Whatever type of charitable work you want to do is simply wonderful. Whether you want to donate money, goods, or time, it will be well appreciated by whoever you are giving it to. But, it’s very important to give to those in your own community.
By giving on a community level, you will be helping people you encounter on a daily basis. The homeless man on a park bench, your neighbor who is struggling to make ends meet, even relatives who are too ashamed to come to you directly for aid could all be helped through your donations.
For example, when you volunteer at a homeless shelter for your city, you will be helping people in your own area get back on their feet. You can see exactly who your time and effort is helping because the person is standing right in front of you. How rewarding would it be to look at someone and know that you are making a difference in their life.
If you, instead, donated money to a national organization, you will have no clue where it will be used, if it will be used wisely, or if it’s lining executives pockets instead of going to those who really need it.
Another benefit to helping those in your own community is being able to recognize how fortunate you have been. If you are angry because your spouse didn’t cook dinner for you or they didn’t spend enough money on you for Christmas, your opinion will quickly change once you see how good you really have it. There is no other situation out there that could be more humbling than helping those who are in need of simple things you have always had like food, clothing, and shelter.
We should all be giving our time and money to those who are in need. If everyone who was able to give actually did it, the world would be a much better place!