This post with Ways for Families to Give Back During the Holidays was sponsored by Johnson & Johnson as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
We've all been told and probably even say ourselves that giving is better than receiving. But how often to we actually live this?
For our family we try to make it an every day thing and while that doesn't always happen, we do give on a monthly and seasonal basis. Each month we our family participates in a serve project that benefits our local community – not Austin at large, but the development our family and helps those that have been down on their luck to provide a clean, safe environment to live and raise their families.
During the holidays is the time of year I feel like we spend the most time on reflection and are super motivated to give back because we know how deeply we've our family has been blessed.
One of our holiday season serve projects we participate in is to help host a brunch with food, caroling, for a community of people that are disabled and chronically homeless in Austin. In the past, when we've been home for the holidays, we've spent Christmas Eve eating food with these people, listening to their stories, and showing them that we care and they matter. From the start our throws ourselves in making a difference for this special Christmas Eve brunch. My husband is helping direct parking for all of the visitors and volunteers attending, I'll be taking photos and video of the event, the girls will be caroling and crafting for the residents, and together as a family we'll deliver gifts to residents and show them the true meaning of Christmas while setting a lifelong example of just what Christmas is all about to our girls.
At this stage of life our giving is very active and present but throughout the year, it isn't always at this level and it doesn't have to be for everyone. There are so many ways to give back during the holidays and it's so easy for everyone to give back to others this season.
Johnson & Johnson has created the Donate a Photo app and partnered with Save the Children on the “Gifts of Joy” gift catalogue. For every pic that's shared using the free Donate a Photo app, Johnson & Johnson is donating $1 to one of its trusted non-profit partners, that each user can choose! Even if you don't personally have money to give to your favorite charities this season, you can pick the organization you feel need supported with this awesome campaign. Since it's launch in 2013, almost 2 million photos have been donated and nearly 180,000 people have helped using the Donate a Photo app! One photo can be donated a day, every day so just think of the impact you can make this season!
Johnson & Johnson's longtime partner, Save the Children, is just one of the important causes that can be supported, or, you can purchase a gift from the Save the Children “Gifts of Joy” holiday catalogue. These gifts are used to support basic health and hygiene needs for families in our country and around the world. For each gift purchased, Johnson & Johnson will be matching the donation (up to $450,000).
Ready to give back this holiday season? Start by downloading the Donate a Photo* app or purchasing a gift from the Save the Children “Gifts of Joy” holiday catalogue!
Are there any other Ways for Families to Give Back During the Holidays that you can think of?
*Johnson & Johnson has curated a list of trusted causes, and you can donate a photo to one cause, once a day. Each cause will appear in the app until it reaches its goal, or the donation period ends. If the goal isn't reached, the cause will still get a minimum donation.*