100 Ways to Help Others Even If You’re Not Rich
Published Nov 28, 2021
When we talk of helping others, the first thing we usually think of is giving them material things or making cash donations. But there are a lot of ways to help others that don’t involve spending money.
Helping people isn’t just for those with millions in their bank accounts. Each and every one of us has something that we can offer to others. Be it your time, your knowledge, or your ability to crack some really good jokes – all of these can go a long way in making people’s lives a lot less hard. Just imagine how different the world would be if all of us strive to help one another.
If you’re wondering how you can serve others in your own little way, here are 100 ways to help others even if you’re not rich:
- Donate old clothes and shoes.
- Be a patient listener.
- Donate blood.
- Volunteer at a local homeless shelter or soup kitchen.
- Compliment someone to increase their self-worth.
- Spread positivity.
- Be on time.
- Congratulate someone when they did something courageous.
- Pick up trash in public areas even if it’s not yours.
- Teach children to be kind to everyone.
- Share your knowledge and expertise.
- Believe that there’s goodness in everyone.
- Keep your word.
- Buy local and support small businesses.
- Volunteer at the pound or animal shelter.
- Park your car properly. Make sure it won’t cause traffic or impede pedestrian movement.
- Respect everyone’s beliefs.
- Understand instead of passing judgment.
- Let others cut in front of you in traffic.
- Thank the people who rarely get gratitude like the service workers, housekeeping staff, and the security personnel.
- Avoid single-use plastics or styrofoam as much as possible.
- Clean up your mess to lessen the cleaning staff’s work.
- Help someone put together a resume to find a job.
- Talk to the people that nobody bothers to talk to like the cleaning staff, the grocery bagger, etc.
- Let the person with an armful of groceries go in front of you in line.
- Help an elderly or disabled neighbor with yard work.
- Give directions to someone who is lost.
- Return your own or other people’s grocery cart so the store staff won’t have to.
- Give away extra fruits and vegetables you harvested from your garden.
- Say only kind words, especially on the internet.
- Offer your bus or subway seat to a pregnant woman or the elderly.
- Share your food with someone who can’t afford a meal.
- Give restaurant coupons and vouchers to poor and homeless people.
- Give away seedlings and cuttings from your yard.
- Lend a hand to someone in a wheelchair.
- Donate books you have already read to a public library, an orphanage, or any local charity.
- Make new neighbors feel welcome.
- Use your social media to give voice to the voiceless.
- Comfort someone who just lost a loved one.
- Encourage someone who’s just been through a big disappointment.
- Organize a garage sale and donate the proceeds to charity.
- Bring food to a sick friend.
- Smile. You never know whose day you brighten with your smile.
- Visit a nursing home and talk to residents who don’t get visits from family and friends.
- Give the coupons you’re not going to use to people who need them the most.
- Offer to run errands for your elderly or disabled neighbors.
- Practice proper waste segregation.
- Offer to babysit kids for a single parent who’s struggling with work and childcare.
- Hold the door for someone else.
- Send an encouraging note to someone you know who’s having a difficult time.
- Give your used but still functional luggage to foster kids. They often don’t have anything to pack their clothes in when moving from one foster home to another.
- If you can, help someone who is trying to reach something high on a shelf in the grocery store.
- Donate old coats and blankets to local shelters.
- If you’re going to a grocery store or pharmacy, check with the neighbors if they need something to pick up too.
- Collect stuffed animals from family and friends and send them to the children’s ward at your local hospital.
- Collect used baby clothes from people you know and donate them to a women’s shelter.
- Teach your children the importance of giving back.
- Give credit to where credit is due.
- Help stray animals find their forever home.
- Never make fun of someone else’s misfortune.
- Donate your kid’s old bikes to children who have to walk to school.
- Practice compassion. Put yourself in other people’s shoes.
- Talk to people who are having a hard time socializing.
- Forgive the people who have wronged you even before they asked for it.
- Be polite to everyone.
- Leave a newspaper or magazine you’ve read in a coffee house or the bus stop so someone can read it after you.
- Don’t badmouth someone, even your enemies.
- Ask for forgiveness from someone you’ve hurt.
- Conserve water and energy so other people can make use of it too.
- Stick up for someone who you know has been treated wrongly.
- Help a pregnant woman pick up items from the floor.
- Tell someone the truth even if they may not like it.
- Encourage your kids to do small acts of kindness towards other people.
- Be someone’s exercise buddy to encourage them to lose weight.
- Take time to write a great review whenever you like the food or have received great service.
- Give out simple care packages to people you see on the street.
- Help someone struggling to carry their grocery bags.
- Plant a tree.
- Donate your old glasses to organizations helping visually impaired people.
- Campaign for a cause you believe in.
- Help a coworker who’s struggling to get all their tasks done in time for the deadline.
- Make friends with someone new to the company.
- Invite a new neighbor over for dinner or barbecue to introduce them to the community.
- Invite a neighbor or coworker who’s alone for the holidays.
- Cook large portions of food and share some with your neighbors who are struggling.
- Build a mini public library in your yard and invite other people to come read the books or donate their used books.
- Do chores for a family member who could use some extra free time.
- Offer a ride to your neighbor who doesn’t have a car or whose car has broken down.
- Provide roadside assistance like changing a tire or calling a towing service.
- Help someone achieve a goal – as long as it won’t hurt someone.
- Lend your tools and equipment to a neighbor who needs them.
- Donate your old laptop to students who can’t afford one.
- Share inspiring quotes and stories on your social media accounts.
- Give others the opportunity to express their thoughts and ideas.
- Let a friend crash on your couch while they’re looking for a new apartment.
- Bake some cookies and leave them in the break room at work.
- Befriend people who are considered outcasts in society.
- Promote your friend’s business.
- Stay calm even when people are being rude to you.
- Live a kind of life that will inspire others.
Donate To The Poor & Homeless Of South Florida
Our Father’s House Soup Kitchen has fed the poor and homeless in South Florida over 900,000 hot meals since 1993. Our tax deductible non profit organization also accepts and distributes donations such as clothing, toiletries, shoes, bicycles, and more. You can donate to help the poor and homeless through our website.
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About The Author
Judy Ponio is a professional writer and devoted Christian. She has a passion for writing about topics related to morality and helping the poor and homeless. She is the lead author for the Our Father’s House Soup Kitchen blog.
Correct Digital, Inc is paid by private donors to provide website digital marketing services to this non-profit organization.
