Seven simple ways you can make a difference this Christmas

The festive season leaves everyone reaching for their purses.

But while many families will be celebrating, there’ll also be a lot of people who won’t have the chance to enjoy Christmas surrounded by presents and food.

Winter time can often be the most difficult for those in a vulnerable position, so if you’ve got time or money to spare this year then consider investing them in helping someone.

There are hundreds of ways you can make a difference but here are some of the most effective:

Send a shoebox to an underprivileged child

Operation Christmas Child sends filled shoeboxes all around the world for children in underprivileged countries. Pack the shoebox yourself from a list of recommended items and with a £5 donation and your box will be sent away as a Christmas present. If you send the £5 online you can track the package to see where it ends up. Operation Christmas Child is the most well-known shoebox donation appeal but others, like the Link to Hope or Shelter box, are alternatives with slightly different aims. If you’re rushed for time, you can create a virtual shoebox on the website, which will be packaged and sent off for you.

Find a drop-off point and more information about filling a shoebox here.

Pull up a chair for an elderly person

If you would rather spend your Christmas Day at home with family but would still like to make a difference, why not consider taking part in Spare Chair Sunday? The programme, supported by Contact the Elderly charity and Bisto, pairs elderly people with host families for a Christmas dinner. The only requirements are a downstairs toilet and an easily accessible entrance. Spare Chair Sunday launched in 2015 and paired 1,600 volunteers in its first year. As it’s a national programme, it’s open for people everywhere in the UK.

Sign up for Spare Chair Sunday here.

Volunteer your skills at Crisis

Last year saw 11,000 volunteers give their time over the festive period to help Crisis, one of the UK’s leading homeless charities. Their main centres are in London, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Birmingham and Coventry and roles vary from befriender, to podiatrist or adviser. Aside from cooking a Christmas dinner for those in need, Crisis aims to offer a day of help and relaxation, with the chance to have a massage or hair and beauty treatments. At the same time, they have volunteers on-hand to support and advise visitors with their living situation. Their volunteer periods vary around the country but all are open Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. There are an estimated 307,000 homeless people around the UK this year, meaning all hands are needed for support.

You can search through volunteer roles at Crisis here.

Help out with a community Christmas lunch

London’s Battersea Rotary Club offers a three-course Christmas dinner with wine and entertainment for around 450 elderly people. Their three-day volunteer programme runs from the 24th-26th although volunteers have the option to stay for one, two or all three shifts. Aside from serving food and cleaning up, volunteers receive a free lunch and stay for afternoon dancing, sing-alongs and bingo. It’s thought around four million people will spend Christmas Day alone this year, half a million of whom will be elderly.

The contact details and information about the Battersea Rotary Club can be found here.

To find a local club offering a similar event, search Community Christmas’s website here.

Donate Christmas food to Brixton’s community fridge

Although not strictly a Christmas project, Brixton’s Community Fridge aims to help those in need of food who might not want to ask for it. Anyone can drop food off at the fridge and others can then visit the fridge and take what they like. The crowd-funded project has already raised £2,270 to buy the fridge and keep it clean but is still campaigning for the future of the fridge. If you live nearby, why not consider donating some Christmas food? Equally, for those who aren’t in the local region, the online donation page is open. Food bank usage is at an all-time high in the UK, with around 590,000 people relying on one twice a year or more.

You can get in touch with the Community Fridge here.

Donate over the internet

If you don’t have the time or ability to volunteer in person this year, you can still make a difference simply by donating. You can buy someone a Christmas dinner or a bed for the night through charity Centrepoint or buy presents ranging from a goat to a toilet with Presentaid. Many charities offer their own Christmas cards which can be brought online and act as a contribution. Charities like Mind and the NSPCC also need online funds more than ever during the festive season.

Fundraise in your own way

The Salvation Army offers different ways to fundraise at work or home. From sponsored silences to ‘wear a Christmas jumper’ days to bake sales, there’s support on their website to help you make a difference in whichever way is most convenient. There’s ideas for volunteering with friends, inspiration if you’re struggling to think up ideas and challenge events if you’d rather take part in something pre-organised.

You can find out more information and contact details about each way of fundraising here.

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