According to the United Nations, ‘Charity contributes to the promotion of dialogue, solidarity, and mutual understanding among people.’In short, charity or charitable works are often times the most effective and lasting way of binding people and making them act towards a certain goal.

Helping others is a necessity for each and every one of us to be called a good samaritan. Although we are all expected to be of help to someone who are in need, giving charity to people should not be forced and faked, it also need not to be extravagant or luxurious. We are all entitled to offer charity to our fellowmen however we see fit and as far as we can.

The International Day of Charity is declared by the United Nations, in the anniversary of Mother Theresa’s death, to recognize the role of charity in easing humanitarian issues and people’s suffering amidst the persisting and increasing poverty throughout the globe.

Here are some of the simplest ways on how we can practice charitable works in celebration of the International Day of Charity.

Donate Blood (or Organize a Blood Letting Activity within Your Community)

Though we all have the right to live, unfortunately, there are fellow human beings that are unwantedly struck by either an accident or a severe illness that would require them of a blood transfusion. One of the easiest, cheapest, but beneficial ways of sending help is to donate portions of your blood to those who are in dire need of it. In this way, you get to help sick people get their necessary blood transfer while receiving a tangible positive karma—blood donation is good for the body since the blood taken out from your body is replaced with fresher, healthier blood.

Food Drive (Cook, Bake, or Ask Others for Foods to Share)

There is nothing better than a full and satisfied stomach for a person who is longing to have a mouthful. And it is agreeable that in each celebration, like the International Day of Charity, being able to feed the hungry is a huge fulfilment in our side. If you love preparing food and have the capacity to produce the ingredients (or ask some friends and family to share with you), preparing food for the hungry people in your community is never a chore. On the other hand, for those people who don’t have the passion in cooking, but knows the importance of good and satisfying food, you can still manage to ask out your colleagues to spend a dollar or two, in order to acquire enough food or snacks to share to the needy. Food drives are one of the most enjoying and satisfying way of giving back.

Gift People Your Extra, Unwanted Clothes (Clean Out Your Closets!)

There are always those clean but unnecessary (or unwanted) pieces of clothing kept in our closets. The best thing you can do with those are select them amongst your collection, pack them, and give them to people who have not as much as you do. Through this, you get to clean out your closets while putting clothes on people who get too cold at night with old, spoilt, and filthy materials they’re on since the beginning of time. Remember, clothing is one of the vital necessities of a human being, so your pre-loved garments are very much appreciated.

Help Out a Hospice or a Health Center

Even though you are not a nurse or knowledgeable in the health department, your presence and time is always a huge help in public hospices or health centers. Not all health institutions are capable of hiring ample number of people to assist the health care providers and the patients in a certain location. There are many things you can do to extend your efforts; simply pay a visit (even if you don’t know a particular patient), read them a book, sing to them, make them laugh, play with them, bring them food, talk with them, listen to their stories, or as plain as let them know that you care—will surely have great impact on the them and their recovery.

Bring a Homeless Person Out for a Snack

All of us are certified foodies and most of the times, we tend to forget that being able to eat out or our mere capacity to afford a meal is a huge blessing. But not everyone have this kind of blessing. In this day of charity, one of the simplest but thoughtful gestures we can do is bring someone (the homeless person you regularly see around town or a random hungry person out in the streets) out for a special date. Treat them in your most favorite fast-food chain or local restaurant or simply buy your favorite meal for them to try. When you do this, it would probably be one of the few most unforgettable moments for that lucky person or family.

Give a Book to a Scholar

Being able to go (or sending your child) to school is never easy, but even if a student from a less-fortunate family was able to enter schools, it would still be possible that he or she would have problems in acquiring the necessary textbooks he or she may need in order to study their lessons. So, the simple give-a-book deed to a needy student is a huge act of kindness and generosity one could ever make. These books need not to be new, they could be from your own collection, the books you used from school, or you may ask from friends and family for these. Make a student happy by helping them out through this simple act.

Volunteer in a Foundation or Social Organization

We may all have something that keeps us busy, be it work, school, or taking care of our family. But even amidst this, we can always find time to volunteer and help people out through foundations and institutions—if we wanted to. There are a lot of charitable foundations and organizations that are built from their deep appreciation and concern for the rights of the particular sector or group they are focusing on, like for example, the ONE Children’s Foundation, which extends help in transforming children’s lives one step at a time, in every way deemed possible. In institutions like ONE, we can channel our charitable traits through volunteering, donating, or sponsoring for a certain campaign. In this particular way, we will be able to send our help and love for the children and be one in building a better, liveable future for them.

Participating in charity works, just like how Mother Theresa used to do, may serve as a way of giving back for us, for our blessed or at least relatively opportune lifestyle.

If you find yourself wanting to help people through us, feel free to contact us at info@onechildrensfoundation.org or reach us at our Facebook (ONE CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION, Inc.) or Twitter (@ONEnonprofit) accounts. You may also visit our website https://onechildrensfoundation.org.