Volunteering is not only a great way to give back to your local community, it’s also a good way to contribute to a cause that you’re passionate about. Although volunteering is something that you can do and should do year-round, there are many different organizations, causes, and individuals that need support throughout the holidays. As the temperatures drop throughout fall and winter, you’ll likely focus most of your attention on charity activities that can be done indoors.

We’ve listed below some creative winter charity ideas that will allow you to spend quality time with your family while also giving back to the community.

  • Knit hats, gloves, scarves, blankets in the comfort of your own home to donate to a local charity
  • Go through /your closets and donate any clothes that you no longer wear to:
  • Mentor or tutor students
  • Offer your elderly neighbor a hand completing seasonal household chores, such as caulking windows our changing their furnace filters
  • Organize a party to fundraise for your favorite cause! This is a great way to make a contribution to your favorite environmental organization or local park when it’s cold outside and you’re unable to offer any hands-on support
  • Volunteer in a soup kitchen, homeless shelter, or women’s shelter
  • Volunteer at a hospital
  • Donate old towels and blankets or even volunteer at an animal welfare charity such as the Humane Society

Community service doesn’t have to be and certainly shouldn’t be limited to the holidays. There are lots of fun ways for you and your family to volunteer year-round by helping others, caring for the environment, and enriching your community. All getting started requires is a little research and a whole lot of compassion.

Being charitable is great for so many reasons:

  • You’re able to help others in need or to make an impact towards an important local or worldwide cause
  • It helps strengthen and enhance your community
  • Donating your time and offering a helping hand contribute to your personal growth
  • Volunteering allows you to gain experience doing things you wouldn’t learn from your 9-5
  • Volunteering is a great way to meet new friends

When you find a cause that you feel passionately about, you’ll feel that you’ve gained as much as you’ve given. You can even substitute excess shopping throughout the holidays by spending your free time giving back to the community instead.

Not only do we encourage our customers and team members to give back to the planet, we also support individuals, organizations, and groups running environmentally focused projects through the Ecogold Environmental Fund. For every Kiwi Energy enrollment, a contribution is made to the fund, which as mentioned contributes to programs that align with the fund’s values of sustainability, integrity, and environmental accountability.

Some of the organizations that we have been fortunate enough to work with include Transportation Alternatives, Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, Ohio River Foundation, CityParks Foundation, and GrowNYC.

If you’re running or planning a project to support the environment and are interested in submitting a grant request, please do get in touch!