giving to others during holidays

Humility Teaches Us to Have a Giving Heart

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Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Johnson & Johnson as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

One thing I love most about the holiday season is the uptick in giving. From the tradition of giving gifts to family and friends… to giving of our time and money to charitable needs. The holidays seem to bring out the best in philanthropic efforts around the globe. Regardless of which holiday we celebrate, the spirit of giving rings true throughout the entire winter season.

Humility Teaches Giving

Humility Teaches Giving

For our family, we learned a lot about humility after having our fourth child. Colby lost his job just before the holidays and, since we were already living paycheck to paycheck, it left us in financial ruin. We had no money for rent or food, let alone providing any sort of “Christmas” for our kids as far as gifts. Yet, for the next year as we got back on our feet, our bills were anonymously taken care of and we gathered groceries through local food pantries. And for two years in a row, Santa Claus and his elves showed up in a U-Haul truck on Christmas morning with gifts for our children. Needless to say, it was a humbling experience.

giving to others during holidays

Moving forward 10 years to today, Colby and I know what it’s like to struggle. We also understand the courage it takes to ask for help. Not everyone finds the voice to do so, and we make every effort to reach out to those we can without them asking. For example, as a family, we gather food and supplies to deliver to the homeless downtown each month. We take donations of clothes, blankets, shoes, and more to an empty parking lot and set up near a soup kitchen. Together with our children, we serve food and pass out toiletries as a caring gesture towards those without much to call their own.

giving to others during holidays

Yet, we don’t stop there. This Christmas we found a family to adopt that is in a similar situation as the one I described us in above. We always grab “angels” to adopt off local Angel Trees and donate to charities we know and trust. We donate food to the food bank and give of our time to those we see in need whenever we can. Colby and I want to create compassionate hearts in each of our children, and always want them to remember to put others first. This, at least in our home, is a very big deal.

Giving doesn’t always have to be a grand affair. Throughout the holiday season, there are often many ways to give back. In fact, Johnson & Johnson has made giving incredibly easy. You simply need to download the Donate a Photo app and share a picture! For every photo shared through the free app, Johnson & Johnson will donate $1 to one of its trusted non-profit partners, chosen by the YOU. For example, Save the Children is just one of the important causes that can be supported. And, you can donate a photo a day, as it’s name implies, and make a difference year-round! Plus, you can purchase a gift from the Save the Children “Gifts of Joy” holiday catalog and fulfill two purposes at one time.

Whenever you choose to give this holiday season and throughout the year, consider the simplicity—and importance—of the Donate a Photo app.

Johnson & Johnson has curated a list of trusted causes, and you can donate a photo to one cause, once a day. Each cause will appear in the app until it reaches its goal, or the donation period ends. If the goal isn’t reached, the cause will still get a minimum donation.