3 Easy Ways to Give Back in Your Local Community

Thank you Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company for sponsoring this post. Band Together with Jewelers Mutual and help them donate $2 million to support three worthy causes - health, home, and hunger.

Giving back to your community and being grateful for what we've been given are so important! Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company couldn't agree with this statement more. Right now they are running their Band Together campaign and planning to donate a total of $2 million dollars to support health, home, and hunger needs through their corporate giving campaign.  St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Habitat for Humanity, and Feeding America or Food Banks of Canada will all be benefiting because of Jewelers Mutual!

You get a say in how the money is shared with each nonprofit too! Between now and July 31st you can vote in the Band Together campaign. The nonprofit with the most votes gets $1 million, second place gets $700,000 and third place gets $300,000. 

Voting also gets you entered to win weekly prizes from STACKED New York. One winner will be chosen weekly to win three stacking bands ($450 value), and you can increase your chances of winning by voting for your favorite nonprofit organization daily.

There are a lot of ways to give back in your community. It not only makes you feel good, getting your family involved helps to create a culture of being grateful and paying in forward too. Today I thought I'd share some tips with you for how to easily make an impact in your community!

1. Determine needs within your community- Each season I need to go through the kids' clothes and pull out what no longer fits. Sometimes it just makes since to donate the clothes to a family or organization in need, and sometimes it makes more sense to sell the clothes, then donate the funds to a family or organization in need. These clothes below no longer fit Grant, but the jeans are like new, as Grant now favors athletic wear and the sweaters and button down are name brand and only worn for church.  With these clothes, selling them at a resale shop or on buy-sell-trade group makes more sense. The funds will go further, than just donating the clothes will. 

2. Shop with a purpose- If you know there is a family or organization in your community in need of food, pay attention to the sale adds and purchase staples on sale, you'll be able to buy more, and that means more food for a family in need.

The same thing goes with shopping for clothing. Back to school shopping sales are just revving up. This is a great time to buy new clothes at a great price for a family in need. In my experience, families in need are thankful for what they are given, but kids having the opportunity to wear new clothes is important.

3. Get one, give one- One philosophy I try to stick to is to donate a toy or piece of clothing when we add new to the house. Grant just had his birthday, and in the week leading up to it we went through his toys and picked out a bunch that he would like to donate. I also recently went though Hannah's toys and picked out some handheld toys she no longer is interested in, and we sold her bouncy and swing too. I also use the get one, give one philosophy on clothing when I purchase it or receive it for review on the blog. If I add something new, I find something I no longer wear to donate as well. Like I said above, sometimes simply donating to a family or organization in need makes sense, and sometimes selling, then donating the money makes the most sense. 

What tips do you have for helping in your community? Comment below, so we all can learn and grow together!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.