Wishlists for shelters, missions, food banks

Winter is particularly hard on the homeless and those in need. In Detroit, cold temperatures send many to shelters and missions. Agency resources get depleted more quickly during the holidays. Here are wish lists of needed items at Metro Detroit nonprofit organizations.  Read more

Holiday Wish Lists for Detroit Nonprofits

Winter is particularly hard on the homeless and those in need. In Detroit, cold temperatures send many to shelters and missions. Agency resources get depleted more quickly during the holidays. Here are wish lists of needed items at Metro Detroit nonprofit organizations. If you're looking to donate in your area, use these guidelines for giving. Each charity will have its own list of needs, but these are good basic recommendations.  Read more

Advent Almsgiving, Service Project for all Ideologies

If we're not careful Christmas ends up being more about receiving than giving, with adults as much as kids. It's not that kids are so selfish, it's that marketing campaigns target children and bombard them with images of thousands of 'must-have' toys, gadgets and goodies. Who can blame kids for wanting all that cool stuff? To say a child is selfish is to state an obvious, but not necessarily negative, fact of childhood. Being self-centered is how they learn to care for and protect themselves. But excessive selfishness is taught, not inherent. So do how do we teach empathy? By telling kids not to want things? Nope--shaming is unhealthy. It's also counterproductive. Better to teach positive, proactive sharing and caring.  Here's a printable advent almsgiving activity. And you don't have to be Catholic or Christian to observe advent virtues. I have friends in every faith group and ideology--Jewish, Muslim, Atheist, Buddhist, Wiccan, Bahai, Sikh, Hindu, animist--all practice similar acts of mercy and charity. This can activity can be used with children, no matter what their family creed. Advent Giving