| #1 |
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Donate your professional clothes to an organization that helps people get back into the workforce |
| #2 |
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Give gently worn home furnishings or household appliances to a person or family who might need them, or donate them to an organization. |
| #3 |
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Take warm clothes, blankets or food to a homeless person that you often cross paths with. |
| #4 |
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Donate toys and books to a homeless organization. Toys and books are just as important to kids as food and shelter. |
| #5 |
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When shopping, buy a couple of extra non-perishable food items and take them to a food drive or pantry. |
| #6 |
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Make an extra serving of dinner and bring it to a homeless person in your neighborhood. |
| #7 |
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Donate age-appropriate learning materials to your local schools. |
| #8 |
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Write notes of appreciation to schoolteachers, principals, nurses, custodians, and secretaries. |
| #9 |
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Read with your children every day. |
| #10 |
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Start them early. Bring toddlers and preschoolers to the library to choose books for reading at home. |
| #11 |
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Give your gently used books to a local school or organization that can help under-privileged children. |
| #12 |
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Spread the joy of reading -- read to your friend or neighbor's child too. |
| #13 |
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Pick up trash on the playground or around the schoolyard of your local school. |
| #14 |
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Rake leaves and pull weeds at your local elementary school. |
| #15 |
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Thank the school bus driver for taking your kids safely to school everyday. |
| #16 |
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Make improvements to the teachers' lounge at a school in your neighborhood. |
| #17 |
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Give blood. |
| #18 |
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Go on a walk with friends or neighbors for a little exercise or conversation. |
| #19 |
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Assemble and deliver a basket of vegetables or fruit and a few flowers for a homebound person. |
| #20 |
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Sew, knit, or crochet comfort items -- small quilts, hats, stuffed animals -- for the local hospital. |
| #21 |
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When visiting a hospital, spend a few minutes with someone who might like a visitor, but ask first! |
| #22 |
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On your way to the grocery store, ask a homebound or elderly neighbor if there is anything you can pick up for them. |
| #23 |
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Accompany a friend to a doctor's appointment if they could use the support. |
| #24 |
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Share your favorite healthy recipe with a friend or family member. |
| #25 |
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Encourage friends who are trying to quit smoking. |
| #26 |
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Teach someone about good nutrition. |
| #27 |
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Be a daily medication reminder for someone. |
| #28 |
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Take care of yourself first, with a healthy diet and activity. |
| #29 |
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Tell your children why you love them. Be specific. |
| #30 |
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Help them appreciate art. Create a craft project with a child. |
| #31 |
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Make dinner with a teenager, or find any other excuse to keep them in the room with you for some conversation. |
| #32 |
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Involve your children in your daily routine -- preparing meals, setting the table or cleaning up -- they like to feel helpful. |
| #33 |
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Ask your children to go through their toys and donate some of them to those who are less fortunate. |
| #34 |
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Children learn by watching -- lead by example. |
| #35 |
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Offer to keep an eye on the kids of a busy neighborhood mom or dad if they need to run an errand. |
| #36 |
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Do minor repairs on an elderly neighbor’s home. |
| #37 |
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Make floral arrangements for senior centers, nursing homes, hospitals, police stations, or shut-ins. |
| #38 |
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Talk, sing, or read to nursing home patients, especially those without family nearby. |
| #39 |
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Help a senior neighbor with his errands, grocery shopping or other household tasks. |
| #40 |
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Offer to drive an elderly friend to an appointment. |
| #41 |
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Invite an elderly neighbor over for dinner, or bring dinner over to her. |
| #42 |
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Teach an elderly neighbor how to use a computer -- get them connected! |
| #43 |
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Share your favorite photos and memories with a senior. And ask him or her to share favorites with you. |
| #44 |
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Help your elderly neighbors with strenuous tasks like lawn mowing, leaf-raking, or snow-shoveling. |
| #45 |
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Bring your favorite grandparent -- it doesn't have to be yours -- some fresh flowers. |
| #46 |
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Listen to music with a senior and compare favorites from yesterday and today. |
| #47 |
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Keeping in touch keeps them going. Visit or call an elderly homebound person. |
| #48 |
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Smile and say hello to an elderly person you don’t know. |
| #49 |
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Help your elderly neighbors get the facts before they apply for loans, hire contractors, or donate money. |
| #50 |
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Take good care of your pets. If you cannot give them the care they need, take them to a shelter or other pet adoption organization. |
| #51 |
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Put bird food out for our feathered friends, especially in the winter. |
| #52 |
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Check the products you buy to see they are not tested on animals. |
| #53 |
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Share your friendly pets with those who enjoy being around animals but do not have any of their own. |
| #54 |
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Visit a hospital or nursing home with your friendly pets. |
| #55 |
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Donate your gently used towles, blankets, toys and supplies to your local animal shelter. |
| #56 |
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Keep an eye out when you see lost pet signs, and help in the search if you can. |
| #57 |
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Teach your children and others to love animals, visit a zoo. |
| #58 |
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Share your umbrella with someone who doesn't have one. |
| #59 |
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Write a thank-you note to a mentor or someone who has influenced your life in a positive way. |
| #60 |
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Always say please, thank you, and you're welcome with a smile -- you'll get them back! |
| #61 |
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Leave an extra big tip for a friendly waiter or waitress. |
| #62 |
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Defend others. Speak up when you hear someone use a racist remark, whether it’s a family member, neighbor, co-worker, friend or stranger. |
| #63 |
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Demonstrate a deep respect for other cultures, races and walks of life so that your children will, too. |
| #64 |
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Discuss stereotypes and intolerance you see in what your child watches on television. |
| #65 |
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Pick up trash at playgrounds, schoolyards, or other community areas. |
| #66 |
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Vote. Educate yourself about issues affecting you, your community and our nation. |
| #67 |
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Know your neighbors. Talk to them about safety, security and even noise level on your street. |
| #68 |
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Organize a neighborhood clean-up day. |
| #69 |
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Plant a tree in your yard or neighborhood. |
| #70 |
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Replace harsh chemical products with environmentally safe cleaning and gardening products. |
| #71 |
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Pick up trash, especially plastic or other non-degradable items that are in the street. Storm drains lead directly to our rivers and oceans. |
| #72 |
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Start an office carpool. Save gas, money and get to know your coworkers. |
| #73 |
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Reduce the amount of disposable products and packaging you buy and use. |
| #74 |
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Recycle whenever possible. If you have a yard, try composting. |
| #75 |
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Replace your standard light bulbs with energy-saving compact fluorescent lights, also known as CFLs. |
| #76 |
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Replace showerheads with more efficient, water-saving models. |
| #77 |
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Recycle your cell phone. It's free and you’ll help support a healthier environment. |
| #78 |
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Run your washing machine and dishwasher only when full. |
| #79 |
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Soak pots and pans rather than let them sit under running water while you scrape them clean. |
| #80 |
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Turn off water while you brush your teeth and save 4 gallons a minute. |
| #81 |
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Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway and sidewalk. It saves water and prevents debris and oil from going down storm drains and into rivers and oceans. |
| #82 |
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Change your car’s air filter. Cleaning your air filter regularly can improve your gas mileage significantly. |
| #83 |
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Don’t speed. Being a good driver can save you some dollars at the pump. Speeding uses extra gas. |
| #84 |
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Adjust your lawn mower to a higher setting. Longer grass retains water better. |
| #85 |
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Remind everyone to turn off the lights, television and computers when they are done. |
| #86 |
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Check out your child’s school recycling program. Ask whether recycling bins are accessible and if the kids are encouraged to use them. |
| #87 |
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Spare the air, save a buck. Air conditioning can decrease your fuel efficiency by as much as 12 percent in stop-and-go traffic, so consider cracking the windows. |
| #88 |
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Only heat or cool the rooms you need -- close vents and doors of unused rooms. |
| #89 |
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Save energy by sealing and weatherstripping your windows and doors. |
| #90 |
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Protect ocean wildlife. Remove fishing lines, nets or plastic items from the water when you’re not using them. |
| #91 |
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Ask your school and workplace to purchase environmentally friendly paper and try to use less. |
| #92 |
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Give potted flowers, plants, trees or seeds as gifts. They won't end up in a landfill. |
| #93 |
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Instead of tossing old clothes or household appliances, give them to someone who could use them or donate to an organization. |
| #94 |
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Donate Blood. |
| #95 |
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Bring food or other useful items to emergency volunteers or locations. |
| #96 |
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Write a letter thanking your local emergency management workers (police, firefighter, EMT) and let them know how they have helped make a difference. |
| #97 |
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Help your neighbor organize an emergency plan and put together an emergency kit. |
| #98 |
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Pitch in to clean up the wreckage after a disaster. Even if it happened in another place. |
| #99 |
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Volunteer to distribute food, water or other supplies to disaster relief crews and victims. |
| #100 |
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Lend a hand in your area of expertise – medicine, construction, cleaning, cooking, counseling. |
| #101 |
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Ask that everyone buckle up when riding in a car. |
| #102 |
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Help someone who might need assistance crossing the street, but ask first. |
| #103 |
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Let staff know of spills or other dangerous conditions in their restaurant or store. |
| #104 |
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Lead by example, wear a bicycle helmet. |
| #105 |
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Learn the Heimlich Maneuver. |
| #106 |
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Take a CPR training class and keep your certification current. |
| #107 |
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Always obey the speed limit and drive safely and courteously. |
| #108 |
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When driving, be aware of emergency vehicles and pull over to let them pass. |
| #109 |
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Keep an eye out for kids in your neighborhood. Start a neighborhood watch program. |
| #110 |
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Volunteer to take calls for a child abuse or crisis hotline. |
| #111 |
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Report child abuse or domestic violence. |
| #112 |
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Teach children water safety. |
| #113 |
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Late at night, always walk with a friend to your car or anywhere you are going. |
| #114 |
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Help a friend who’s being bullied. |
| #115 |
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Warn children about going anywhere with strangers. |
| #116 |
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Help your friends and family create emergency preparedness plans. |
