Bloggers Day of Silence for Japan

March 18th Bloggers Day of Silence 

I know you all come to my site for interior design inspiration, however I just can't leave you this weekend with thoughts of sofas and wallpaper with everything that's going on in the world, particularly Japan.  What and how we donate to charities is everyone's own personal business and I'm not one to preach and certainly not one to talk.  We donate but we could always do more.  It's hard sometimes when your passion is furniture and fabrics to not become materialistic.  I have to remind myself to put charity at the top of my list.  It's so hard to decide which charities are the most deserving when you're being bombarded with phone calls asking for donations every day.  Every charity needs help and support.  

Here's a list of 10 easy ways to give back

1.   Visit www.globalgiving.org and text Japan to the number they give you to donate $10.  Less than the cost of lunch.

2.  When your purchasing things for yourself be mindful of items that donate some of the proceeds to your favorite charities.  These items are everywhere - even my hubbies mints claim to donate 50%.  Red has products not just at Gap but everywhere.  Check out their site below and this awesome cup that Starbucks and Jonathan Adler (Tuesday's post) teamed up to design.  

                   buy at Red or Starbucks

3.  Mother's Day is coming up and what better way to honor your favorite mother (or yourself) than with this new UNICEF feed bag.  It's an honor of the 45th anniversary of Disneyland's Small World.  Proceeds from each bag will supply 500 needy children all over the world with a vitamin A supplement that is a necessity for healthy growth.

                    buy through UNICEF

4.  Find a charity that coincides with your hobbies/talents, you'll be more likely to donate your time.  I offered up mine to Suite Dreams, a charity that decorates bedrooms for terminally ill children.  Steve and I decided that Habitat for Humanity is at the top of our list.  He's a builder/developer and I'm in the design business so it's a natural fit.  We both find a lot of comfort in our home and want that for everyone.  It's also something we can eventually get the boys involved in.

5.  Just lend a helping hand.  Make a meal for someone.  You can brighten the day of so many people by making a small gesture.  I can think of 3 people off the top of my head that I could help with a home cooked meal.  You could offer to babysit for someone who could use a break or call your neighbor next time you run to the grocery store to see if they need something.

6.  Buy the coffee of the person behind you in the morning coffee line.  Think about how doing something like that could get someones day off to a great start.  If you buy for the person behind you and they buy for the person behind them, your starting a very happy morning chain.

7.  Donate, donate, donate your gently used items.  In fact everytime you bring something new into your home put something in a box to go to your local Salvation Army or St. Vincent De Paul.  Keep a box in your trunk so it's easy to drop off frequently.  It's a good way to keep your clutter at bay.

8.  Look for opportunities like Idol Gives Back where they just ask everyone to donate a dollar.  If millions of people donate, that's millions of dollars!  These opportunities always come up at your local grocery store during autism awareness month and at Christmas time for Toys for Tots. 

9.  Look out for ways to help people in your local community.  Keep a heads up for spaghetti dinners and golf outings that benefit your neighbors directly.  Need is great and it's in your neighborhood too.  It's easy to give up a dinner and movie for a pizza party that benefits someone and you'll feel so much better about yourself.  Last summer my salon had a rock star tour bus park in their parking lot and all the proceeds went to the cancer center in our area.  My boys went nuts and still talk about their mohawk haircuts!

10.  Teach your kids about giving.  Have them make cookies and lemonade to sell during a subdivision garage sale.  Donate the proceeds to a favorite charity.  Have them make goodie bags for shelter dogs.  We're starting allowance for our oldest this year and he'll have to put a dollar a week aside for charity or the church basket.  We always talk to our kids about giving and try to make them a part of it.  

Happy Giving!