More Ideas for Giving Back this Thanksgiving and Holiday Season

Thanksgiving is traditionally a day to give thanks for the things we have and to surround ourselves with friends, family, and food. Celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, this feast often marks the beginning of the holiday season. Some awesome ideas for giving back this season have already been posted by former FMF staffer Caroline Sellars on Choices Campus Blog.

Here are a few more ideas for giving back this holiday season!
+ Organize a mini food drive. Ask your friends, family and neighbors to donate non-perishable food items. Collect the donations and bring the items to a local food bank. If you do not have time to collect food, collect spare change. Although food donations are nice, money donations allow food banks to purchase the items they need.
+ Adopt a family in need! Many local and national families in need can be found through various programs online.
+ Ship a care package or letter to a soldier fighting abroad. More information can be found at http://anysoldier.com/

With the economy in the state that it is in... not everyone can afford to spend money this holiday season. Fear not fellow do gooders there are still loads of things you can do
+ Visit sick patients at a near by hospital. Call your local hospital and ask there are any patients who would like a visitor this holiday season. (Note-- Please call and ask permission first!)
+ Donate blood
+ Volunteer at a local shelter
+ Help drop off meals with your local Meals on Wheels

Photo Credit: Mr. T in DC on flickr.com

Guest Post: Turning Thanks Into Giving

Written by all-around awesome feminist and former FMF staffer Caroline Sellars; originally posted at her blog The Feminist Perspective.

There are so many things to be thankful for when it comes to women's equality. From the women who changed history to the people who support us in our everyday lives, feminists have many reasons to give thanks. However, there is still much work to be done to make the world a truly equitable place for all women.

With Thanksgiving coming up, it's a great time to reflect on things we have to be thankful for and to turn that gratefulness into service to others. Here are a few ideas of how to pay-it-forward on the things you may be thankful for:

• Blessed with some incredibly respectful men in your life - friends, relatives, significant others - who encourage your individuality? Volunteer or donate to your local women's shelter to assist those who aren't as fortunate.

• Grateful for modern social freedoms, like owning property and having the right to vote? Teach a girl about women's history or volunteer at a local women's history museum.

• Appreciating some incredible women in elected office? Donate to an organization that supports female candidates and encourage women leaders you know to run for office.

• Inspired by feminist writers like Gloria Steinem and Naomi Wolf? Keep their tradition alive by supporting feminist publications and writing about your own experiences.

• Received an amazing feminist education? Support the women's and gender studies department at a local college by making a donation or attending their on-campus events.

It is important to put your money where your heart is, but it's not all about cash. It's about volunteering and connecting your skills with the needs of organizations and causes from which you benefit. Being grateful is a form of activism because it is more than just an emotion. It is an everyday act of giving back.

Photo credit: JP Puerta on flickr.com