In this newsletter we’re sharing a few different ideas for giving back to your community over Christmas, revealing the true meaning behind Boxing Day, encouraging people to get fun projects and fundraisers on the platform, and of course we share some fantastic charities looking for your support this month!

How To Give Back To Your Community This Christmas.

1. Give to food banks.

We all overstock the fridge at Christmas, but what if rather than eating more than we can manage, we gave to those in need? Find a local food bank and offer to volunteer or donate your excess food, you can’t imagine how many people you would help.

Foodbanks provide food and household items to hundreds of local families in their time of hardship. Your local foodbanks support needy families all year round and they need your generous donations so they can purchase the items that are needed.

Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for food banks due to rising costs in heating and lighting. They need your support now more than ever and every donation, big or small will help them provide their local community with these incredible resources.

2. Donate warm clothes.

This is an incredibly thoughtful and kind act as over the Christmas period the weather can be a challenge. The severe cold means that most spend their nights shivering, a simple hat and scarf can make all the difference!

It’s also great for the planet, donating your clothes instead of throwing them into the rubbish can help fight landfill and reduces the need for fast fashion.

If all of this hasn’t convinced you, it’s also a fantastic way to clean out and organise your wardrobe and you never know, you may find some hidden gems during your clean out.

There are many charities on the IIC platform who would love nothing more than your generous donation this year.

3. Donate Christmas gifts to children in need.

There are so many children in need of a special gift this Christmas, but did you know you can donate Christmas gifts to children via charity?

There are a couple of charities on the Investors In Community platform asking for gift donations this year and this is a great way to add a personal touch when donating. You can go out and select the perfect toy and donate to the charity of your choice, they can even share an impact statement once the project has closed so you know all the good your donation did!

Scratch Charity says: “Christmas should be an exciting time for children, although sometimes – through no fault of their own or their families – there’s a risk they won’t wake up to a sackful of presents. That’s where SCRATCH steps in with our Christmas Complete project, which in December 2020 provided 2393 children and young people with a package of seven or eight presents each (an increase of 15% from the previous year. The need will be no less this year with many local families having been impacted by COVID-19 and we want to be able to help all families referred to us.”

Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity is hosting their Christmas Fair on the 4^th of December. As part of this fair, they’re inviting the children that Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity support to come and meet Santa and they would like to be able to provide these children with presents from Santa in the Grotto. If you’re heading out shopping for your family anyway, why not pick up a toy to donate, even one toy can make a huge difference to a child’s Christmas!

4. Charity Advent calendar.

We’ve all had an advent calendar, right? Well, what if rather than receiving something for everyday of advent, you were to give something instead? Pick 24 charities to receive a donation from you each day throughout December and donate to each of them.

We have plenty of charities to choose from on the Investors In Community platform so you’ll never be short of options. You could make it fun whereby every Monday you donate to an animal charity and every Wednesday you donate to a children’s charity, or get the whole family involved and have each person choose their own charity for each day!

It doesn’t have to be a huge donation every day, donate whatever amount works for you and remember that even by donating a small amount, you can make a huge difference.

Do You Know The True Meaning of Boxing Day?

Investors In Community are encouraging people to revive the traditional meaning behind Boxing Day and donate time or money to good causes this Christmas.

Although some sources link the origins of Boxing Day to the sport of boxing or putting used wrapping paper or unwanted presents into boxes, it turns out that its true meaning is found in small acts of kindness to the most vulnerable in society.

Some argue that 26 December was when aristocrats and lords of the manor distributed “Christmas boxes” filled with small gifts, money and leftovers from Christmas dinner to household servants and employees in recognition of good service throughout the year.

Another theory suggests that Boxing Day arose from alms boxes that were placed in churches during the Advent period for the collection of donations from parishioners. Members of the clergy then distributed the contents of the boxes to the poor on 26 December, which is also the feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr and a figure known for acts of charity.

Be kind this Christmas. Donate: www.investorsincommunity.org

Why You Need To Get Your Projects On The Investors In Community Platform Over Christmas.

Christmas really is the most wonderful time of year for some, but for some people Christmas is cold, lonely and a time of great struggle. Investors In Community wants to encourage people to get back into the True Spirit of Christmas and give back to those in need this year!

During the Christmas period most charities see a huge peak in donations, this is partly thought to be because people are seeking to find the true meaning behind this time of year and embrace the traditional aspect of it all. Another reason could be the winter effect, with temperatures dropping and households struggling to afford their monthly running costs, around 25% of people donate to homeless people and charities in December alone. Another interesting statistic: in 2019, research showed that almost 1 in 3 people considered donating to a charity for Christmas instead of giving a gift.

So, get your Christmas fundraising initiatives on the IIC platform and start receiving donations today!

We thought we would share some amazing charities with you as well!

FareShare

FareShare is the UK’s national network of charitable food redistributors, made up of 18 independent organisations. Together, we take good quality surplus food from right across the food industry and get it to more than 10,500 frontline charities and community groups. Support them here.

Forget-Me-Not Animal Rescue

Forget-Me-Not Animal Rescue are dedicated to making a difference to the lives of the animals we rescue, in addition to this, we educate and influence people through our compassionate and ethical message. Support them here.

We Can

We provide community based support for children and young people with disabilities, additional and complex needs, aged between 6 and 19 to access leisure and social activities. Support them here.

Kids Against Plastic

Amy and Ella set up Kids Against Plastic (KAP) back in 2016, after studying the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and discovering the issue of plastic pollution. Their mission to make a difference started out as a home-school project and has since become an award-winning charity. Support them here.

Join Investors In Community today to deliver your social impact and align with your purpose.