks. And you also have an additional choice—if you prefer, you can donate money that goes toward helping girls in Malawi attend school.

I will be donating to this wonderful organization in the spring once I get all my credit card bills paid off.

And for those of you that prefer to donate a little closer to home, there are plenty of causes to donate to from Veteran’s to the environment to animals. So please check out the links below and have a great new year.

Help Veterans with The Wounded Warrior Project

Help the environment and animals with The Good Food Institute 

Help animals with Mercy For Animals

Donate animals to poor people in third world countries which helps them to care for themselves with Heifer.org

And finally there is Doctor’s Without Boaders

Top photo by Cengiz Yar for Mercy Corps