10 Easy Ways Your Home Can Give Back This Year

You don’t have to travel far to make a positive impact in your community – in fact, there are plenty of ways to give back to be found right at home, while staying safe and socially distant. As the Family Home Overhaul team shows, we can make a big difference in the lives of others by tapping into our existing skills, resources and community to help out. Whether it’s decluttering with donations, repurposing reading materials or finding ways to share food and fun with neighbours from a safe distance, here are 10 ways you (and your home) can give back this year.

red sidewalk library in residential neighborhood

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Book Smart

Words are powerful and meant to be shared. Spread some knowledge – and clear out your home’s over-crowded shelves – by participating in or setting up a neighbourhood book exchange. There are many ways to create a little library, but the basic idea is to set up a free library box in the neighbourhood where people can leave a book and then take a book. From the bestseller you loved to the bedtime-story favourite your kids have now outgrown, a book swap is a fun way to declutter and share with your community while staying socially distanced.

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Sale Strategies

Still have items cluttering up the house that you no longer need? Plan a future yard sale for when it is safe, and plan to donate the proceeds to local charities. If you’re not sure if you have enough of your own items to attract enough shoppers, ask your neighbours if you can set up a yard sale for the block and let them join in, too. At the end of the sale, don’t forget to assess if any leftover items can be upcycled or donated.

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Declutter Your Decor

When it comes to decluttering and donation, don’t forget about items that people can use around the house – donating household items, seasonal decorations and home decor is another way to help others while making more space in your home. Start by collecting unused household items (like glassware, kitchenware and other decor – basically, anything that fits into a box!) for a donation in the future. You’ll give still-useful items new purpose, while simultaneously doing some good for the planet. Donations to Diabetes Canada, for example, help divert 100,000,000 lbs. of textile and household items from landfills.

Hand holding recyclable plastic bottle in garbage bin

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Bottle It Up

For many of us, recycling is already a way of life, so why not use empty bottles and cans to help out your community? Start small by collecting your home’s bottles and donating the bottle return proceeds to a local charity, or go for maximum impact by organizing a socially distanced neighbourhood bottle drive when it’s safe to do so.

woman and child packing clothes and toys in donation box

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Donate Fun

Toys and games bring out creativity and joy, but it’s natural for kids to outgrow them eventually. Instead of letting old games gather dust, pass on toy donations to give another family years of fun. Start by sorting through the toy box for items that are still in good condition and donate them. Have your family and friends been blessed with a lot of toys? When it’s safe to do so in a socially distant way, start a community toy drive to do a deeper declutter – and share a lot of happiness!

Mid-adult man and woman share a smile as they pass clothes

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Give Old Clothes New Life

Let’s face it: if you haven’t worn those jeans in years, you probably aren’t going to pull them on anytime soon – but what’s languishing at the back of your closet could bring style and comfort to someone else. When decluttering your wardrobe, consider putting aside a clothing donation to support a local charity like Diabetes Canada in the future. Not only are charity clothing donation bins often conveniently located, but they also make the whole decluttering process easier. Want to capture the spirit of Family Home Overhaul and get more people involved? Set up a safe, socially distant clothing collection and donate the items to Diabetes Canada!

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Swap Style

Another option for handling clothes that you no longer love, fit or have space for? A clothing exchange (be sure to come up with a plan to ensure that any exchanges are safe and socially distant!) lets you repurpose once-loved pieces to others, while getting a new wardrobe of items that you’ll actually wear and use – without spending a dime or adding to your community’s landfill. Organizing a distant clothing exchange is especially useful with kids’ clothes, as little ones tend to grow out of things before they get their full use.

Cheerful volunteers receive donations during food drive

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Better Bites

Food scarcity is an issue that impacts the whole community, so finding ways to help ensure everyone is well-fed can make a real positive impact. At home, check your food pantry for non-perishable items for donation to the food bank – or shop for extra staples to donate. Items like canned or dried beans, nut butters, canned vegetables, rice and pasta and canned proteins like tuna and chicken are good places to start.

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Cook up Some Good

There’s nothing quite as comforting as a delicious home-cooked meal. Offer meals to those in need by looking for volunteer opportunities at local charities that offer contact-less mealshare or socially distanced community meal services.

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Harvest Community

Want to go straight to the source when it comes to sharing food in the community? A community garden project (when safely socially distanced) is a great way to grow healthy vegetables (which you can also share with community members). If you’ve really got a green thumb, you can also consider volunteer tree planting, socially distanced, to use your skills in support of reforestation.