5 Ways to Give Back This Season +
A Healthy Holiday Giveaway!
Looking for ways to show gratitude this season? I’m sharing five tips for giving back, plus I’m giving away an eat well, do good Nature’s Path prize pack full of yummy organic food and products!
This time of year, it’s easy to get caught up in all the holiday fun and gift-giving/receiving and forget about the true spirit of the season.
I’m not judging — I created a holiday gift guide centered around things I wanted for myself, for goodness sake!
But this season is really a time show gratitude for all of the things we already have.
This has been an incredible year for me. From graduating from my master’s program to passing the RD exam to getting pregnant with my first child, I feel so thankful for the many blessings I’ve received this year.
Although it’s important to me year-round, during the holidays especially I feel the responsibility to give back as a way to show my gratitude.
There are so many wonderful ways to help others this season, so today I wanted to take the time to share my favorite ways to give back and tips for doing so. Whether it’s making a simple donation or getting your hands dirty, here are a few ways you can help!
1. Donate healthy items to your local food bank.
Food banks are always in need of non-perishable healthy items for needy families, especially this time of year. I highlighted the word healthy because it’s so important to give families food that is nourishing and not just dump the things you don’t want. Check out this article from Nature’s Path for a list of the types of foods that food banks need the most.
2. Purchase presents that give back.
Many companies are getting hip to the notion that consumers want their dollars to do good! Brands like Toms and Warby Parker will both donate a pair of shoes or eyeglasses for every pair you purchase. Everlane donates $5 to equality now for every item purchased from their “100% Human” line. Patagonia contributes 1% of their annual sales to grassroots environmental groups to protect our planet.
3. Contribute your culinary skills to prepare a meal for those in need.
If you like to cook (and I’m guessing you do if you’re hanging out here in #whitskitch), volunteering at a local soup kitchen can be a fun and rewarding way to lend a hand this season. Here in L.A. we have several great places to get in on the action.
The Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition serves a six-course meal every night to homeless citizens in WeHo. You sign up to help cook the meal from 2:30-6:30 pm or serve it from 5:45-8:30 pm nightly. You can also donate food or money.
LA Kitchen in downtown Los Angeles works to prevent food waste by taking donated food and turning it into beautiful meals for needy populations around the city. You can volunteer to help prepare the meals here.
And LA Food Bank has tons of opportunities to give back, from helping to prepare and serve meals to sorting and packaging items from local food drives. You can find a list of current activities here.
4. Sponsor a family in need.
Many churches and schools offer programs this time of year to aid families in need by purchasing gifts that fulfill their holiday needs and wishes. As a part of their Holidays From the Heart Program, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles will match you with a family that needs help this season.
5. Perform small acts of kindness.
I’ll never forget the time I was walking Mr. Chow and a car pulled up next to me and asked me if he was a rescue. When I responded, “yes,” the man reached out his window and handed me a $5 Starbucks gift card. “For being a kind person,” he said. While I didn’t financially need the $5, I was blown away by the gesture.
This time of year more than any, we can all benefit from kind acts that bring a smile to each other’s faces. This gentleman’s idea is a great one — dole out small gift cards to strangers who look like they could use some holiday cheer. Another small thing I do is keep healthy bars and snacks in my car and give them to the needy when I pass them on the street.
Whatever you choose to do this season, just remember:
Every little bit counts!
And in keeping with the giving theme of this post, I’ve got one more thing to give out today…
I’ve teamed up with Nature’s Path to give one of you an eat well, do good prize pack full of delicious, organic Love Crunch cereal, granola, and granola bars — plus home décor goodies and body products from three other companies who also give back to worthy charities and causes!
Here’s what’s up for grabs!
- 9 boxes of Nature’s Path Love Crunch cereal, granola, and granola bars
- a Mer Sea & Co candle
- a mug from The Created Co
- a basket of Dr. Bronner’s body and home care goods
I’m a huge fan of Nature’s Path. Similar to me, they believe in eating well and doing good, and that everyone has a right to nutritious, organic food, regardless of circumstance. Nature’s Path gives back 1% of all annual sales —not profits — to food banks, conservation efforts, organic community gardens, and other vetted charities.
One of their programs is the Love Crunch Bite4Bite initiative, where for every bag or box of Love Crunch that you buy, the equivalent in cash or food is donated to food banks around North America.
Want to win the prize pack?! Here’s how to enter:
Update: GIVEAWAY CLOSED. Thank you so much to everyone who entered! And congratulations to our winner, MaryAnn!
Comment below and share your favorite way to give back during the holidays. I will choose a winner on Friday!
*Must be 18 years old to enter and a US resident.
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Sj Dc says:
every year, not only for christmas but for all other celebrations, apart from celebrating with family we make it a point to also spend a day either at an orphanage/old-age home or institutions for destitutes sposoring their meals and having fun…it feels wonderful to get a different perspective on life and exerience boundless joy and love at the same time…
Bianca Muñoz says:
I work at a local partnership for children and each year we have families from the community that we sponsor and collect gifts from their wish list. I always make sure our family picks something to give to the family. We try to give back to the community as much as we can. Thank you for the giveaway.
Kelly D says:
I like to give back by giving toys to children in need. My favorite this year was when my son’s class ‘adopted’ a family for the holidays and we sent toys in. My son loved it too.
Denise Johnson says:
I love donating to my local animal shelters during the holiday season. Pets are always in need of help as well.
paige o says:
Love Crunch Granola is so good! Great ideas on easy ways to give back without braking the bank!
manda says:
I love baking for others during the holiday.
Kayley says:
I am an animal enthusiast, so my philanthropic efforts during the holidays tend to center around them. I like to volunteer at adoption events to help pets find their new furrever homes for the holidays and I also donate blankets and other supplies to help keep the animals warm.
Hannah G says:
One thing my children and I love to do every year is pick out gifts and fill boxes for Operation Christmas Child!
Rachel says:
Every little bit does count. We’re trying to instill that in our children because they (our son especially) is at the age where he can either turn into a brat or turn into a really nice, caring person! (Hello, elementary school!!)
Jamie D. says:
Every year we help with a community outreach program. We get together and pack boxes to deliver to local schools that have families in need of food over Christmas break.
Rita A says:
Every year we donate toys to the local toys for tots program. Plus we also give extra cash to the local food banks.
Jessica Levinson says:
These are definitely great ideas for ways to give back! It’s so important and I’m glad to see what others are doing.
Alisa Fleming says:
These are such great ideas – I have honestly never done any type of charity over the holidays (although we do donate food), but was thinking this year was the year to change that!
Linda N. says:
I love to donate toys to local toy drives in my town. I donate new items as well as toys that we no longer use that can go to kids in need.
Sarah says:
Such a wonderful post! My girls always do a lot for the food drive (we also volunteer at Feed My Starving Children and other programs) at their schools and bring lots of veggies, staples, and the big one this year was their favorite treats because those are things that many kids don’t get. My oldest donated a couple boxes of her favorite Square Bars and my youngest Go Macro Bars along with fruit leathers and things. We also donated a couple cases of organic dried friut.
Ashley B says:
I give back by making sure that my family gets nice little things to make them feel special. Next year we’re considering adopting a child (online/financially) to take care of for the year if our funds are right for it :)
Lorie says:
This is so amazing! My siblings and I don’t do gifts. Instead we donate to some sort of cause or support a local family. It makes the holidays so much better!
Gladys says:
Our favorite way to give back is to buy presents for local children who have written to “Santa”.
Kaitlin H says:
A few years ago I found out that my blood type (AB+) means my platelets are universal and can help cancer patients through treatment. The process of donating platelets takes ~3+ hours and in the past has made me a bit faint, so I tend not to do it very often. However, I learned that around the holidays the American Red Cross had a bit of a lull and is in need of donors, so I always schedule a platelet donation for a day right around the holidays when I’m off of work. Just a couple hours of my time can help someone get through a life saving treatment. It’s so worth it.
Thmoas says:
This is so wonderful for the holidays and is that a hint of a bump :D Hopefully Mr.Chow doesnt eat up all the goods!
Tom H. says:
A group from our church frequently prepares and serves meals at a local rescue mission, makes sandwiches for a soup kitchen, and collects canned goods for local food bank throughout the year.
Emily @Sinful Nutrition says:
Love making a donation to the food bank and to a local charity during the holidays!
Julie @ Running in a Skirt says:
What a great idea! I love companies that do something bigger for the world. Such great options.
Harry Schiller says:
I give back by listening to others about what they are proud of doing in the past year and what they want to do in the coming year. Listening tells others they are interesting in a natural, unspoken way.
Ashley says:
I love to donate to different food drives this time of year!
Janice says:
I like to give back this time of year by donating food to local food drives and toiletry & baby items to a local women’s shelter.
natasha lamoreux says:
We love donating at our kids school food and toy drive.
Desiree says:
Thanks, Whitney for some great suggestions. Each of us makes this planet a better place when we take time to give back to someone (person, family or furry friend) in need. Happy Holidays to all!
Annette says:
During this time of year I like to donate baking supplies to the shelters. I know how much holiday desserts mean to my family and I want to make sure they get to experience that.
Ariel M says:
This is one of the most awesome things I’ve seen to inspire & motivate others to give! I think everyone does their yearly giving this time of year, but it helps us to ask ourselves- can we do/give more? Every Friday I work with an organization called Food for Thought that makes and distributes bagged lunches for less fortunate. This year, a few friends and I, along with some family members teamed up to collect and match funds for gift cards to local restaurants and will be handing out in $5 denominations this Christmas Eve during a holiday meal we volunteered to serve! Thank you again for doing this Whitney!! I’m a RDtobe and you are someone I really look up to!
Rita says:
My children and I volunteer to feed the homeless several times a month. It teaches us all humility and how to appreciate what we have. Love your blog.
Lindsey @ livinglovingrunner says:
At work, we adopt several families and hang gift ideas/wants/needs on Christmas trees throughout the building. I am sure to grab one or two each year! Giving back to our local neighbors with something nice is always a great way to get into the giving spirit!
Lisa B. says:
Love this! I love doing the small things, and each day they add up – participating in Angel Tree projects, brushing the snow off the car next to me, leave a thank you note and gift card for the mail man, attending a friend’s charity event, reach out to someone who might be lonely during the holiday season… each day making an effort to pay it forward. As a woman of faith, kind acts help us remember the true reason we celebrate.
MaryAnn says:
I saw how my mom would bring a hard boiled egg for a homeless man she passed on her commute to work everyday and was so inspired by her! She’s been doing that for months but in this season particularly I have more time off from school so we are going to visit the nursing home and make some friends and visit old ones. Our culture really emphasizes honoring the elderly and because my grandparents are no longer with us, this is one small way we can use our time for those who just need our company. These people may suffer from physical ailments but they light up like Christmas trees when people come to visit. And modern technology makes it so much easier to communicate with people who are practically deaf!
Whitney E. RD says:
Congratulations MaryAnn! You’re the winner of the Eat Well, Do Good prize pack! Thank you for much for participating!
Se says:
I know this isn’t helping a big group of people, but I like to choose one person in my life (a coworker, acquaintance) that I feel like has had a tough year and gift something that reminds me if them with a note of encouragement. I think we all have moments (or months of moments) where we don’t feel seen, and it’s tough to be the best version of ourselves in times like that. I hope to encourage at least one person in a meaningful and impacting way.
Sharon says:
I love to bake and enjoy making and giving goodie packages of homemade sweets to neighbors and friends.
Karen says:
I don’t give back during the holidays but my family and I love donating clothes, books, furniture, etc to Sacred Heart and other donation centers throughout the year. However, I hope to make a tradition of giving back during the holidays.
Starla says:
Wow, so many awesome products! Well, I lost my Nana last year so this year I am volunteering for several non-profits in Atlanta to give back to those who need me. I am doing okay but I miss my Nana so much. I am trying to change my sadness into something more!