Lending a Helping Hand in Our Communities

Many of us start thinking about making some donations to local non-profits during the Holidays. This year, however, our neighbors in Butte and Ventura Counties need some help a little early. The devastation of these fires is hard for those of us who aren’t seeing it first hand to even comprehend…yet those who are living through it are forced to comprehend it and come to terms with a “new normal” in their lives.

We’ve compiled a list of agencies accepting monetary and other donations to help in both northern and southern California. If you’re not in California perhaps you want to donate to an agency helping in the aftermath of any of the immense hurricanes we’ve experienced this year? Many of the national organizations we’ve listed on our website will also accept donations for any disaster; just indicate where you want your money to go.

As a company, when you sponsor a monetary drive, clothing drive, food drive, or any other kind of “drive” to help those in your area, you help to  foster a sense of community, both internally and externally. Employees feel good about themselves for donating, and they feel proud that their company has shown their sense of empathy and compassion by sponsoring the drive. You may even encourage employees to get out their and donate their own time or additional resources!

If you’re closer to one of the disaster areas, could you sponsor a Volunteer Day where employees are out in the field helping at a food bank, the SPCA, or a donation drop-off site? Does your company offer specialized services that you could donate for a day? (A salon could bring staff to the affected area and offer free haircuts for a day, a mobile pet grooming operation could drive to the area and help those who have reunited with their pets keep their pets clean too, a restaurant could donate a large quantity of prepared meals…the list (and the need) is endless. Get creative and think about how you can not only help, but encourage those around you to help as well.

Check out our list here, and if you have additional resources or ideas, share them with us below!