With nearly 30% of our neighbors living on paychecks that barely cover their necessities, there are always ways to give back to those in need within our community. If you are someone who has considered providing help but hasn’t had the chance to do so, now is the perfect time to learn what you can do to make a difference. Donations are a major component of what we do here at Paz de Cristo, but it can be tricky to know what is appropriate to donate. Here are three types of donations you can make that will help our cause here at Paz de Cristo.
At Paz de Cristo, we pride ourselves on the work we do to ensure that those who struggle to put food on the table are not going hungry. With a mission to feed, clothe and empower, food is one of the most necessary pieces to the success of that mission. Every night of the year, we serve dinner in our dining hall. Volunteers prepare hot, nutritious meals for those who are struggling within our community. Donating food products like jelly and pasta noodles helps us prepare more hot meals and also helps us fill our food boxes. Not only do we serve hot meals, but we also prepare emergency food boxes that are given out every day of the week. A food box is generally filled with necessary items like bread, fruit, and other nutritional foods. Anybody in the community is welcome to come in and pick up a food box when needed. We provide over 50,000 meals every month so we never want anyone to feel reluctant about coming in for help.
Another piece of our mission is to clothe. This doesn’t just mean we want to hand out clothes for no real reason. We want to provide our guests with a fresh start. Here at Paz de Cristo, we give our people in our community the opportunity to take a hot shower with soap and shampoo. Professional cosmetologists and barbers are also onsite to provide free haircuts. We know how important a fresh new look can be when trying to get back on your feet so we like to provide ample opportunity to do so. The main reason why we provide these cosmetic services is to give job seekers a new level of confidence when they go into interviews. We also try giving those job seekers professional attire for their interviews. If you have professional clothing that you are willing to donate, we are always looking for more. Our goal is to give our guests a whole new frame of mind and your donations could help make that possible.
Arguably the most important form of donation you can make is donating your time. We are always looking for volunteers to organize donation drives, prepare hot meals, and hand out food boxes. With the widespread needs of our community, the more help we receive the better! There is always some kind of volunteer opportunity and we want everyone who considers donating their time to feel welcome to do so. We value the help we receive from volunteers so much that we highlight them on our website. If the amount of volunteer help we receive continues to rise, we can continue to provide the help that our community needs.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out and ask about all of our community service opportunities. There are always things to do and ways to help, so if you have the time or resources, we would love your extra set of hands. If you are interested in volunteer opportunities or making donations, call Paz de Cristo to get started right away!