Month: January 2022

According to Nonprofitssource.com, people spend an average of 52 hours volunteering their time annually. If you’ve been meaning to take advantage of community service opportunities in your community but things keep getting in the way, now is the time to make it a priority. Volunteering is a fun way to give back that benefits you, as well. Here are three ways that you can get involved with Paz de Cristo to aid the effort of feeding, clothing, and empowering.

Assist With Empowerment

On a regular basis, Paz de Cristo accepts donations of all kinds — food, clothes, hygiene products. All of these go towards those who need them in the community. People are always needed for the inspecting and organizing of donations. There are shifts throughout the week available to help with this task, generally in the morning. This is a great volunteering solution for those who may not always want to be community-facing but still want to find a way to do some good.

Help Serve Meals

If you want to be on the front lines, serving meals could be the volunteer opportunity that you have been waiting for! In addition to regularly providing food boxes, Paz de Cristo has served meals to those who can’t find one elsewhere every single night for the past 31 years. The volunteers at Paz de Cristo are sure to keep Covid-19 in mind when handing out meals. Safety is a high priority — volunteers wash hands regularly, maintain safe distances, and more. Grab n’ Go meals are offered as a safer alternative to sit-down meals with plenty of people. If you’d like to be one of the five volunteers that help with Grab n’ Go meals, reach out to Paz de Cristo today!

Arrange a Drive

Is rallying people a skill of yours? Do you have lots of connections, as well as the motivation to get things done? Then consider organizing a drive for Paz de Cristo! Different things are always needed and donations of all kinds are always welcome. Right now, for instance, Paz de Cristo is low on jelly and pasta noodles. You can coordinate with Paz de Cristo to see how you can maximize your efforts to provide what’s really needed, whether it be blankets, hand sanitizer, or anything else.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to our working poor charity for more information about volunteer opportunities. There are always ways for you to get involved and we appreciate any help you are willing to give. Call Paz de Cristo today to get started.

Many people are looking to make a difference in the lives of those in their area, but simply don’t know where to begin. One way to consider giving to those in need is to take advantage of state tax credits. Each state may offer different tax credits, so we’re here to explain some of those offered in Arizona. Continue reading to learn how you affect positive change in your community in an easy and rewarding way.

Public School Tax Credit

If you’re looking for a way to help out children attending public schools, this is a great way to do so. The public school tax credit is for cash contributions towards Arizona public schools made by individual taxpayers. Businesses are, unfortunately, ineligible. This is a nonrefundable credit that was created for those seeking to improve the lives of public school children involved in after-school activities dealing with sports, music, art, and more.

Private School Tax Credit

Another way to help children that are working their way through their education is the utilize the Credit for Contributions to Private School Tuition Organizations — commonly referred to as the Private School Tax Credit. This is a nonrefundable tax credit for individuals donating funds to private school tuition organizations, or STOs. These organizations offer educational scholarships to students attending private schools. Similar to the Public School Tax Credit, corporations and other types of businesses cannot receive this tax credit. Those filing as single, married filing separately, or head of household can donate up to $569 and those filing married filing jointly can contribute up to $1,138.

Arizona Charitable Tax Credit

If you would like to direct funds to a wider range of charities, such as Paz de Cristo, then consider the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit. Under this tax credit, you can give to Qualifying Foster Care Charitable Organizations (QFCOs) and Qualified Charitable Organizations (QCOs). This money can go towards anything from food boxes to helping those without homes. Those filing as single, married filing separately, or head of household can donate up to $400 and joint taxpayers can contribute up to $800 to QCOs. In regards to QFCOs, those filing as single, married filing separately, or head of household can donate up to $500 and joint taxpayers can contribute up to $1000.

When you donate to a tax deductible charity such as Paz de Cristo, your funds are put towards helping all types of individuals in the community — those seeking employment, food, clothing, and more. Offering haircuts to job seekers is just one of many ways that we aim to empower those who need it.

According to Nptrust.org, there are over 1.54 million charitable organizations in the U.S. that you can donate to. For more information on how to donate to our organization and benefit from tax credit federal deductions, reach out to the professionals at Paz de Cristo.

With the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life, the prospect of finding time for volunteer opportunities often gets overlooked. That being said, many people would benefit from working the practice into their regular schedule. Giving your time to working poor charities and organizations that need help benefits both those in need and yourself. Finding the right charity can bring you friends, professional connections, inner peace, and so much more. Here are just a few ways that you can gain from giving.

Better Your Career

Are you unsatisfied with your current career? Volunteering your time has the possibility to bring you experience in different areas that are of interest to you. You don’t have to make a drastic change in your career to explore different fields and help people while you’re at it.

Working with charities such as Paz de Cristo can better your skills that can be applied to your career — skills such as organization, communication, ethical decision making, and working in a group. These are transferrable skills that will take you far in both life and your career! Additionally, plenty of organizations offer comprehensive training to their volunteers. You can gain knowledge while volunteering that you would have to pay to receive elsewhere.

Connect With and Improve Your Community

One obvious pro that comes with volunteering is the connection that you build with your community. Towns and cities are improved upon when people make the conscious effort to spend their time making a difference. People at all levels of organizations have an effect — from those organizing donations to those who hand out food boxes, like the volunteers at Paz de Cristo do every day of the week. You would be amazed at the stories you hear from people you never would have spoken to in your community if you had never taken the step to volunteer.

Add Fun to Your Life

If you’ve noticed your life becoming more mundane, and maybe even meaningless, volunteering is an easy way to change things up. You can investigate interests that you never would otherwise, all while empowering people in your area. Whether you’re looking for a way to unwind or reinvigorate yourself, there are volunteering options out there for you.

According to Nonprofitssource.com, about 63 million U.S. residents, or a quarter of the adult population, volunteer. Ask yourself what is stopping you from adding yourself to that number. There are many volunteer opportunities available to you, you just have to go out there and find the right one. To learn how to help the staff at Paz de Cristo with our mission of feeding, clothing, and empowering, give us a call today!