Has the Lord placed local missions on your heart this winter? There is so much you can do as the needs this time of year often seem overwhelming. If you’re able, encourage a friend, family, or even your whole office to join you in your efforts to serve this season.
Below are a few ideas that you can try to serve local missions, but we would love to hear what’s going on in your area! What do you and your neighbors do to serve local populations? Comment below and let us know!
Missions for the Homeless
If you’d like to serve the homeless, try some of the following:
- Sign up to volunteer at a soup kitchen
- Offer to help set up and facilitate a party for homeless children
- Host a warm clothing/coat drive
- Purchase and distribute new socks, hand warmers, scarves, and other items as you see people out in the cold
- Buy someone a warm meal.
- Join churches that serve local homeless populations and see what you can do to help
If you’d like to serve children and families:
- Join efforts like Toys for Tots toy drives or other programs that spread love to children at Christmas
- Offer to help out with the church’s childcare ministry, as it can be hard to find volunteers during that time
- Reach out to local teachers and see what needs they have for their students
- Consider donating to or raising money for adoption and foster-care-related ministries like Show Hope, Both Hands, and others
Other ideas:
- Offer to foster a pet, this season is the time of year when most pets are abandoned as families find they are too much work
- Join a holiday prayer chain
- Offer to babysit for a family who probably can’t afford it so the parents can have some time together.
- Look into Meals on Wheels or similar programs and spend some time with an elderly or lonely person.
- Offer to shovel someone’s driveway
- Donate food to a local food pantry
- Make sure to let the local police know if you see someone you think is in danger due to extreme temperatures and conditions.
