Ways to Give Back in San Francisco
Launched in 2002, the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance was created with the memory of those victims and survivors as well as those who helped out in the face of tragedy on 9/11. Most people love to give back to their community on a regular basis, so this day is basically just a way to motivate those that don’t or haven’t. Giving your time as a volunteer, donating to a special cause, and just generally helping those in need is an excellent way to remember those that aren’t able to do so anymore.
If you’re in the San Francisco area and looking for a way to give back, we hope to give you some options to make it a reality.
Helping Community Elders
One of the best ways to give back is to provide company for the elderly in your community. These people have been through and seen a lot, so in addition to providing them company, you may also be regaled with stories from their past. This is also a volunteer opportunity that doesn’t have to be done only on the National Day of Service. Some of these people haven’t had a visitor in years and would love just a few hours of your time.
Take a Saturday and head down to the senior center in your neighborhood. You can help them with their daily activities, take them on a walk around the grounds outside, play games with them, or just listen to them tell you about their life. Sometimes all they want is for someone to just sit and talk to them about life and love.
Community Clean-Up
If there isn’t already a group set up to clean up your neighborhood, take the initiative to start one. We only have one earth, so we need to treat it as such. On this day of remembrance, you can get your friends and family together and clean up a specific area. Get your kids involved so they can see the importance of creating and maintaining a beautiful community.
A long-term result of this sort of volunteer work is that people will be more likely to get out and enjoy their neighborhood. Kids will be more likely to play outside and they’ll remember that they were there to help get this area in tip-top shape.
Help the Homeless
The homeless community is unfortunately growing each year. The poor economy, rising unemployment rates, and shaky housing market have all contributed to the rising number of homeless in cities around the country, not just in San Francisco.
There are so many different ways you can help the homeless. One way is to get a group of people together to put a kit together with items that are hard to come by for the homeless. You can include socks, shirts, hygiene items, and blankets for the winter and then pass them out to the homeless shelters around the city.
You can also volunteer your time for the various soup kitchens around the Bay Area. You can serve them a hot meal and provide them with an ear to listen to their story. Sometimes they just want to receive the same respect that anyone else would.
While we don’t necessarily need a specific day to tell us when to volunteer, it’s always good to have a day dedicated to the memory of those men and women that lost their lives on that fateful day. In their memory you can give some of your time to great causes around the city. Maybe this day is what some people need to push them in the right direction and get them in the habit of volunteering on a regular basis. Do your good deed for the day, and get out and give back on this National Day of Service.
photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/sis/241268014/">Sister72</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>
