How to Give Back This Holiday Season

‘Tis the season of giving! Many people give gifts during the holiday season, but there are so many more ways to express our gratitude to one another. 

According to the American Family Insurance, there are different ways to be generous without giving someone a physical present, like writing letters to your friends and family, calling a distant family member, doing chores without your parent’s asking, and other random acts of kindness. There is also making donations and giving to your local community, and that can be done by volunteering at food drives or other types of community service and donating food and money to people in need. 

There are many ways to volunteer and give during the holidays in Champaign. In Cunningham Children’s Home in Urbana, people can donate gift cards or shop from their wish list for kids from ages 11-17. Faith in Action is doing Christmas Bags for Seniors in Urbana, where volunteers are gathering items such as paper towels, crossword puzzles, and battery-operated candles for Christmas bags.  They give them to seniors that may be celebrating alone this season. The Developmental Services Center in Champaign has a DSC holiday wish list for those who do not receive gifts. These gifts are usually practical needs such as clothing, bedding, and gift cards for food. People can also give to Champaign Toys for Tots, a program that receives new and unwrapped toys and delivers them to local underprivileged children. 

Izabelle Freeburg, a registered nurse at OSF, also believes that Stone Creek Church and the YMCA are great community services in Champaign. “Both Stone Creek and Church and the YMCA do volunteering and community service in an effort to reduce hunger and increase housing, and they provide clothing like jackets and gloves to keep them warm,” she says. 

Students at Central and citizens in Champaign are feeling the season of giving. Senior Emma Fahnestock plans on making art for her family and friends. She says, “My aunt and uncle have a dog that just passed away recently so I’m going to make a painting of him for them.”

When giving to the community, Sophomore Emily Loy has had experience when she lived in Louisiana. She says, “There is one tradition where you can receive letters that kids give to Santa, and you buy those gifts for them. Usually, it’s for parents that generally can’t afford the gifts.” Loy loves giving gifts to her family and friends, and she plans on giving gifts to her distant family, mainly her cousins. 

Freeburg is not only giving to her family and friends, but she is also giving to her community. “I add additional tips to workers in the service industry, make baked goods with little notes to friends, and donate at church,” she says. She donates a good amount of money to Stone Creek Church. She says, “I can’t do volunteer work because of my job, so what I can do is give cash to contribute to those that can.”

Everyone feels great when receiving a gift, and people can feel the same when giving to others. Freeburg talks about the little things people do to express their gratitude such as having a huge smile or sharing how much the gift means to them. “Sometimes it means way more to the person than what you expect,” she says. 

Fahnestock, Freeburg, and Loy feel that giving to others is important. “It’s good to show you care about others,” Fahnestock says. Loy feels like she’s making someone’s day. “It makes me feel happy, and I feel like making them feel important.” Freeburg says, “I am a nurse, so I feel that essentially I try to give every single day, not only during the holidays. A lot of times, all the patients want and need is for you to hold their hands and talk to them for a few minutes. That means way more to them than giving a gift.”

Giving to others by donating food and money and spending quality time with your family and friends shows how much you care about your friends, family, and the community, and can make an impact on people’s lives more than giving a gift. Freeburg says, “Volunteering and giving your time for a few minutes shows that you care, and that can mean way more than a gift.”