Food Lion
Help The Hungry And The Homeless
As many as 3.5 million people-including 1.3 million children-are homeless each year. Homeless shelters are often overburdened, as are soup kitchens and shelters for battered women. Fortunately, there are many ways you can help:
- Pick up donated food
- Serve food
- Offer administrative assistance
- Donate needed supplies
Just pick up a few extra items like toiletries or canned goods when you go to the store, or donate gently used items you already own. Items needed at shelters: canned goods, clothing, toiletries, toys, paper products, blankets and school and art supplies.
Donate your advice, such as career skills, budgeting tips, cooking, coping and other life skills-it's a valuable way to help people get out of the cycle of homelessness.
Feeding The Hungry
Participate in a backpack food program and donate food for families in need. As part of the program, students in at risk of going hungry take home backpacks full of food each week, often on Fridays or before vacations, when students don't have access to free or reduced priced lunches at school.
The benefits of these programs go beyond filling empty stomachs: They have helped increase school attendance and academic performance.
Engage The Elderly
There will be twice as many elderly people in the U.S. in 2030 as there were in 2000*. Often elderly people have friends who have passed away or families that are not close enough to take care of them. There are many ways you can help:
- Deliver Meals Check with your local Meals on Wheels and help deliver meals to the elderly. Aside from providing hot meals, you're offering the warmth of companionship.
- Volunteer For Hospice Many families rely on hospice, and hospice relies on many volunteers for help. Volunteers can offer help with everything from visiting patients to helping family members with childcare or fundraising.
- Offer The Gift Of Time Play cards, organize art classes, run errands, or share a sunset.
Contact your state division of adult and aging services or your religious organization for other ways to volunteer for the elderly.
