Building Stronger Communities Through Gratitude

Your community is incredibly important, and helping to build a stronger one through gratitude will benefit your members for years to come. There are a myriad of ways in which you can engage members of your community to show gratitude, including giving back. This could be donating money, goods or even time through community service projects. 

Read on to discover how your community can become stronger through gratitude by hosting a number of different donation drives and participating in community service projects.

Donation Drives

There are likely people in your community who are in need—it could be mothers in need of clothing, diapers, baby formula and other items for their children, or possibly elderly members of the community who need groceries or meals as they might be unable to afford them or cook for themselves. 

You know the needs of your community best and have the means to organization donation drives to help meet those needs. Here are some ideas for events that can help your community members show gratitude and give those in need the help they might be unable to voice. 

• Diaper drive – This includes diapers, baby wipes, formula, pacifiers, clothing, toys and anything a mother and child may need.
• Food drive – This includes canned goods, non-perishable items and even cookware/cooking utensils.
• Cooked meals - Ask your community to make pre-cooked or freshly cooked meals that can be dispersed to members of the community. This would especially be beneficial for those who are unable to have a Thanksgiving or other holiday meal.
• Clothing & furniture drive – This includes clothing of all sizes and furniture such as bed frames, nightstands, couches, tables and chairs;,then donate to a local women’s shelter.
• Pet food & toys drive – This includes pet food for cats and dogs, as well as toys, blankets and bedding. You can even allow community members to donate their time to play with the pets, read to pets and even walk dogs at your local animal shelter. 
  

For all the aforementioned donation drive ideas, make sure to include the ability to donate money so you can either purchase items or give the money directly to the organization of your choice.

Community Service Projects

Give members of your community the ability to participate in building a stronger community through service projects. Take a look at your city, and determine its needs and what could be added that would benefit everyone. Need some inspiration? Check out some ideas below.

• Trash cleanup - Invite your community to help clean up trash in parks, on the side of the road and around creeks. This can be as often as needed or monthly.
• Transform a park - Have an old park that needs a little bit of sprucing up? Ask your community for help! Invite them for input on the things they would like to see at parks within the community, and ask them to help implement their great ideas! Got a rundown baseball field or soccer field? Build it back up to its former glory. Turn an old tennis court into a pickle ball court, or even turn an old sports field into a dog park. Add new features to parks that kids will love. The sky is the limit! 
• Help the elderly - Ask your community members to donate their time to help out elderly members. They could mow lawns, clean houses, cook meals or even just spend time with them. 
• Plant a community garden - Not everyone in your community has the space to grow their own garden, so why not find space and offer them the ability to share one? Invite members to plant whatever they would like, and watch as your community builds stronger ties and grows amazing fruits, vegetables and flowers that everyone can share and benefit from. 
  

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