It’s important for us as individuals to come together during the Holidays to bring cheer and happiness to those less fortunate than us. After all, Thanksgiving is all about being thankful so what better way to show it than to give back to your community?

I was kicking around some ideas with Melissa the other day for ways to give back to the community and while we have not settled on one single item, we are definitely close to making a decision. Listed below are some ideas we came up with on how to give back to the community during the Holidays. Do you have any yearly traditions in which you give back to your community? I would like to know.

Ways to Give Back

• Volunteer at a homeless shelter.
• Hand out ‘semi personalized’ Holiday Cards to the elderly at a local retirement home.
• Make box lunch turkey sandwiches, drive around and pass them out to the homeless.
• Use a large turkey fryer as a cooking pot, make stew and ‘tailgate’ for the homeless.
• Join a local ‘Adopt and Angel’ program and help out a needy child.
• Donate generously to the USMC’s ‘Toys for Tots’ program.
• Contact our local Goodwill or Salvation Army centers and volunteer our time.
• Purchase winter coats at a thrift shop, drive around and hand them out to the homeless.

Last year Melissa and I had the opportunity to pass out handmade Holiday Cards at a local retirement home. If you decide to do this, bear in mind that not all residents are Christian as some of them may be Jewish. This is why we hand out ‘Holiday Cards’ instead of ‘Christmas Cards.’ Also, if you do anything with food, don’t use peanut products to avoid any allergic reaction mishaps. For cold cut turkey sandwiches, stick to the basics (Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles, Mustard) and skimp on the Mayo. If you are going to park somewhere and hand out food, do so with a small group of friends. This will provide you with a safer atmosphere.