One of the major reasons people don’t do as much as they would like to do for the most vulnerable in society is because they don’t know how to help. Yes, you can donate money, but there are in fact many other ways to make a contribution too.
Integritty Foods promises that for every meal we sell, we give another to a person in need. Beyond this, in the war against poverty we aim to inform others how they can do their bit to help people in need, and have written several ways you can make a difference below.
1. Talk, and Listen
Loneliness is a horrible feeling, and is an unfortunate accompaniment to being homeless. Everyone needs to feel like they are being listened to, and this is no different if you’re homeless.
Say hi, ask how they’re doing — or if there’s anything they need. And listen actively to their answers, without judgement or condescension. It’s always nice to have someone check in on you, and often people in need have nobody that does.
2. Volunteer
There are a wide variety places doing amazing work, but that are desperately short of volunteers. Options include:
- Homeless shelters — this could be cleaning floors, washing dishes, giving out clothes, or looking after children.
- Soup kitchens — helping prepare or serve food to people in need. Integritty Foods supplies soup kitchens with free food under our “for every one we sell, we give another to a person in need” philosophy.
- Hospices — helping people towards the end of their lives feel comfortable and content.
- Women’s shelters and support networks — helping victims of domestic abuse, such as Women’s Aid.
Not only will you be directly helping people get back on their feet and rebuild their lives, but you will also undoubtedly gain new soft skills and insights that will add to your character. These soft skills are some of the most valuable to employers, and to acquire them while helping improve people’s lives is a fantastic thing.
3. Donate: both money and commodities
Money is the most versatile of donations, but other items are hugely important too.
Some great items to donate include:
- Non-perishable foods — these include canned soups and other canned goods like beans, vegetables and tomatoes. Spices are also great for donating.
- Clothing — any clothing in good enough condition to wear, especially warm clothing like thick coats, jumpers, hats and gloves.
- Toys — for the young children of homeless families.
- Toiletries — toothpaste, toothbrushes and other essentials are always in high demand in shelters.
A zero-cost way of donating is to redirect gifts. If you ever receive a gift you don’t really need, like an item of clothing or grooming kit, these make great donations.
Additionally, instead of asking for birthday gifts, you could instead start a birthday gift campaign on Facebook or elsewhere, and ask your friends and family to donate to a certain cause that means a lot to you personally. Facebook make this extremely easy to do, and pay any donations directly to the cause you choose.
4. If Not Donating, Collecting
Not everyone has the spare money or food to be able to help out financially, and that’s completely understandable.
If you have a car or van, and enough spare petrol and want to help out, you can collect food or other items from people’s houses or shops that they want to donate. For example, collecting food that can still be eaten but cannot be sold by supermarkets anymore. These items can then be delivered to shelters and soup kitchens.
A good example of this is The Felix Project. This fantastic project tackles both hunger and food waste by transporting surplus food that has reached its sell by date to shelters and food banks. The Felix Project now collects from over 170 suppliers, and delivers to over 350 charities and primary schools.
5. Make Things
If you have mastered a skill that can help the most vulnerable, that’s great. For example, if you’re great at knitting or any other skill involved in the creation of warm clothes, you could knit warm hats, gloves or scarves and donate these to shelters.
Even if you haven’t mastered a skill like this yet, setting a goal of being able to give away items that make a difference is a powerful motivating factor. It makes a great opportunity to learn a new skill while also doing something positive — a double win!
6. Share Knowledge
Your career or education has undoubtedly given you a unique set of skills which could be hugely valuable to people trying to get back on their feet.
For example, if you work in finance you could teach financial literacy to help a vulnerable family climb out of debt. Additionally, if you’ve interviewed people and know what to look for in a good interview, or know what makes a CV stand out, you’re uniquely placed to help people get the job that could put them back on track.
This isn’t limited to just job-related skills, either. Teaching a language, internet skills, or anything else that adds to people’s lives is a great thing to do.
7. Use Your Network
They say it’s not what you know, but who you know — and to an extent, it’s true.
If you know someone who is looking for someone to do X job, and you come into contact with someone who has previously worked in this sector, connect them. People who become homeless have often worked for long periods of time and have good skills, but a sudden life change has left them homeless, such as a breakup or death of a family member.
With the right guidance and connections, many homeless people can get back into work and back on their feet — either in their previous line of work or a new industry. In deciding to hire someone in to do a trade skill that doesn’t require extensive training, consider giving the opportunity to a recently homeless person. It may require more guidance, but the life-changing opportunity it offers makes it worthwhile.
8. Alert The Professionals
Homeless people living on the streets can sometimes go unnoticed by the relevant authorities, meaning it takes longer for them to get the help they need.
If you see someone who appears to need help, inform your local authority, homeless shelter or charity. Not everyone seeks shelter, and they may not know where to go, in which case these experts can assist them in getting where they need to be.
