Support Farm-to-School Projects

    By teaching kids exactly where their food comes from, they will grow up to make informed grocery choices and strengthen their local economies. Start a farm-to-school project in your school district; all the know how is at farmtoschool.org

Pens Are More Powerful than Swords

Raise money for Pencils of Promise to help build a school in an impoverished country. For more information, visit their website: pencilsofpromise.org.

Celebrate World Teachers Day

    Teaching others is hard work and can be a thankless job. Whether you are a student or have kids in school, approach a teacher and tell them what a great job they are doing. AdoptAClassroom.org goes to the head of the class in my book for the good work they do: it gives teachers a hand by providing needed classroom materials so that students can succeed.

    It is estimated that more than 15 million children don’t have the resources they need to do well in school. Teachers spend more than $1 billion a year stocking their own classrooms due to a lack of funding in schools. Supporting K-12th grade students in public, private, and charter schools, AdoptAClassroom.org makes it easy for donors to provide funding to classrooms throughout America. Teachers register their classrooms and needs online; donors discover classrooms through simple search tools, and make targeted contributions. Their goal is to connect donors with every classroom in the country. A-plus!

Ready for Anything

Take a CPR class. You never know when you might be in a position to put those life-saving skills into practice. Visit heart.org to find out where you can take a class. Being prepared to save a life is smart and a big good.

Each One, Teach One

    Spread around a love of literature, books, and writing! Many children and some adults struggle when it comes to reading. Look into volunteering for adult literacy classes or reading to the elderly at a retirement home at proliteracy.org, an organization with an amazing legacy: Laubach Literacy International’s history began in 1930, when Dr Frank C. Laubach was a missionary among the Maranao people of the Philippines. His concerns about their poor living conditions led him to conclude that the ability to read and write was essential for them to begin to solve their problems. As the Maranaos learned to read, they would, in turn, teach other adults on a one-on-one basis that became known as “Each One, Teach One.” From 1935 to 1967, Dr Laubach visited 105 countries, answering calls for literacy help and creating reading lessons in 315 languages.

Cook It Forward

     If you love to cook and love to help people, this might be the option for you: teach cooking classes or offer your services as a free guide to getting the healthiest groceries at the best prices via Cooking Matters, a division of Share Our Strength. What I love about this is that it is both personal and oh-so-practical. CookingMatters.org pairs you up with a local group. You can bake a lot of love while showing others how to do the same.