When making plans for the summer, it’s tempting to fill up all of your free hours with fun activities and vacations. This year, instead of just sticking to barbecues and parties, make sure to include some good works in your summer plans. When July 4th comes around, it can be an especially poignant time for people with a service member in the family. Take the time to do something thoughtful for the military families in your neighborhood.

Doing Good Deeds

To decide on the best way to spend your time giving back to the community, first consider what the greatest need is.  In many communities military needs are huge, but in others the biggest opportunity areas may be on the civilian side.  Around the 4th of July, it is nice to think about veterans and service members, but you can pursue any line of charity work that you feel most passionate about. You can also combine your interests so that you can help military families in a way that feels personally special to you. For example, if you like helping children, you can look into local causes that specifically benefit military families with kids for educational programs and childcare support.

You may have a particular idea in your head about the kind of volunteer work you’d most like to do, but if you are new to pursuing community work, you may not know how to start getting involved. Start out by researching nonprofits and community outreach groups in your area. Stick to keywords and search terms that will help you find very specific interest groups like “homeless veterans outreach in [your town]” or “military family nonprofit.”  Chances are you will be shocked at the number of local organizations devoted to causes like these.

Good Deeds for 4th of July

Ideas for Getting Involved

Here are some outreach and volunteer ideas that might appeal to your interests when looking for charity projects to do on the 4th of July.

  • Organize a fundraiser for a particular veterans’ or military outreach group. This could include a larger organization like the VA or a small nonprofit. You could organize a bake sale, a local raffle at a 4th of July event, or sell some of your own home made items (if you are an artist or craftsperson) to benefit service members.
  • Collect canned goods and other nonperishables for a homeless shelter. Call on your neighbors and friends to donate food, clothing, books, toys, and school supplies for adults and kids of all ages to donate to a military support group.
  • Talk to local families in need in your area or talk with local shelters and nonprofits that support families and find out what they most need. Go out and pay for any services they need and buy them any items they need, like clothing, toiletries, or groceries.
  • Host a benefit 4th of July party. Include all the fun traditions like sparklers and BBQ, but also include some opportunities for collections and giving to donate to veterans’ associations. You can include a blind raffle at the party, items for sale, and fishbowls stationed around the party for cash and coin donations.
  • Offer to do some house repairs and cleanup for military families. For service members with a spouse overseas or a limited income, the offer for some free household help and repairs could make a huge difference in quality of life.
  • Teach a class. Depending on your professional training, you may be able to help offer a very useful class to veterans and their families. Or you can offer to do something like hold an arts and crafts session for the kids at a shelter or teach a yoga class. Other ways you might be able to help include helping an older veteran work on their resume and cover letter or help them learn how to use a computer.
  • Another opportunity that goes beyond helping military families and veterans in your community is to join an adopt-a-soldier program, like Soldier’s Angels. There are many deployed service members overseas that would love nothing more than a care package. Think back to times when you received a package or letter from someone when you were lonely or feeling down. Now, put yourself in a service member’s shoes and imagine how much this would mean to them. You can send them care packages that include personalized unique gifts that will show them how loved and appreciated they are, even by strangers.

Stick to What You Know

When trying to reach out to offer a helping hand to those in your community, you might feel a little out of your element if you are trying to dive right into an activity that is very complex or time-consuming. Start out by sticking to what you know and pick an activity that will be comfortable and compelling for you. This will make it easier for you to make giving back a regular part of your routine past your 4th of July good deeds.

This is a sponsored post for which I was compensated.