Causecast

#3: How To Feed The Homeless For The Holidays

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer

It’s tough to understand the plight of homelessness unless you’ve experienced it. The stress of not knowing where you’re going to sleep or where your next meal might come from is taxing on anyone.

Homelessness in America is a persistent issue in every major city. Any given night, about 285,000 families find themselves homeless and about a half a million individuals will remain homeless indefinitely.

This holiday season, do something good for the homeless in your community. A warm meal can a long way for someone in need this winter. There are many ways to get involved feeding the homeless for the holidays and chances are – you have a lot of options right in your own neighborhood.

Step One: Volunteer your time.

Every major metropolitan is bound to have homeless shelters. Often times, shelters are over populated and under staffed, especially during the winter months. The Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program has a pretty extensive list of food and shelter providers around the country. Also, check the community service section of your local phone directory. Organizations looking for volunteers can usually be found in the first few pages.

• Don’t stop with the shelter. Many community organizations host holiday dinners for the homeless or even make an entire day of taking the holidays to the streets.

• Find out what local religious organizations are doing. Many churches host a meal for the homeless in the weeks before the holidays and need volunteers to cook and serve food.

• Many American Red Cross locations host holiday meals during the winter season. Find out what your local Red Cross is doing in your community.

• Check out United Way’s Volunteer Solutions Network. You enter your zip code and it let’s you know every holiday volunteer opportunity available in your area.

• If you live in the Los Angeles area, the Los Angeles Mission hosts a massive Christmas Toy Drive and holiday meal on December 24. Make sure you register to volunteer ahead of time – they fill up fast.

Step Two: Donate your cash.

Sometimes time is harder to scrounge up than money. Don’t worry, organizations can always use your cash (or your goods). Here’s a few ways to feed the homeless by making a donation. Obviously feeding hundreds of people is not cheap. While much of the food is donated, shelters rely on cash contributions as well. Giving 20 bucks to your local homeless shelter could feed ten individuals – every little bit makes a difference.

• Check with your local nonprofit meal providers and find out what kind of donations they are looking for.

• Los Angeles’s Food On Foot is all set on volunteers for the season, but is looking for cash donations to help fund the grocery bill for their holiday meals.

• Feeding America is working to feed more than 30 million hungry individuals during the holiday season. You can be part of their campaign by donating directly, shopping at Macy’s or buying Bob Dylan’s Christmas album.

Step Three: Take the "Meals on Wheels" approach.

If you haven’t been able to find a shelter or nonprofit to work with, you can always take to the streets and feed the homeless on your own. Here’s what you can do:

• Make some "holiday sandwiches to go" with the works – Turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberries. Pack them in the car and turn your vehicle into a mobile meal center for the homeless individuals you meet around town.

• Bake some good old fashioned chocolate cookies and package them up and pass them out to homeless folks in your community.

• When you eat out during the holidays order an extra meal to go to pass on to someone in need.

• Contact local restaurants or bakeries and ask about their day-old breads or pastries. Many are willing to donate perishables that they can no longer sell, but which are still perfectly good to eat. You can also invest in a few pounds of coffee and host a holiday breakfast for the homeless folks in your community.

Step Four: Don’t stop with food.

Full bellies are a good start, but beyond serving food, there are other ways you can volunteer to help the homeless during the holidays.

• The winter months can be extra difficult for homeless who lack proper warmth and protection from the elements. You can collect gently used coats and blankets to distribute to the homeless. Pick up some plastic rain ponchos at your local drugstore and pass those out as well. If you don’t pass them out yourself, you can donate outer wear to the Salvation Army’s Coats for Kids program that works to provide coats for needy families around the country.

• Put together hygiene kits to pass out when you drop off meals to local homeless folks. You can buy mini soaps and shampoos at a 99 cent store or see if you can get donations from local hotel chains. Include items like hand sanitizer, razors and tissue. Get your friends and family involved – make a hygiene kit assembly line and you’ll get them done in no time!

Check out more Holiday Do It Yourself Projects.

Photo by Franco Folini, flickr.