4 Actions You Can Take Right Now To Make Your Community A Better Place

Often, people tell me that they truly want to make impact in their communities — they just don’t know how or where to start. I remind each and every one of these aspiring changers that even the most simple, kind interactions can make impact that lasts a lifetime. Whether you’re donating your time, money or a combination of the two to your favorite causes, all it takes is a small act to positively impact others. Check out these four actions you can take this very second to spread kindness, happiness and philanthropy in your community and beyond.

1. Complete a Community Beautification Project — Picking up litter across our local communities is one of my favorite ways to make impact on neighborhoods, creating a safer environment for residents, visitors and wildlife. Too often, litter is improperly disposed of in popular walking and driving areas, leading to trash accumulation on the sides of roads and greenways. That litter also affects the local environment and can even damage a clean water supply and surrounding animal life. For example, an estimated 14 billion pounds of trash is dumped into our beautiful oceans every year. If all we all aspire to make impact in the smallest of ways by cleaning our communities of litter, our big blue planet will be a much more welcoming home for every living being.
2. Visit Furry Friends at an Animal Shelter — Did you know that approximately 6.5 million animals end up in shelters every year? Needless to say, these animals aren’t getting the same attention and appreciation compared to lucky animals that are adopted into loving forever homes. Unfortunately, many workers across shelters do not have the time in their busy days to love on all of the animals. That makes animal shelters the perfect places to make lasting impact on yourself and others. I’ve found that most shelters appreciate any volunteers who just want to spend time with their animals. Although shelters do not expect volunteers to bring supplies for the animals, most are very accepting of anything you are able to donate, such as food bags, bowls, toys, cat litter and more. Check with your local shelter to learn how you can safely volunteer as a friend to an animal in need.
3. Entertain the Elderly — With senior health care facilities restricting visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to remember that our elderly populations aren’t receiving as much love and attention as they once did. Instead of visiting in-person, consider finding an elderly pen pal program to meet and entertain those who are unable to frequently visit with their friends and family. With over 15,000 nursing homes, senior health care facilities and more across the United States, there are so many opportunities to engage with our loving community of elders.
4. Cook a Meal and Give It Away — Love cooking? If so, you can help your local community thrive by utilizing your skills in the kitchen! So many people in our communities do not have access to fresh meals, as seen by long, crowded lines at food banks across the nation. Even if you cook only one or two meals for those in need, you’ll find that it feels so good to know that your neighbors enjoyed a nutritious meal that helped alleviate a financial burden from their week.

Regardless of what inspires you to make impact in your community, it is important to remember that science proves we receive our own life blessings ten-fold when we make the decision to give back to others. Take a step toward a more fulfilling life by pledging to make impact every single day through genuine acts of kindness.