Catholic social tips
It’s beginning to look like Christmas everywhere we go! For some, it creates a feeling of joyful anticipation, while for others, it evokes outright anxiety about all that needs to be done.
These days, it seems like we leapfrog from Halloween to Christmas over Thanksgiving. This year, there are many people in need. Nestled between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the season of giving, marked by the celebration of “Giving Tuesday.”
A great way to calm anxiety is to experience joy-filled moments. Here are five ways to experience the joy of giving:
Volunteer at an organization that helps those in need. Many food pantries, homeless shelters, hospitals and other outreach service organizations provide opportunities for you to use your gifts to serve others. Seeing the smiles on recipients’ faces can fill your heart and mind with joy.
Contribute goods to food pantries or participate in The Salvation Army “Angel Tree” programs offered at retailers and parishes — visit www.salvationarmyusa.org/angel-tree-locations to find one near you. There are about 170,000 families in Hawaii who must visit food pantries to feed their families in response to the loss of food benefits. Knowing that your donations will truly feed the hungry locally brings joy to the soul.
Show love to your neighbor by offering to help seniors in your community, or families that may need a little help with something. You could also be a “Secret Santa” who leaves a little something on their doorstep to wish them a wonderful holiday season. It is also kind to reach out to someone who has lost a loved one and will be celebrating their first holiday without them.
Support an organization on your social media by sharing the agencies you help financially and through your presence. Be an ambassador for them, as a personal endorsement is always the most powerful way to invite someone to learn about an organization’s mission. You can share a link to their social media for people to check out what they do.
“Donate time, talent and treasure” is a cornerstone of our Catholic faith, and seeking ways to engage your whole family in a giving experience allows families to create traditions that teach their children generosity in meaningful ways — such as serving Christmas dinner at a homeless shelter or participating in a home build (visit hawaiihabitat.org to learn more).
It is common to ask kids to make a list of gifts they want, but what about asking them to make a list of gifts they don’t want instead? Gather up the items on the don’t-want list and donate them.
Do you have the talent for cooking, crocheting, reading, writing, speaking or another skill? Donate your time to creating something to donate.
A treasure that often gets overlooked is blood donation. A donation of blood is life to someone in need of it. Go to www.redcross.org/local to find out how to help.
I serve on the board for the Damien and Marianne Catholic Conference (dmcchawaii.org), a great organization to support. Through your donations, it can expand opportunities to share stories about our beloved saints. I also serve with Christus Ministries (www.christusministries.org), an organization that helps parishes build vibrant young adult ministries; it needs donations to expand to parishes across the country.
Take some time now to reflect on how you might give this year, so when Giving Tuesday arrives on Dec. 2 you can participate in a way that is meaningful for you.
Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving, a blessed season of giving, and Advent.
Sherry Hayes-Peirce is a Catholic social media consultant based in Southern California.