29 Nov 2017

5 Fun Ways to Give Back as a Family this Holiday Season

posted in: Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless Blog |

 

Regardless of which winter holiday you celebrate, December is the busiest time of the year. Between juggling all the parties and presents, it can be easy to lose the true meaning of the holidays – the spirit of giving.  There’s no better way to bond with your family than by doing something charitable for others.

Here are 5 ways you can give back as a family this holiday season. 

 

1. Donate to a Holiday Gift Drive:

Picking out a special gift for someone in need is a great way to teach younger family members about the spirit of giving and how to budget during the holidays. After making your donation, head to a local café to enjoy mugs of hot chocolate and discuss how everyone felt while doing something generous.

TAKE ACTION: Donate gifts from our Holiday Gift Drive.

 

2. Assemble and Donate Welcome Home Kits: As people exit homelessness and move into new homes, they need household basics like hygiene, kitchen, and bathroom items. Once you shop for all the items on this list, put on some holiday music or a favorite movie while you organize your donations.

TAKE ACTION: Donate a Move-In Kit to our clients.

 

3. Cook and Serve a Meal: If your family is ready for something more personal, cooking and serving a meal to people experiencing homelessness is a great way to share the spirit of giving with people in need. Your family can learn a great deal by interacting with our clients and then use those experiences to educate others about the issue of homelessness in our community.

TAKE ACTION:  Prepare and donate a meal to our men’s emergency shelter.

 

4. Wrap Holiday Gifts: A gift isn’t complete without a little wrapping! Take an afternoon off work to visit us and wrap gifts for the people we serve.

TAKE ACTION: Volunteer to wrap holiday gifts.

 

5. Hold a Community Bake Sale: The whole family enjoys gathering in the kitchen to bake holiday treats, but you can make this tradition even more meaningful by spreading holiday cheer to your community! Hold a holiday bake sale and donate the proceeds to MCCH. 

TAKE ACTION: Contact volunteer@mcch.net to learn more.

 

 

Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless (MCCH) is a non-profit with the mission to provide solutions in Montgomery County to ensure that homelessness is rare, brief, and nonrecurring. Learn more about MCCH.

15 Nov 2017

6 Surprising Reasons Why People Experiencing Homelessness Need Gift Cards for the Holidays

posted in: Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless Blog |

 

Giving the perfect holiday gift is so satisfying, which is why every year MCCH publishes a wish list for all of our clients. There’s one gift that many clients ask for and rarely gets fulfilled: gift cards.

We know that giving a gift card may not elicit the same warm, fuzzy feelings as giving someone an item that was chosen specifically for them, but we’ll let you in on a little secret: our clients LOVE gift cards.

Here are six reasons why this simple item is the ultimate holiday gift for our clients.

  1. Gift cards can be used to buy presents for children or other family members. Giving gifts is a luxury most people experiencing homelessness are not able to afford. Gift cards allow our clients to pick out special gifts for their own loved ones.
  2. They can be used to buy groceries or other household items. No one is asking Santa for groceries, but they are still a necessity! Gift cards can help our clients beyond the holiday season, whether they need food, clothes, or household items.
  3. Some clients are saving up for bigger purchases. After moving into a new home, our clients can feel isolated. Many of them have no link to the outside world because electronics such as televisions or computers are rarely donated. A gift card can help someone reach their goal of buying a more expensive item.
  4. Gift cards allow clients to try on and choose their own clothes. Would you rather ask a stranger for a pair of jeans in your size or visit a store to find the perfect fit? Most of us would want the chance to choose our own clothes. Gift cards give our clients the opportunity to have control over this aspect of their lives.
  5. They can help clients connect with others. Most of our clients have prepaid cell phones, but they don’t always have money to use them. Visa gift cards can be used to buy phone minutes, which allow our clients to connect with family members or service providers.
  6. Gift cards simply give them the gift of choice. While experiencing homelessness, our clients have very few choices. Almost everything they receive is donated, whether it’s the food they eat or the clothes they wear. The gift of choice is something many clients value, far more than any object.

 

When you’re signing up to donate to our holiday giving program, please consider choosing to give a gift card. It means a lot more than you think.

Sign up to provide gifts for our holiday gift drive. If you’ve already given a gift, check out more ways you can spread joy to MCCH clients this holiday season.

 

Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless (MCCH) is a non-profit with the mission to provide solutions in Montgomery County to ensure that homelessness is rare, brief, and nonrecurring. Learn more about MCCH.

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