My new job : NEED magazine blogger

NEED magazine aims to tell the stories of those in need and the people who are trying to help them through a combination of beautiful photography and written stories. Most of the contributors are award winning photographers who donate their time and effort to help spread the word. In their inaugural year they won the prestigious Folio:Show Gold Ozzie award for Best Use of Photography. You can subscribe to the quarterly magazine online or find them in your local bookstore.

I have recently joined them as a writer for their blog so check us out...

Gift Card Giver

Task: Donate unused gift card dollars
Effort level: Mailing card..
Investment: Postage stamp
Who: Teens and older..

(Courtesy Gift Card Giver)

So have you ever thrown away gift cards with the last few cents(or more) on them, cause you could'nt figure out how to use them? Well, send them to Gift Card Giver who will put it to good use helping charities and individuals in need. Want an excuse to throw a party? Check out their site for help with organising a house party and "card" guests to enter.

Send unused gift cards to: Gift Card Giver,490 East Side Ave SE,Atlanta, GA 30316

For a more detailed profile check out my post on the NEED magazine blog .

Inspiration: Jorge Munoz

This man, along with his sister and arthritic mother cook meals for immigrants (most days the only ones these homeless men eat).

(courtesy NY Times)

See this NYtimes video or read this article

To help visit this website or join this Facebook Page.

Donor's Choose

Task: Donate towards specific school related projects..
Effort level: Minimal
Investment: Money(even $1)
Who: Anyone with a little money to give


Babies are all the talk in our home these days - my sister is expecting the first baby in our family. I am also the godmother to a close friend's daughter. Chances are, all of the children we know, will attend good schools and have a great education. For those children that don't have this chance and live in poor communities, Donor's choose provides their teachers with a chance to ask for, and receive help. Projects vary from vacuum cleaners (to keep the classroom clean of course), carpets(so children don't have to sit on the cold floor), computers, to science materials. You can pay what you can (Seriously $1 or more) or help pay for the entire amount. You can choose projects based on level of poverty, lowest cost to complete, among other things. Donations to certain projects are matched by charitable foundations and this is classified as Double Your Impact. So lets give a little...

Inspiration : Nujood Ali

Have you heard about this girl?


(Courtesy Time Magazine)

This brave 10 year old who ran away from her 30 year old husband, seeking help in a court, is the world's youngest divorcee (that we know of). Read more here.

Teen for Jeans

Task: Donate used jeans and receive 25% of a new pair.
Effort level: Trip to the mall?
Investment: Shopping time
Who: Teens and older..

My baby sister is (are you still?) a big fan of Aeropostale. They have partnered with Do Something - National Teens for Jeans Campaign. Donate a gently used pair of jeans and they will make sure it is donated to a homeless shelter/charity. As a thank you, they will give will 25% of your next pair of jeans. Campaign runs from Jan 26th - Feb 22nd.

Inspiration: Common Soles

Would you do this for a stranger?

Tools : VolunteerSpot

I received a lovely email from Karen B. introducing me to Volunteer Spot. This is a very useful site to help you organise volunteer events with others.In her words - 'We provide free, simple point-and-click scheduling and signup tools to small nonprofits and individual volunteer leaders (at work, school, scouts, etc.).'
We are going to be using it soon for the volunteer events at my school..

National Service Day

Today is National Service Day. For those of us who could'nt make it outside to volunteer, scroll down and check out some of the ways to help from the comfort of your home. Lets not miss out on the historic and momentous occasion that is this day.

Inspiration : Girl Effect

It starts with just one girl. Go to Girl Effect for more info on how you can help.

NY Cares: Volunteer to help community

Task: Easily pick volunteer opportunities
Effort level: Depends
Investment: Time
Who: Anyone

So NY cares is for the NY area (I will write a post soon with more global sites) and was mentioned in the Volunteer Spotlight by Jayant. Very easy site that allows one to choose projects based on one's interest, location, and availability.
For example,did you know that NEARLY HALF of homeless shelter residents are CHILDREN? Using NY cares you can help enrich their lives by reading a bedtime story, teaching them math and/or computer skills or organize a sports game (among other things). Other projects target adults, meals, health care, environment, etc. Some require a commitment of few months but there are many that require just a couple hours. We are currently using this site to organise student groups to take part in some of these activities.