Do YOU volunteer?

So today I took my gift in for our local Salvation Army giving tree (shiny new red bike for a 7yo boy) and the box was pretty damn empty and there was still a lot of tags on the tree. I know that many people are having tough financial times right now but I've always kept the thought that there are tons of people that are way worse off than me.

I hope it's just procrastination and not a sign that people are becoming more and more self absorbed.

So for the sake of Christmas and mankind in general please take time to volunteer this season. Ring bells, pack gift boxes for less than fortunate families, give to food drives, Toys for Tots, whatever you want - Just do something.

Some time ago I asked my parents and god-parents to each pick a charity, and I make a donation in their names instead of gifts at Christmas. Better than some E36 M3 put on a shelf....

Just my 2 cents,

Chebbie

I work corners and grid.

Every once in a while I stay after to clean up.

I'm the stand in IT guy at my job, since our IT is all offshore and dumb, and I don't get paid extra. I'd consider that volunteering.

On a more srs note, I have volunteered in the past, and will likely continue to do so when the mood suits me. Currently trying to organize a Toys for Tots run with the local mazda dopes.... Always wanted to drop a hatchback or 5 fulla swag off at the local Toys for Tottery.

Both my kids are in elementary school. The local food bank accepts donations from the school and the kids are encouraged to bring canned goods to class. My wife and I figured we'd send in a few cans. After the first can, my older son said his class had like 8 cans of food donated (25 kids in the class) while another 2nd grade class had 20. We bought a couple bags of cans and sent one each day with each kid for the next two weeks. This in addition to my Cub Scout rounding up about a dozen grocery bags of food from the neighborhood.

I don't give to charities because I don't usually agree with the way they spend my money.

I have found a way to give directly to the people I choose to support.

Im trying to organize a food drive at work. I say trying because Im not sure on the legal parameters etc, but I want to try to get a local retailer or 2 to kick in a "prize" or 2 like a jewelry bracelet or a small TV or something: Donate 5 cans, get a raffle ticket for this here fancy-schmantz color television set, brought to you by the good people at Ferglers Hardware etc etc ...does that count ?

I'm a Bah Humbugger. If I'm going to give charity it will be directly to a person or a family with a known issue.

Even some of the biggest and best charities give to people I don't feel deserve it and then there's a lot that has to stick to all the fingers between me and the giftee.

In response to the OP, its only December 1st. They just had those trees up for the first time at our Church on Sunday.

As for me volunteering, I haven't in a year or so, but from 8th grade-senior year, I volunteered 40 hours a school year at a nursing home. For them, the company is often the best gift they can receive.

It gets me into bah-humbug that these charities make a better christmas than I can give my own kids and don't realize that most of the stuff will end up in a pawn shop after the new year anyway.

I do give to Toys for Tots (my SCCA region's chosen charity), but otherwise don't do anything "special" for the X-Mess. I have a couple of charities (Planned Parenthood, Amnesty International) I support, but give smaller amounts ($20-$50) several times throughout the year, hoping they'll avoid the usual "feast-or-famine" problem so many charities face.

As far as volunteering, I used to work on Habitat for Humanity homes in the 80s-90s, but as the organization got bigger, the religious nonsense became too pervasive for me to tolerate. I guess I quit after we finished one, and the new owner told me I was "goin' ta hell" because I didn't join their prayer circle afterwards. All I really do these days is give the homeless guys cigarettes. That addiction, I understand.

Last bit of volunteer work I actually did was a few months ago, we packed meals for... Haiti? I think....

Anyhow, it was a work sponsored thing, so either I sat at work, (do not want) or went and poured rice and stuff in bags. I was bothered by the fact that they were shipping giant piles of chow to Haiti- and we still got plenty of people local that don't have food on the table. I was further miffed when they passed the hat as it were, asking for additional loot. And by the end of it, when I found out they were going to pray over it? That's about where I draw the line. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with people who choose to be religious, I find that a lot of folks use it to give themselves a moral compass that they may not otherwise have, and that I find comfort in. But when you try to bring your Jesus on me, and make me participate, thats about where I draw the line. Had I known that was going to be the modus operondi (sp?) I would have chosen work. As it sits, about the only one I remotely support anymore is the local humane society, because I like cats and dogs and stuff. All of our critters have been rescues, and will continue to be so for the forseeable future. Got one sleeping next to me right now, we adopted him on Halloween. Giant orange tabby (srsly, got a head like a bowling ball, about 18lbs) that I had to have. He'd been shaved on his back because he was all matted ( on closer inspection, I suspect the "mats" were actually caked on grease and crap from the underside of a car) and was the biggest chicken ever. But about two seconds in, I gave him the old chin scratch and he fell over on my feet and started purring. I knew he was good. And as a bonus- he has THUMBS! Well, really, they're just extra toes, as he's polydactyl, but they look like thumbs and he uses them like thumbs.

/rambling overture about cat.

We're with mndsm here..............

The missus and her dog scout troop friends packed bags for animals on the meals on wheels circuit last week. One of the local non-profit shelters put out a call a day before thanksgiving that they were running low on funds and that really meant low on food. We got a few friends to pool together an on the Saturday after turkey day we drove in with almost 300 pounds of dry dog food.

We seem to try to help the critters here.........