The holiday season is a time to make wonderful memories with your friends and family, indulge in some delicious food and reflect on all of the things you are grateful for, but it’s also a time to give back to others who are less fortunate.
We are proud to be a Certified B Corporation, it is a part of our mission to help solve social and environmental issues and give back to the community.
Every year we work with the Christmas Cheer Board to make hampers to give to families in our community. This year we sponsored two families, one is a family of six and the other is a family of three.
We enlisted the help of our Manitoba Harvest team to bring in food and toy donations to include in the hampers. Our team was so generous and we were able to fill the hampers with all of the fixings for a delicious Christmas dinner plus some extra food for the families including fresh produce, cheese, milk and bread.
We also received cash donations so we could purchase some toys for the kids. The girls received nail polish and body wash sets and the boys got Lego, toy cars and monster trucks. A few of our team members delivered the hampers to both families, who were so thankful for the generosity of the Manitoba Harvest team.
This year, we also donated our Hemp Hearts to Hunger Mountain Coop in Montpelier, Vermont for their Annual Holiday Grocery Packs that they distribute to families and seniors in their community. You can read more about Hunger Mountain and their holiday donation program here.
If you’re looking for ways to give back this season but don’t know where to start, here are a few tips:
Find a cause that you care about
Finding a cause that you can connect with and be passionate about will help inspire you to give back. If you’re an animal lover, try volunteering at a pet shelter or if you love to cook, donate your time and skills to a local soup kitchen. Helping out a cause that you care about will make the experience even more rewarding.
Get your family and friends to join you
Planning an activity where you can help out those in need and have fun with your family and friends is a win-win! Lots of people want to give back but never make the time, so having a group to keep you motivated can help you make sure you follow through.
Start small
There are lots of little things you can do that will make a big impact on the people around you. You can help a senior carry their groceries to their car, shovel the snow for your neighbour or any other task that will make someone’s life a little easier this season.
What are some of the ways that you like to give back during the holidays?