Tis the season for charitable giving and you’re probably involved in a charity drive: collecting food, clothing, toys or supplies for the poor for the holiday season. Your church, school or workplace — or maybe all three — might be organizing one
Have you given some thought about how to make your gift the very best one for the person who receives it? Not everyone knows what the poor need most, and even the most generous people can give ineffectively. What poorer people need is not always what we want to give.
The things to give
The first thing you should know is that the most useful gift to an organization that serves the poor is cash. It's not as exciting as a great big pile of cans or presents stacked in the school foyer, but cash means the food pantry or the homeless shelter can buy what they actually need the most, and they can get better discounts than you can.
But you're not always the one in charge of the holiday charity project, so maybe that ship has sailed. Let's say your church, your workplace or your school has decided to collect shelf-stable foods for the poor. The first thing to remember is that poor people can't eat expired food, recalled food or damaged cans any more than you can. Don't donate them. (People do.)
If you're the one in charge of bringing the food to the food pantry, sort through the donations first and throw those things out. It will save the food pantry volunteers time and give them more time for other work they need to do.
Remember that the people you’re giving to have taste buds and preferences just like you do, so you shouldn't buy them foods you wouldn't eat yourself. If you like to eat tuna salad, it's great to donate tuna, mayonnaise and crackers to a food drive.
If you can't stand the thought of tuna because it reminds you of cat food, donate the ingredients for a kitchari or a vegetable stew, or something else you'd prefer to eat.
If you never shop at the dollar store, don't grab a flat of canned beets from the dollar store to give to the food drive. Buy food at the stores you trust to feed your own family.
If your family had to eat nothing but a box of shelf-stable items donated from a stranger for Christmas, what would you hope was in the box? Donate that. And don't forget to donate sauces, oils, condiments and seasonings, because few people think of those.
Clothes and toys
Now, let's say you're participating in a clothing drive. Remember that quality is always better than quantity. A homeless person who spends their whole day outside might get that pair of gloves you donate, so spending all your money on one pair of good quality waterproof gloves is much kinder than buying ten pairs of flimsy dollar store gloves.
Heavy duty socks that wick away moisture and keep the feet warm might save a life or prevent a serious injury, and microfiber novelty socks won't. One good wool beanie is better than the discount pack of cheap acrylic beanies. And if you're donating coats and clothing, don't forget to donate plus sized clothes. These are very hard to find at charities that clothe the poor.
If you're putting together care packages for homeless people, throw in a few cough drops with vitamin C to help them keep from getting sick. Individual one-dose packs of ibuprofen and acetaminophen are in great demand.
Gift cards to local fast food restaurants mean the person can come inside out of the snow or rain and not get kicked out. Pick out a blanket and a backpack that look like they could stand up to a lot of wetness and wear, because they'll need it. And don't forget to put in a Christmas card with a thoughtful note.
And what if you're donating Christmas toys? Everybody loves to donate toys. Remember that kids aren't gentle with toys, and the cheap toys they sell in the seasonal section at the grocery store are usually flimsy. It's better to get something that's more durable and a lot more fun. Again, quality is better than quantity.
It's hard being a child in poverty. Get them a good present they'll play with all year. If you don't know what kinds of toys a child would like, you could take your own children shopping and have them pick out a present for a child their own age.
Check if the charity you're donating to also collects gifts for teenagers, because few people buy things for that age group. They’re hard to buy for, because what they want varies so much.
Some teenagers might like a football to toss around with friends or a Steelers jacket to wear to school. Others might like a manicure kit or one of those gift baskets of bubble bath and lotion, and they'd like a good quality brand a lot better than the cheap kind you can get at the dollar store. Lots of teenagers like adult coloring books and art supplies — again, the quality kind that last and not the cheap kind.
The basic rule
These are just a few things to keep in mind, when you’re doing your holiday giving. The basic rule is to treat your neighbor as yourself, and give to them as you would want people to give to you.
Mary Pezzulo is a writer in Steubenville, Ohio. Her previous article was “Why don’t the poor eat better?”
First Published: November 30, 2023, 10:30 a.m.
