20 ideas for meaningful and impactful giving this holiday season

Sophia MitrokostasNov 24, 2020, 21:36 IST

The holidays may look different this year, but there are still many ways to give back to both your local community and individuals around the globe.
Crafty individuals can volunteer to paint murals or make masks and blankets to donate.
People who want to donate their time can become a virtual tutor or volunteer to transcribe museum documents or map rural areas.
Those who love wildlife can gift national-park memberships or symbolically adopt endangered animals.
Supporting local artists, putting together kits for those experiencing homelessness, and donating blood are also great ways to give back.

Although the holidays may look a bit different this year, there's perhaps no better time to give back.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to turn your time or money into meaningful gifts that can make a real impact on your community and beyond.

Read on for a few ways to give this holiday season and all year round.

Give an animal the gift of love and shelter by fostering a pet.

Fostering a pet can help ease the burden on animal shelters and volunteers. Angela Auclair/Getty

Symbolically adopt an endangered species from afar.

A panda is one of many endangered species you can adopt. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Gift a national-park membership.

A national-park membership is also a thoughtful gift. George Rose/Getty Images

Beautify your neighborhood and grow produce by volunteering at a community garden.

Gardening can be a project for the whole family. SolStock/Getty Images

Cook a holiday meal using produce from local farmers.

Supporting local farmers and makers can be as easy as using more fresh produce and handmade items. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

Support local and indigenous artisans.

This is a great way to find gifts for everyone on your list while supporting small businesses. Hanneke Vollbehr/Royalty-Free/Getty Images

Paint a mural that will add vibrant visuals to a local community.

You can also volunteer your art skills to local businesses. Sisoje/Royalty-Free/Getty Images

Craft homemade blankets to give people and animals some extra comfort this holiday season.

Those who love crafting may appreciate making blankets for others to enjoy. gabriel12/Shutterstock

Sew homemade masks to donate or gift to loved ones.

Just be sure to follow CDC guidelines when making masks. Getty

Make handmade cards to spread holiday cheer.

This is a great way to get kids involved, too. LaineN/Shutterstock

Help to build homes for those in need.

This is a great way to hone in on some useful skills, too. Viacheslav Nikolaenko/Shutterstock

Offer to go grocery shopping for someone else.

By shopping for someone else, you can help a neighbor or friend who is unable to get to a grocery store. Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Put together kits for people who are experiencing homelessness.

Socks are a thoughtful item to give. Irina Kononova/Shutterstock.

Donate your hair to help adults and kids who are experiencing hair loss.

If you have long, unbleached hair this can be a simple way to give back. AJ_Watt/Royalty-Free/Getty Images

Become a tutor through your local library.

Tutoring can be done virtually. NurPhoto / Contributor / Getty

Become a virtual volunteer and work on tasks like transcribing and mapping.

You can volunteer from your couch. Shutterstock

If you meet the requirements, become a volunteer firefighter or EMT.

You'll want to check the requirements before volunteering. Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

Donate blood.

This can be done year-round. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

Join the bone-marrow donor database.

Signing up to be a potential bone-marrow donor can help save a life. iStock / Getty Images Plus

Donate to your favorite cause or find a new one to support.

There are plenty of organizations that would appreciate extra help this holiday season. mixetto/Royalty-Free/Getty Images

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