The following is a guest post from fellow coffee-lover, Sarah Mae. Sarah Mae is a household engineer (a.k.a stay-at-home mommy of three and wife to one very cool motorcycling husband) who absolutely loves blogging! She owns the blog Like A Warm Cup Of Coffee (home of Motivate Me Mondays and the 5:16 Club) where she spends her time journeying along side other women who are seeking to find the eternal value in who they are and all they do.
Giving Generously During Tough Economic Times
When we go through difficult financial times, especially as a country, it can be tough to give. What we have to remember is that if it’s tough for us, just think about all those who have it much worse: missionaries, ministries, those who literally cannot feed their babies, or have clean water; those who lost a loved one and now are suffering with making it alone, etc. We must not hoard away our money, especially during times like this. It’s also realistic though that when financial burdens come, we do have a harder time giving.
How Can I Give When I’m Struggling Myself?
Here are some organizations that you can give to that won’t break the bank:
Blood:Water Mission $1 = ONE YEAR OF WATER FOR AN AFRICAN. YOUR ONE DOLLAR WILL SAVE A LIFE.
Can you spare only a $1? If that’s all you have extra to give at this point then Blood:Water Mission is for you. It was started by the band Jars of Clay and it exists to “promote clean blood and clean water efforts in Africa, tangibly reducing the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic while addressing the underlying issues of poverty, injustice and oppression. Blood:Water Mission is building clean water wells, supporting medical facilities, and focusing on community and worldview transformation, both here in America and in Africa.”
I love this organization because they give you so many diverse ways to help those around the world, and .90 cents of every dollar goes directly to the cause. One of my favorite ways to help people is to order the Samaritan’s Purse Christmas Catalog. In it you will find so many ways that you can help those in need. For example, if you have $70 you can buy a family a dairy animal, for $35 you provide an orphan the cost of a month’s worth of meals, lodging, education, and healthcare, or for only $9 you can feed a hungry baby for a week (can you imagine not being able to feed your baby?). These are just a few examples of the many ways to help others with a flexible budget. (World Vision is another organization like Samaritan’s Purse).
The Home Foundation Did you know that over 10 million children world-wide have been sold into sexual slavery?
This organization is a non-profit charitable foundation that is “dedicated to the eradication of human trafficking both domestically and abroad. Through advocacy, education and relief efforts, the Home Foundation is committed to end the suffering of women and children sold into sexual slavery.” You can donate any amount online, or if you are a college student, you can sign up for an internship to go and be a part of a 10 week program where you will learn how to be powerful and effective change agents in the fight for justice and dignity.
I am sure you can come up with more ways to be generous during difficult financial times (heck, just giving your time can be worth far more then giving money). My ultimate encouragment for you is this:
Don’t give up on giving.
Someone out there needs just what you can give.
www.likeawarmcupofcoffee.
“I don’t claim to have found the truth but I know it has found me.” Sara Groves
What great timing! I just did a post called “The Heart of a Giver” on a smiliar topic. I have realized that we can always give, even when we don’t have a lot of extra cash. Those of us who are deal-hunters can find lots of great freebies that can be used by others. You can check out my post here: http://savingandgiving.blogspot.com/2009/04/heart-of-giver.html
Always a good reminder Sarah Mae! Glad you are here helping out Alyssa!
Great post! I’ve been trying to donate a lot more to charity – but I too don’t really have actual money to donate. The major things I’m trying to do is donate blood every 8 weeks and donate some of my freebies and cheapies from store sales to my local food pantry. I’m hoping to get more creative in the future as well…
http://www.helpinganonymously.blogspot.com
This is a great post. It’s written very lovingly and does not admonish. Excellent. I’m going to see about giving my $1 (at minimum) as soon as I’m finished with this comment. Thanks for the information.
This is a great reminder that even $1 can make a difference.
I love this reminder. I think its also great to help out close to home. My husband and I are lucky, and we aren’t facing any personal economic hardship right now(though last year was totally different). We were lucky and given many things when we were down on our luck. Now that our situation has changed, we are passing those things and more on to other people. I sort of think of it like paying it forward, or good karma. If we need help down the road, I am sure it will turn up.