4. Boost your civic engagement. Regardless of your politics, you can get more involved as a citizen to make a positive difference in our community.
Ideas:
- Sign a petition to make a needed change in our community.
- Join a peaceful march, protest, or rally to support a cause dear to your heart.
- Attend local school board meetings, town halls, or city council meetings to understand (and have a voice in) local issues.4
- Watch (and read) a variety of local news sources to get balanced reporting on what’s happening in our community.
- If you don’t know your neighbors very well, introduce yourself.
- Then make a commitment to check in on those who might need help, such as an elderly neighbor.
- Get plugged into the resources and events in our town by visiting local museums, taking historical tours, borrowing materials from our local library, and attending community festivals.
Take action: Do you know who our local leaders are, such as our mayor or city councilwoman? Get to know their names, their policies, and their stand on issues that affect our community. Subscribe to their newsletter and follow them on social media.
5. Support local businesses. Our community has been impacted by the pandemic, with many businesses being forced to limit capacity, instill social distancing efforts, and even shutter entirely in some cases. Help keep money in our local economy by shopping local instead of relying on online shopping from national chains.
Ideas:
- From handcrafted soaps and one-of-a-kind apparel to locally produced chocolate and small-batch wines, you’ll find plenty of unique gifts at the small businesses that dot our community.
- Consider purchasing tickets to attend live-streamed holiday concerts and shows.
- Buy cookies and other baked goods from our local bakery.
- Get takeout from our local restaurants.
- Support local farmers by purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables at community farmer’s markets.
Take action: If you’re concerned about shopping in person right now, many of these businesses, though small, offer online shopping, with options for in-store pick-up, curbside delivery, and/or mail options.
6. Donate to local charities. Nonprofits could always use your financial support, so consider making a monetary donation to help them carry out their mission in our community. But if money is tight (or you want to support in other ways), think beyond just donating dollars.
Ideas:
- Consider donating to a charity in someone else’s name as an altruistic gift on behalf of a friend or relative.
- Give blood to our local blood bank.
- Donate new or used books to our community library.
- Send school supplies to our neighborhood elementary school.
- Help struggling neighbors by donating blankets to the homeless.
- Pick out toys to give to a charity that caters to families. 5
Take action: Many collection efforts run by charitable organizations and businesses take place during the holidays. Look to see what’s already taking place in our community and choose one or more to give to this season.
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