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.

I usually donate to the local food bank and the Salvation Army every Christmas. This year I also did some gifts for Dunelm and the tree thing they do. A local centre are also advertising for gifts for the homeless and those who've escaped domestic abuse this year so I may get some things if I get a chance.

I usually run a Christmas charity drive where I live but contribute to various causes year round. I am comfortable financially so feel it’s a moral obligation.

We buy dog and cat beds, blankets, toys and treats for a few local animal charities and I crochet neck warmers for Greyhounds/Whippets/Lurchers/Sighthounds at Nationwide charities.

We donate to a horse and pony sanctuary that is also local to us.

We donate to a local Bird hospital and give the helpers some foodstuffs.

We give winter hats, scarves, gloves and blankets to a homeless charity, some new, some secondhand that I've collected from family and friends and some that I've made.

We give financially to some other charities that are personal to us via DD each month.

I'm a trustee of a children's charity and I donate to the local foodbank throughout the year and I always buy toys for one of the local charities that organise Christmas gifts. This year I'm having some time off so am volunteering at another children's charity a couple of days a week sorting the donations and matching them up to local families in need.

I always buy Christmas Dinner for the homeless though the People's Kitchen, £20 gets 4 meals, and my friends and family often follow suit

This year I'm also buying Christmas Dinner for a family of 4 through a local charity called feeding families. They match donors and recipients, provide a list of everything you need to buy, then you deliver it just before Christmas for the family to cook themselves.

I donate to food bank throughout the year - try and get a few special things around Christmas, though I always buy nice things. I also have monthly DD to Shelter. I usually do that 'buy a homeless person a Christmas dinner' thing (can't remember the charity).

Add treats to the food bank collection.
Donate to the pet charity at the local pet shop.
We “adopted” a family for Christmas in past years but money is getting tight, so this year I bought a toy each month for the toy drive, it spread the expense out.

We’ve adopted a rule that whatever we spend on our own Christmas, we spend the same on charities. We try to match it up.

So for example if our grocery shop for Christmas will be £200, we’d give £200 to the foodbank. We’re spending £300 total on presents, so spent £300 on gifts for a local children’s charity to distribute.

Basically just work out our budget and half goes on our family, half to charity.

We have regular direct debits through the year as well.

We give to the local foodbank every other month, and for Christmas, have donated to Crisis and Centrepoint. Centrepoint is very close to my heart, I feel young people have a bad deal regarding homelessness and I hope we make a difference.