When was the last time you donated to charity?

Today, because today was the day I got my paycheck. Out of every single paycheck I have taken some money for a local charity here, before I even see the money. It works for me because then I can't forget to do it, and my company matches what I give that way. :) I actually donate quite frequently to various charities, as well as volunteering when my health allows. The issues that are most important to me are abuse issues, victim services, crisis lines, etc... because of my own life experiences.

I donate when I can, but the last time I donated was this week. I was at Walmart, self check out lane. I found a dollar. I felt so lucky for finding it that when I walked out side I placed it in the Salvation Army bucket next to the man ring the bell outside. This isn't really donating in my opinion but it sparked some ideas about others ways to donate and then I wrote an article about it. If anyone is interested in reading it send me a message. The time before that I used an online site to donate some money to one of my a charity I like. Most of the time though I donate clothes and other things to charity centers.

I give money to my church every week. That is charity as it is a charitable donation. My daughter also took some food in to school for the food drive for the Christmas gift baskets they will be giving out to the less fortunate. We have been really tight on money and most of the charity opportunities that come my way are by telephone solicitation which really bothers me. I would rather go and give, not have someone call and ask. I also give our clothes and unwanted toys and games to charity. In most cases they sell them at their store and the money made goes to the charity. I could have a garage sale and make money, instead I give my things to charity.

I seldom give money to strangers, but will buy them something to eat or drink if they want. I gave to the Salvation Army today. I try to give to reputable charities. I always feel better if I give something.

It has always made me feel good whenever that I have donated to a good cause. My last donation was earlier this afternoon and as usual, I felt really good knowing that I would be helping someone with my donation. That feeling is really precious!

I donate to charity all of the time. I don't have the money, but as far as I'm concerned, my little is more than what a lot of people have. I remind myself all the time how fortunate I am to have been born and raised in the United States with loving parents who worked their pants off to be sure I was fed right, educated, and had a roof over my shoulders. I try to always give to those who are less fortunate, because I'd want the same if I were in that situation. Whenever I am at a store and I am checking out and the cashier asks if I'd like to donate to a specific charity, usually a dollar or so, I always say yes. Oftentimes, I only have $20-30 to my name, but yet, what is a dollar when I could potentially be contributing to the well being of someone who is ill, homeless, or far less fortunate. I also donate every couple of months to St. Jude's Children's Hospital. I think that one of the saddest events is when a child is very ill or worse, diagnosed with a terminal disease. Hospitals like St. Jude's take in all children, even those who are unable to pay for their treatment. I will certainly donate $10-20 every few months to help them to be able to provide free care to those who cannot pay for it themselves. I appreciate the kindness of non-profit organizations that help make our world a better place and I will always support them.

If i have capablity of donating to charity, i would not be in Mylot :-)

I agree with you that it feels very good to help others. I have a certain amount of charities that I have studied and explored where the money actually goes when donated. Although there are many charities in this world, some of them eat up most of the donations in salaries for executives and for events that are sponsored and yet don't really relate to the needy. I am careful about who I do give to, but I am a charitable person. I try to support my charities with small donations throughout the year..sometimes I can give little and sometimes I can give more. I have a very generous boss and he gives me a wonderful Christmas bonus...I am so grateful for it that I always try to share a bit of it with those less fortunate...so I sometimes find a family through local agencies that I can buy a Christmas dinner for..or pay a utility bill for...Toys for Tots is a great charity..and so many people work so hard to make it happen..I also love Habitat for Humanity..and America's Second Harvest...I collect clothing throughout the year ( new and slightly used) and donate it to women's shelters at Christmas..this year I have done some research and have supported some international efforts for those in other countries that struggle to feed their families...through that research I was able to get together with some others and buy a goat for a family. That was a great feeling. Thank you for discussing such an important issue...we all have something ( time, food, clothing or money) that we can give when we can!!

The local food drive in my town was on the week before Thanksgiving, and I did put out a whole box of canned food and dry goods for that. I would say that's the last time I gave to something charitable. In general, though, I tend to more often give to animal welfare organizations.

My last time was a couple of weeks ago. I was buying a train ticket. There were these Red Cross volunteers standing by at the counter asking for donations. Pretty smart, because the spare change is right there. I was given a few coins for change, so I donated a few pesos to the Red Cross.

Hmmm well I don't actually do the donatiung myself. I volunteer every christmas for Operation Christmas Shoe Box and next week I am organizing another thing where people can donate to the food banks for the holidays.

A couple of weeks back. I had gotten most of my charity donations in order starting back from last month. If I see anything else to donate to and I'm able to, I'll give some to that as well.

You are right that it feels good helping out, even if what you have to give seems small in comparison to what others may be able to give. I donate to charity every day by fostering dogs for rescue groups. As fosters we provide the food, toys, and love for the dogs until a permanent home is found for them. Unfortunately this will be our last set of foster dogs as we are moving into a townhouse next month probably. I will continue to give to these groups through volunteering for events to spread the word as I have done for almost two years now. The last monetary gift I gave was to a food bank here in my area. Around Thanksgiving they were asking for donations of $11 to feed 55 people. I did that and have requested information on how to volunteer. Sometimes giving doesn't have to be financial. All sorts of charities need help in the form of man-power. Maybe if you (the general you, not you personally ms) have a few extra hours per month you can give to charity that way instead of a financial contribution which only goes so far.

We give to charity every time we get our paycheques. Both my husband and I donate every pay period. In fact, my husband has asked for charitable donations for the Snowsuit fund and for the Christmas Exchange instead of Christmas presents this year. I think this is a great idea, because both he and I simply buy what we need when we need it. We have no need at this point in our lives for presents. Many older people live in poverty. The same applies for young people just starting out, especially if they have children. I think it is wonderful that you are thinking of other people at this time of year.

hi mssmith... honestly, i haven't really donated to charity. i don't have like a favorite charity or something. not that i have anything against donating. it is just that i would rather give my money and support different causes--like the church, church activities, our church lot, and missionaries. also mission agencies. then of course, there are people that i know who need help. they are closer to me and of course i know their needs and i feel their needs, so i prioritize them.:-) take care and God bless you too! :-)

sometimes i spring clean my closet and sort out my clothes. i donate the clothes that i don't want anymore. unless the clothes is not in a good condition anymore then i'll probably just throw it or use it as a rag haha. Can't remember exactly when was the last time i donated my clothes, i think it was sometime middle of last year. i have somemore clothes that i wanna donate though, but planning to wait till i have a lot more so that i can donate them one shot.

my wife and i sent money for disabled veterans, and catholic relief for orphans around the world ..and we help my wife's family in her homeland ..the Philippines..it makes their life a little easier..

i have never donated .. i did not get my first earnings till now

Hai mssmith hru doing, nice to see u here , so it always good to help others, infact u are proved u are self, first i want to congratulate u , its very good things to helping others and good attiude the more u do serivce to the poor people god will give u more to u , infact in u are story also proved just like that so now u got some practical knowledge so i think u got lot happines while you were doing service to the that old woman u had seen that woman happines in her eyes its more than enough to compare anything such type of felling we can't buy out side... All the best for u are services and good going give me response... bye take care..

I love this topic and the posts from the givers make me smile. An easy way to earn money for you favorite charity is www.goodsearch.com Searching online earns pennies that add up to big bucks! Invisible Children about kids in Uganda trying to escape being kidnapped and turned into a child soldier. College kids exposed a 20 year war with a madman that the media ignored. www.kiva.org Is a Fantastic site! Micro- loans all over the world are saving lives. When it was on Oprah and all the loans were funded I just about cried. I loaned $25 to a woman in Cambodia to buy soy beans in the country and re-sell them in the city for a profit. When she pays it back, I will re-loan the money. Rarely give cash hand outs. I believe a hand up is the best way. Once I saw a girl that looked like me, except she was barefoot, dirty and eating out of the trash. She wasn't asking for money but I walked past and immediately turned around and gave her $5. That's more than I have handed out in the 5 years since. My friend bought a meal for a child in Panama. Often kids are used as pawns and the money goes right to an adult. We sat him down at a small, local restaurant and asked what he wanted for dinner. His thank you to my friend was so dignified it just about broke my heart. Speaking of that, the girls orphanage in Grenada, Nicaragua still needs food if you are traveling there. "We can live here and be happy with less" Happy Giving!