GiveEveryDay is a movement of people. People like you.
Giving as a lifestyle doesn't require huge amounts of money or powerful positions. It's choosing to see the needs of others and taking action.
We want to hear your ideas for ways to give.
Tell how you and your family helped someone or maybe how someone gave to you.
Below you can read stories from others.
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I'm a little shy to share this info on here...but for the sake of discussion and because I LOVE the concept, I'm gonna do it! I gave a home cooked dinner (soup, quiche & home made bread) to 3 of my girls (very hardworking) preschool teachers for their families.
I love that you added this segement!
I agree that I am shy too. But now I realize that maybe what we share that we have given may inspire others to do the same. For example, I love to give home made meals also. But soup and Quiche is a great combo that I would have never thought of! Thanks for sharing!
I gave / donated baby food jars to my husband's school for their projects!
I gave my time, and a shoulder. My friend's little boy was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer when he was three years old. They were admitted to a world-renowned children's hospital for treatment. During her 15 month stay, very far from home, I called my friend several time a week to check in and lend an ear. I later found out that I was the only person to call her regularly, because most people just didn't know what to say...so sad. One day when I called, I found out that my little buddy only had 10-14 days left on this earth. I told my friend that if she needed anything at all, nothing too big or small, just ask. She asked me to fly to them and be with her for his final moments. Of course I did...and it changed me forever.
My family give of our time. My husband is on 120 hours a week for the local ambulance. They couldn't do it with out his time, and so we give it freely!
I'm sponsoring three children (2 home sponsorships and 1 school sponsorship) through His Hands Ministries. This is their website This is the first time I've ever been able to sponsor children, and it means a lot to me to get the word out.
Love this addition to Give Every Day!
We were recently in the hospital for 4 days while my son got through a bad case of Rotavirus. When we got home were inspired to give to PATH (path.org). They are committed to bringing basic health care to third world countries, where illnesses like Rotavirus kill 2 million kids a year!
I also give meals whenever possible. Knowing how much I have appreciated them after a baby or death in the family motivates me to do the same for someone. I often just double our dinner, so that I take care of my family at the same time. Or I will make part of the meal and a friend makes the other part and we deliver it together.
Oh Fun! What a neat way for you to encourage others to join your movement of giving...Love it.
Normally, I'm a small gestures kinda gal--it's all I can handle while trying to meet the needs of my own family, and that's ok with me. Last week, I outsourced childcare for my own two kids so that I could join 2 of my dearest friends at a trade show in Las Vegas to launch a brand new product that they have developed for the healthcare industry. It was a huge success, the enthusiasm for this product was unbelievable! Now I am about to embark on a bit of a volunteer sales role to introduce the product to nursing homes, hospice coordinators, and ultimately hospitals for them and I couldn't be more excited. It may turn into a paid position at some point down the road, but I feel so lucky that a) they have asked me to join forces and b) that finances and logistics in my own family will allow me to dedicate some time each week to this exciting project. It's so invigorating to be part of something so exciting, with such dear friends who deserve success, and with a product that will enhance the lives of the patients who use it...I definitely feel like the lucky one!
I gave a single friend $10.00 today to help with these gas prices. I think it is the little things we do that "add UP"
We gave our oldest daughter a movie (Curious George) that she had really wanted. No reason behind it, just a surprise for her. She loved it!
Every spring I buy a hanging flower basket for my mother-in-law - we did that last week, Sugar picked out one with yellow flowers insisting that Nana wanted yellow ones this year! Also last week we took a potato casserole to the funeral dinner for my brother-in-law's Mom. Her church is smallish and was providing dinner for all of us - extended family and all, the pastor's wife said they had it "under control" but admitted they could use another side dish and a desert so we helped out.
This is great Tim! Love this- helps us all to think about how we are giving (or not) each day! :) This week I gave a $50 Mary Kay Cosmetics gift certificate to one of my customers who just reached her goal of 50 lbs of weight loss over the last two years! I am so proud of her! It was fun for me to give her something because when I dropped a good chunk of weight the year after I graduated college, my sister & bro-in-law gave me a gift certificate to American Eagle to buy some new jeans just to say "Good Job!". It was so encouraging to me and so I am glad I got to "pass it on"!!
Most recently I gave money to help get a gift certificate for a friend who is out of work due to surgery. Frequently, us girls at work will pool our money together in order to do something nice for someone in need or someone who could use a little something nice. It feels so good to have a great relationship with everyone I work with and to know I'm putting a smile on someones face!
Thank you for starting a contest that inspires people to give every day. It seems we are two peas in a pod. I am on day 210 of 365days of giving. I started my blog (www.365give.ca) in honour of my son's 3rd birthday last fall. Of all the "gives" I have completed yesterday was one of my favourite. I made a donation, inspired by an 8 year old from Colorado, to a women that is trying to start an orphanage in Africa. She needs just $6500 to get it up and running but her story is remarkable ( you can read here http://bit.ly/gUrvE4) she is what I like to call an everyday hero. She inspires me to give more in my life. She is taking a passion for street kids and doing something about. Amazing. Thank you for letting me share that story. I hope you enjoy Chelsea's story as much as I do. If there is one thing I say to people when I tell them I give every day is it makes me happy. Even if the day is bad, or life is stressful or I'm really tired, I know I did one thing in my life that day that was good.
On Easter Sunday, I gave my time at church when I photographed adult baptisms. Many of them were unplanned baptisms and it was an AMAZING experience watching people "going public" (as our church calls it) with their faith. Each newly baptized Christian will receive a print or two of their life-changing experience. I was baptized last Easter and I can attest it is a truly life-changing event! You can see the baptisms here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.10150180958937521.318161.38850532520
My younger sister was by my side a year ago when my youngest son made some huge mistakes and ended up in jail. She was there for me every step of the way, very supportive and non-judgmental. She asked me to take Senior pictures of her oldest and I jumped at the chance. We went out on a cloudy afternoon and ended up with some fine photos. I hope they do him justice because his Mom is very near and dear to me.
I gave dinner to my sister and brother in law on their drive back from a long trip to visit inlaws - to spare them from having to come home exhausted and still cook dinner! :) (This is actually hard for me to give b/c my sister is a chef and I am far below her in cooking skills but I think she appreciated the gesture!) :)
After my 11-year-old neighbor and her cousin shyly asked me a math question yesterday, I had them get their books and gave them an hour of my afternoon for some impromptu tutoring.
Today my 4 year old and I joined others at our church for a monthly "Sandwich Ministry". We package up sandwiches & a Bible verse for passing out at a homeless shelter. Tonight I'm giving my time. Our church is updating their Directory and I'm working the picture check-in booth.
Amy - You won a $75 gift card to Restaurant.com!
https://giveeveryday.com/blog/2011/05/01/amys-igive-story/
My gift is very small, but today when I was at Safeway I rounded up the price of my purchase and donated the difference to help the disabled in our community. A week or so ago I also donated to the KLove radio station pledge drive. This is such a great idea, thank you for all that you do!
Today I participated in a VERY rainy 6 mile run/walk to benefit a local foodshelf. 100% of the $20 registration goes to the food shelf! It was very rainy and windy but it felt so good when we hit the finish line!
This past week I sent some presents off to a neice and nephew. I also invited a lonely neighbor over to share a couple of meals. Today I gave some time to work on cleaning at our church building. I have so much progress that I would like to make in giving more!!! I need to improve in this area.
On Saturday we gave by walking as a family in the March of Dimes 5k walk. It was really fun to be out with hundreds of other people all walking for a good cause! We'll also be contributing funds to March of Dimes out of Noel's next paycheck.
I gave away a sandbox, box of curtains and roaster on freecycle. Hopefully they went to someone who will put them to use!
I give my time to write stories for my church's kids program on Wednesday nights. They needed some character building stories to supplement their curriculum so each week I write a "Wild West" themed story that follows a group of "adventurers" across the US. I have so much fun writing these stories that it hardly feels like "giving" anything at all... but then when I hear from the teachers how the preschoolers are raptly attentive to each installment, I just feel so blessed to give a little of my writing talent towards their enjoyment and learning!
Julie – You won a $75 gift card to Restaurant.com!
https://giveeveryday.com/blog/2011/05/09/day-94-give-to-julie/
again, thank you!! :)
I gave an easy way this week. I had a Starbucks gift card that I had already used once and still had around $10 on it so I went through the drive-thru and bought a coffee then told them to pay for the person behind me on that card too - she did and then offered me the card back because it still had value on it and I told her to just keep it and use it for whoever came through the drive-thru next. It's something I do a few times a year.
The funny part is that she asked me "aren't you going to buy another coffee sometime?" and I told her that I'm sure I would, but that I just wanted to celebrate the great weather by giving a couple people a nice surprise at the drive-through. She said that they had other people do that too and that the most she could remember was one time when 11 people passed on the gift. She was pretty excited about that!
This week I helped out with our church's Adopt-A-Highway cleanup. Several volunteers from our church walked a 2-mile stretch of highway that we clean up twice a year.
Today I gave... a birthday present to my nephew - a butterfly pavilion complete with live caterpillars, because I believe some of the best birthday presents are "experiences" children can have to learn and grow, rather than toys they grow out of in a year! :)
Today I gave - a hanging plant to my mother in law for mother's day. When you have older moms, I find they don't "want" much for mother's day, but a nice hanging plant is a great gift that will last all summer and can be enjoyed indoors (from the window ) and out (sitting outside)!!! My husband and I have made this an annual gift for both our mothers!
I gave today by going to my local Board of Ed Curriculum committee and Republican Town Committee meetings. I volunteered to help create a website that will share with the town all the ways they can get involved in town politics via events and fundraisers! This might seem like an odd way to give, but once I started attending these meetings, I realized how badly our town (nearly 50,000 strong) needs volunteers for everything from parades to putting flags up in the cemetary for holidays! It's a great way to get to know your town and learn where the needs are!
Today I gave a gift of time to my mom and my cousin. I took my mom out to lunch to a Vietnamese restaurant, which was a blessing to her, because she never gets to go places like that. (her words) My cousin was having a bad day, so she joined us. I also spent time with my mom helping her pick (and discard) paint colors for her living room.
Today I gave a plate of dinner to a neighbor. He is a single dad who only has his kids on the weekends, and last weekend when he and his kids were outside, I brought them some pineapple upside down cake I had just taken out of the oven. They really liked it. Today I saw him come home, and I had just made enough enchiladas for an army, so I brought him some. He was so happy.....said he didnt know what he was gonna have before that, and had somewhere else he had to go, so that really worked out well!
Sue, that was nice! :) I need to be mindful of more ways I can bless and give to my neighbors.
I gave my time and a hug to a neighbor today. They had a tragedy in the family on the other side of the country. The elderly mother and one daughter took off this morning to drive across the country to be there for their family. The other daughter is staying here to close up mom’s apartment and get her stuff moved into storage, all of this decided and acted upon within 12 hours. I offered to help with the apartment, but she declined. So after she was over there for a couple of hours I took some boxes and some water over there as an excuse to check on her. When I asked how she was doing she started crying. When her dad died last year, her mom never got rid of any of dad’s things. So now not only was she losing her mother to the other side of the country indefinately, she had to go through her father’s things. I showed up right after she had started and my timing couldn’t have been better. I loaned her my shoulder for a few minutes, made her laugh and chatted with her for a few minutes. I offered to do her dad’s clothes or sit with her while she did it, but she wanted to do it herself and alone. So I left her water and boxes and went home. When she finally went home tonight, she stopped by to thank me again.
This giving business sure is rewarding, isn’t it?
Sorry this was so long. And I hope it makes sense :)
Today I gave some bowls and plates we weren't using very often to a charity tag sale. It's funny how you can accumulate so much "stuff" and not even realize it. But when the "call" came out for donations to raise money via the tag sale, I made myself look through every cupboard and closet until I had filled a box full of items I hadn't used in YEARS!! So nice to clean house and for a cause! :)
Today the kids and I are making casseroles to freeze so that when a coworker gives birth to her #3, she won't have to cook for the rest of the family right away. :) The kids love to cook, and I love the help with all the prep work!
Today I put a bag of food on my mailbox for our annual Post Office Food Drive. The mailmen gather all the donations and divvy it up between several local food pantries. Our church, Nativity Lutheran in Weeki Wachee, FL, will receive a portion of the foods donated, as we have a very active food pantry. We usually help between 50-100 families a week. We collect food every week at church, and our family contributes regularly.
I love having my young sons help me bag up the food and talk to them about helping others. They are excited to put our weekly donations in the shopping cart at church.
Thanks for helping us remember that giving doesn't have to be "showy" or monetary activity, but can and should be a simple, daily part of our lives.
Yesterday my family gave our Saturday to walk for Make A Wish Foundation. Last year one of my daughter's best friends was diagnosed with lymphoma at age 10. I never once heard him complain as he lost his hair and underwent radiation and chemotherapy. He rarely missed school and always smiled through his pain and fear. He is a special boy who God graced with full remission. He asked us to walk with him and raise money for the Make A Wish Foundation. We joined together at the beach and walked for three miles. We were surrounded by children and their families bonded together because someone they love has been touched by this disease. It was a beautiful day and exemplified the true meaning of friendship.
~Jessica
Today we gave while we played. We took a park tour in our town and picked up garbage at each one. The kids had a great time playing, and even managed to fill a whole garbage bag with our visit to 5 parks. :)
Congratulations!
Taylorbz – You won a $75 gift card to Restaurant.com!
https://giveeveryday.com/blog/2011/05/16/day-101-give-to-taylorbz/
We gave this weekend to my grandparents. They are both in there seventies and live several states away from all our AZ family and three hours away from us. We spent the weekend at their home helping to clean up their yard from all the beetle infested, dead pine trees. In the process we cut a tree down ON THE HOUSE and ended up also repairing the deck and roof. Thank GOD no one was hurt and the damage was minimal. Also, we praise Him that my husband is a carpenter and skilled in home repair! Even though things didn't go as we planned it was a joy to spend our days "off" by helping them. They have given us so much love and encouragement through the years that I am not sure we will ever be able to give them enough.
Congratulations Jesica - You won any item of your choice from UV Skinz!
https://giveeveryday.com/blog/2011/05/23/day-108-give-to-jesica/
We gave away 3 boxes of books today to our local library for their annual used book sale this weekend. We spent last weekend doing some spring cleaning in the house and gathered up 3 boxes of books to donate. By the end of the week, I'll be back to the library making a donation for the books I'm sure to find at their used book sale.
one month ago, challenged to deepen my faith and walk in Christ, i gave up my job and moved to johannesburg, south africa to do full-time mission work with an organization called paradigm shift (www.shiftingparadigms.org). it was no easy feat, but God asked me to do it so that i may learn how to live a life of giving, rather than receiving, and to learn how to trust in divine providence. i have my moments of "am i crazy? i have no income!", but i am finding with each day, a life of giving IS a life of receiving.
thank you for your story. i only learned about you today, but it was all the encouragement i needed to carry on some more.
Today I gave a luncheon at my house for some moms in my church. They brought all their kids over and everyone just had a blast. We couldn't talk much b/c it was sometimes hard to hear above the children (it was rainy so we had to all cram inside), but I think moms need a time/place to get together casually and just connect with each other and allow their children to play together too. I guess in a way I gave to my 15 month old b/c he doesn't have ANY friends his age near enough to hang out on a regular basis so he had a blast!!
Today I gave some of my 2yr old old clothes, toys, crib, and baby carriers/gadgets to a co-worker's daughter-in-law. Her husband lost his job in the downturn and is yet to find work. It was hard to let go of some of my daughter's posessions that I really cherish, but I was relieved and happy at the end because it meant something to her, and it will help them tremendously.
The school year is almost over and we wanted to show our daughter's teacher how much we appreciate him, so we put together a reusable, plastic container with paper, pens, markers, tape, Hershey Kisses, Red Vines and a gift card to Cold Stone Creamery. We also wrote cards to tell him the impact he made this year and how blessed our school is to have him as a teacher! Teachers are amazing and deserve all kinds of praise!!!
I gave our neighbor girl a day off from daycare :) She was having a hard time there so I offered to have her at our house for the day and she loved it. We went to the park played outside a lot and my girls were thrilled to have her.
This week my boys had their last days of school... I'm not the best gift giver so when the Kinder moms talked about pooling money together to buy a group gift for our Kinder Teacher and her Assistant, I was all over it. A little cash out of my pocket, and a quick note on the group card. Easy. But both boys had such a wonderful year at school that I wanted our teachers to know just how much our family appreciates what they have done for us this year, so I sat down and wrote a letter to each of them. It was a letter from me to them, not from my kids. Words of gratitude for teaching my kids kindness, love, and respect. We witnessed such tremendous growth from each boy socially and academically and I know those teachers are responsible for it, for creating an environment in their classrooms that made learning fun and exciting. When I was finished I printed them out, signed my name, and handed them out at the last pick-up of the year. Before I left the house though, I emailed the letters to the Directors at their respective schools. I wanted them to know how our teachers made a difference in our kids' lives this year!
Today I spent the day with 5th graders, chaperoning a field trip, but also guiding them, as they were doing "on-the-job experience". More than once I was thanked, unprompted, by one of my charges.
Today I gave chili for dinner to my best friend. She just had her 5th baby last week and was home from staying with her parents (her husband works out of town during the week). I also got to take baby pictures when she was just days old, but I'm not sure if that counts as giving as much as I enjoyed it! :)
Hay Tim God Bless you and your family and your ministry, today we gave our neighbors our dining table, they don't really have any furniture, your ministry is such a blessing and is awesome, love your neighbor got to love the biblical principle take care.
I love this series! My giving this week occurred under sadder circumstances than most, but was an uplifting experience nonetheless. Two years ago, my husband I lost our 2nd daughter a few weeks before my due date with her after I suffered a placental abruption. We had pictures taken of her by an organization called Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. Photography, which had been an amateur hobby for me before, became therapy and eventually a side business where proceeds in which proceeds were donated to NILMDTS or other ministries that supported grieving families. This side business has given me a few opportunities to photograph families whose babies are in NICUs or PICUs (sessions are done free of charge for these families.) I became pretty close to one of these families I met 2 months ago, and last week their precious little 5 month old girl passed away from complications due to her heart defects. This past week, at the request of her mother, I spent some time cooking, printing pictures, making video collages for the services, and attending her services, and decided that proceeds from this summer's photo sessions will go to Baby Eli's memorial fund and helping her family pay the mountains of medical bills they've been facing these past 5 months. Life in a broken world is hard, and too often things happen that we just can't explain or understand. My husband & I know firsthand why God asks us to be close to the brokenhearted and oppressed, and we were grateful to be able to walk alongside this family this week.
We sent clothes to some children living at a orphanage that some friends of ours run in Mexico in the red light district.
Yesterday I made a donation to miskellany through The Diaper Diaries and Vanderbilt Wife. Kelly has a tumor on her optical nerve and after the surgery (in a week or two) she may end up blind. She's not yet 30 and has a 2 year old. She just wanted comfy pajamas for her recovery. I'll also be sending many prayers her way.
Today I gave my husband a small gift bag with small items to show him how much he is loved.... and appreciated. He goes to work every day, not because it's fulfilling or makes him happy, but he does it for US. I picked up his favorites.... candy, soda, altoids, chapstick, etc and a card of encouragement and put it in the car for him to find when he headed out to the salt mines.
Giving starts at home... with those closest to you. :)
This is a give that I almost forgot about... as a rule-of-thumb I give my professional services away to ministries needing basic start-up or special event design once or twice a quarter. A minister I've known for a long time approached me about doing logo and stationary design for a new church he and his wife are starting. I was able to do the work for them and then surprise them at the end with an invoice marked "no charge - donation" their surprise and appreciation of the gift was well worth the day I spent doing the work.
I loving giving little gifts every day!
I am currently training for the Nike Women's Marathon and I am completing this marathon on behalf of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I have pledged to raise $3200 for this charity to help out all those who are suffering with blood cancers. When I was younger I witnessed the suffering my Uncle had to endure with Leukemia. In the end he lost his life in his 30's, leaving behind his beautiful wife, my Aunt, and two sons, my cousins. My Father-in-Law suffered with Lymphoma and almost lost his life. However, he is a survivor and is now a happy and healthy Husband, Father, and Grandfather. I feel indebted to this charity for what it has done and what all medical professionals have done for my family members. This is my way to give back, but I definitely need help spreading the news. Professional Choice Insurance (PCI) has agreed to donate $1 for every person who goes to their fb page and presses like. Please help by donating today, or by going to the PCI fb page and pressing like: http://www.facebook.com/professionalchoiceinsurance. Thanks for an incredible forum to be able to share these opportunities!!!
I was able to give directions to an older gentleman at the gas station the other day. We have a 2 lane highway that runs through our town and there is a bridge out so all the traffic has to be routed around - but all the detour signs are for major roads. He didn't realize the bridge was out and was in a hurry to get somewhere just to the other side of where the bridge was out. I was able to give him the secret back road directions - and he was so thankful I thought he was going to hug me! Then when we both left the gas station I was right behind him and he had a sticker on his window in memory of his wife who passed away 3 weeks ago. That made me extra thankful that I'd been able to help him out in this small way.
Today I gave some outgrown diaper covers to a new mom who could use them for her baby girl. I'm glad they'll be getting used instead of sitting in the bottom of my closet. :)
Today we gave some infant clothes, bibs, and blankets to our daycare. Many times, infants and toddlers will make messes and need an extra pair of clothes for the day. This will ensure, they have another outfit if a child is in need. Although I normally drop off our clothes at Goodwill, I like giving these items to a local church or daycare as well because they probably are in need of such items. Even a swing, toys, or other unused equipment can be very helpful for these organizations who watch precious children. It can make a difference for the teachers and the children.
My family and I are so blessed. We have good health and the things that we need. Most importantly we have each other. We try to help others by volunteering in our community and by giving to those less fortunate. We volunteer at our local food bank by sorting food that is donated.
I give my daughters outgrown clothes and toys to Save the Family http://www.savethefamily.org/
Our neighbor was diagnosed with ALS about one year ago. She has lost her ability to talk and misses interacting with our two toddlers. We bring her and her husband treats and send them pictures of the kids. Her husband says that it brightens her spirit. Just a small gesture to make her tough journey a little bit easier.
This week we sent a house-warming package to my sister and her new husband. We had given them a wedding gift last month, but this week they were able to move into their own place on the base where he is stationed and so we sent them a fun package - complete with a flashlight, toys for their new kittens, first-aid supplies, a picture frame and a fun kitchen utensil or two. They are stationed in Hawaii and my sister doesn't know anyone out there so she's been pretty homesick and lonely - we just did a little something to brighten her day!
Today I gave (with my husband) by visiting my inlaws so we could work on their yard for them!
I heard about your wonderful family via the Bellamy's blog. It seems very fitting that God put your two sweet families in the same place.
I don't necessarily like to say what "I" give. I feel very privileged that I was given the vision and the passion to bless families who have babies born too early to survive. Whether a miscarriage or a baby born at 25 weeks gestation, those babies absolutely mattered to their family. I can't fix the pain or take away the grief, but I can love them, pray for them, and send them a hat that is small enough to fit on their child.
What started at as one hat for my best friend's son, Calvin, has grown into a world-wide non-profit. We provide hats to hospitals so that those little ones will have at least one thing that truly fits on their tiny heads and we send hats to individual families who request them.
I can't make a hat no matter how hard I try. Yarn does not listen to me. But I can love people... and coordinate those with the ability to make the hats. Calvin's Hats is an absolute joy and makes my heart smile on a daily basis.
We are hosting a little girl from Columbia for the summer. She lives in an orphanage and is in serious need of a permanent family. We are acting as her advocates to help her find this family. Its through an awesome organization called Kidsave. Check them out at kidsave.org. If you are interested in our story check out my blog at surferswifemotherslife.tumblr.com.