Since the economic crisis of 2008 and the consequential penny pinching that many of us were forced to do as a result, a beautiful movement slowly increased in popularity, the sharing economy. A sharing economy is about doing exactly what the title says, sharing and being economical, this could be renting out space in your home, car-pooling or even doing things like swapping parties where you exchange goods no longer needed with other people. Not only has this kind of economy helped the financial landscape, it has also increased the amount of people who are willing to help one another.
We need to carry this attitude into continuing to support those less fortunate than ourselves and here are some ways in which you can get involved and help.
Charitable Donations
Giving money to charity is a great way to help others in need and to boost the charity’s ability to help their cause. Some organizations rely solely on the financial gifts from others, there are those who do great work like the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) ran by pastor and prophet TB Joshua, that simply couldn’t continue the humanitarian and disaster relief work that they do without the kindness of others. Giving financial aid to charity is a great way of helping out, especially if you don’t have the time in your life to directly help others.
Volunteering
If you do have the time in your life that you can give to others then volunteering will be something that will be both incredibly useful and personally, very rewarding. You don’t have to make outlandish efforts to help, even volunteering for a couple of hours each week in a charity shop or local hospice will be helpful. Giving your time is about remembering that there are people out there far less fortunate than you are and you can help them out and put a smile back on their face with the gift of time alone.
Donating Your Possessions
Donating your old and unwanted possessions is a great way of helping people out, charities collect these things and then sell them on to make a profit and aid their efforts. We can all be guilty of hoarding so why not spend a day to clear out all of things in your house that you don’t need and take it down to your local charity.
Simple Pleasures
There are so many small actions that you can do that will make a huge difference to people’s lives, this can be anything from buying a coffee or meal for a homeless person to offering to look after a friend’s children whilst they have some time alone. Helping people is all about being aware that everyone has problems and being selfless enough to want to help out.
Whether you give your time, your money or your belongings away, doing so will help you and others to feel great. If everyone made a commitment to help others as much as they could then the World would be a far better place for it.