Community Matters ~ #DoGoodWeek #DoGoodMatters @DoGoodLiveWell
This week is #DoGoodWeek and I’ve teamed up with DoGoodLiveWell.org to share the positive experiences that I’ve had while volunteering in my community. Volunteering is not only good for our communities, but it is also good for our personal health.
Being a co-founder of the Women Who Care of Oceana County, I am blessed to volunteer with some amazing women to help non-profits in our community. Currently, we have 140 members and we meet for one hour, four times a year. Any member can nominate a 501 (c)(3) non-profit in need of funds. After all the nominations are put into a basket, we pull out 3 non-profit groups and they speak for 5 minutes on how that money would be utilized. Then we vote and the non-profit with the highest number of votes is our chosen recipient that evening. Each member writes a $100 check directly to that non-profit. This collective giving is super simple and has made a huge impact in our small community. Do you have a local WWC chapter? There are now more than 400 chapters worldwide, including Men Who Care, Children Who Care and People Who Care. Check out 100 Who Care Alliance for a chapter near you (or start your own). Below is our first 100 Who Care Alliance convention in Chicago, Illinois from May 2015.
By working together, our local Oceana County chapter has been able to donate over $190,000 to non-profit groups in just 4 short years. We have had a total of 18 meetings (18 hours invested) since June 2012 and have made a difference in so many local organizations. Being a food blogger some of my favorite charities include local food banks, such as Trinity Community Food Pantry and St. Gregory's Bread of Life Food Pantry. How do you help the food pantries in your community? I'd love for you to share your story on www.dogoodweek.org.
Have you ever heard the backstory of the 100+ Women Who Care? It all started in Jackson, Michigan by the late, Karen Dunigan. There was a need for baby cribs in her community and she rallied 100 women to each give $100, hence 100+ Women Who Care was formed and the rest is history. Her 11 brothers and sisters now tell her story and help inspire others to give when you can and create positive change whenever possible. Our local chapter invited the siblings to our "Bring a Friend Night" and they spoke about the importance of volunteering in your community. Watch their story.
Another cause that I'm passionate about is No Kid Hungry!
Did you know that 1 in 5 kids don't get the food they need everyday? You can help end childhood hunger by supporting No Kid Hungry.
They have different ways for you to help. You can host a Friendsgiving this month or even host a Bake Sale with No Kid Hungry. Or simply donate each month, as I do, to help end childhood hunger.
Being an on-air food blogger, I support the End It With Orange campaign with my blog and tv appearances to dine out for No Kid Hungry. I use my tv appearances and blog posters to help shine a light on childhood hunger and educate the community on how they can get involved.
Another way that I love to give back in our community is through my local church. I am on the church committee to bring food to families in need. Some of the ways that you can help is to bring food to families that just had a new baby or maybe someone has passed away in their family or a family member is having surgery or going through chemo. It's very rewarding to bring food to families and connect with them on a personal level. Food binds us together in a very healing way. What tips do you have on helping and healing families in need? Please share your thoughts with us!
I’d love to hear your story! What GOOD things do you do in your community? I believe we all have unique ways to make a positive impact on others and I’d love for you to join in the conversation. Go to DoGoodWeek.org. I'll see you there!
This post is sponsored by United Healthcare. All opinions expressed are my own.
