Do you do anything to help those less fortunate than you at Christmas

[TimeForBedSaidZebadee]

On the back of the "how much does your Christmas food shop cost"
Our food spend at Christmas is obscene. We are lucky enough that we can afford it but it still makes me feel guilty that so many others aren't as lucky.
We take a massive box of food to a local food bank. We donate weekly but at Christmas add loads of special treats. We also donate a toy hamper to a local charity that will then give to children and families that need a bit of help.
Its a really shit time for so many people at the moment and I'm wondering if there is anything else people do to help others.

We have donated to the toy drives in previous years, unfortunately not in a position to this year

Yes, I maker massive fancy beauty/chocolate advent calendars and donate them to the girls that live in the care home on our street. I have done it since the pandemic and it is great fun :)

Contribute some gifts to the homeless hostel / project call out so that everyone gets a Christmas present.

Put a few extra things in the food bank box

But generally I just have regular direct debits.

I just have my regular direct debits throughout the year. Not a tithe unfortunately but probably works out at 5%.

then I donate all my old clothes and belongings to the charity shop. I go to fundraisers as social events and volunteer at a local old peoples home once a week.

Oh, I also do the Samaritans Purse shoeboxes. 3 every year.

Similar to you op.

Generally 4/5 carrier bags of food to the food bank and a donated toy to the toy drive.

Last year we sat outside the church community hall where the food bank is held and, when the rev walked by, we got out of the car to ask what time the food bank was open. He was bloody rude and sneered and said we were too early. His demeanour totally changed when we said we were dropping off not wanting to collect items. Horrible man.

I give to Crisis every year, they helped my late dh more than any other charity.

We've agreed at work to do a Secret Santa charity donation instead of presents to each other. So happy about it, I hate work SS! I've nominated a small youth club that these days is providing hot meals to local kids who are malnourished. In a rich British city.

I look for ways to spend ethically at Christmas but obviously that's not all about charity - often the opposite - supporting local businesses and therefore jobs for example.

Instead of buying Xmas cards or birthday cards all year round I don't to this instead. It's beam.org/

volunteer for Crisis if you want to do something. Or donate if you can't volunteer.

In 2020 and 2021 instead of Christmas cards I donated a Teddy bear to ACHING ARMS
in memory of ds1.
The first Teddy I didn't hear from the family. The second one I have regular contact with the family. They took their "Jackbear" to Disneyland Paris with them and they sent me lots of pictures. He also went on a sponsored walk for SANDS.
Last year a very old friend lost his teenage son in a very quick timescale to cancer so I donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust.
This year I will be donating another Teddy bear.

We may give a few items through collections at DS school. That’s all though. We can’t afford to give anymore.

We usually do a charity donation but not this year. Waiting to hear if dh has a job 😩

A couple of years ago I was manning a drop off point for Samaritans purse and a woman came in to speak to me and tell me about her experience of receiving a show box through Samaritans purse when she was a child. She was from a single parent family with a mother hugely struggling to make ends meet in a country with no welfare benefits, and throughout the school day the head teacher was calling one child after another into her office. It was all the poorest, hungriest children, and each one came out with a box. There were about 10 children in the school in all, and she was the last to be called in and given a box and told it came with best wishes from Christians a long way away who cared for her and were praying for her. She still got a bit teary describing the moment, and she treasured the box for years, and still has the actual box itself, and a few of the contents, 20 years later and a continent away from where she grew up

Every year we buy a toy for the local collection for families that are struggling and I buy 10 chocolate advent calendars around now and donate them to the food bank so they can pass them onto families with small children. It's not much but I hate to think of children missing out and I think it's important for our dc to realise how fortunate they are and see the value in helping others. We donate regularly to the food bank ourselves and through school and Brownies too

We give donations to the toy appeal and buy a few packets of charity cards. Also give money here and there if we see collectors. Not so much charity but obviously we give some money to the school for raffle tickets etc. It is definitely worth sacrificing a few extra clothes and toys for the dcs and instead contribute to gifts for less fortunate people imo.

Yes we do.

Not loads. :/ Usually get some things for the Refuge list and do some carol singing with the elderly.

I volunteer long term for a charity so most Christmas things I do are for that and it's not really extra, it's just part of my normal life. I could do more, I think.

What are these ? Sounds like something I would like to do too

I do the Samaritan shoe box every year. I deliver Christmas hampers for the food bank.
I also organise a children toy collection for local children in difficult circumstances. There's a group that does a Christmas party (for under 5yo), and until about 3 years ago they had sponsorship from a company that unfortunately went bust. Since then I organise collection.
Our local Entertainer Toy Shop is fantastically helpful, and we ask people if they want to donate online they can choose something from the Entertainer to be delivered to our one, and they bring them round to us. I'm certain they normally put more in than is ordered too, although they always deny it.

I donate toiletries to a women's aid charity locally- every year.They ask for toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, deodorant, shower gel, a facecloth, bubble bath, bodywash, soaps, sanitary protection, body sprays. I get enough for 6 sets and make pretty, waterproof, drawstring bags to put them in.
DH gives £250 to Save the Children. I give the same to our local cat and dog shelter.I spend all my Sainsbury's points from the year on cat and dog food and drop it of as well.
Always have a clear out before Christmas and take bags of stuff to the local animal charity shop and I make sets of felt tree decorations for them to sell, as well as giving them all the other things I've made during the year- make-up bags, drawstring bags, cushions, bunting etc.They have a crafts corner and quite a few people contribute. The DC all add toys to that collection.
Our street does a big foodbank collection and we contribute to that.
If we have stuff the local homeless charity in Newcastle are asking for - usually warm, waterproof coats, jumpers and boots, I take those up. MIL always adds stuff to that.

We donated to the local toy run this year, and will donate to our work collection too.

I donate food to food banks and pet rescues throughout the year. In addition to this I donate all of the gifts ie chocs,wine,biscuits I receive from my patients to the local food bank at Christmas

I donate to Acts431

Wish I could do more. I give to several charities all year round eg raffle tickets, direct debits, lottery numbers ( MacMillan). There’s a toy appeal at either Asda or Tesco which I’m going to donate to & I try to put something in the food bank trolley at Tesco nearly every time I shop. There are a couple of Christmas dinners being put on locally & I will give something for both of those. I have done shoeboxes in the past & given toiletries to Women’s Aid & similar.

Sorry Acts435