Every town has needs and as a resident, you might have the urge of making your community meet those needs and strive to be better. But life gets busier, responsibilities get in the way, and you start to forget about these goals. You might also be overwhelmed with what you wish to do, and may not have ideas on how to begin with the changes you want to have.
But changes can be simpler acts that can cause a ripple of impact with many people. It doesn’t have to be something big like running for town mayor or building a shelter for the poor. What’s important is making the choice to achieve positive changes within your community and initiating that change.
A good way to start is by building a good and healthy relationship with your neighbor. Make the time to know your neighbor and bond with them. According to the Pew Research Center, most Americans (57%) only know some of their neighbors and 23% of adults under 30 years old don’t know any of theirs. Due to the pandemic, meeting with them personally out of the blue might not be such a good idea. Send them a message, plan a small get-together, and see if they’re okay with it.
Here are some are other ways to make a change:
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Use your professional skills
You can always share your expertise with your neighbors and other residents since it will boost the performance of your community. If you have a local bakery, partner with schools to offer internships for students that are interested in the same industry. Or if you have a veterinarian or have a background in treating animals, go to your local pound and spend a day treating and checking up dogs for free.
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Support small businesses
The pandemic hasn’t been kind to small business owners and supporting them may be the best way to instill a good kind of change. You can team up with entrepreneurs and work together. If you wish to volunteer or donate at a food bank, you can source your ingredients and produce from local farms and supermarkets.
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Offer up your space for charity drives and other events
If you have sufficient space to cater events, offer it to non-profit organizations. They have a limited budget and rely on donations for their expenses. Having a space for venues will cut their costs, and they can put the money to good use somewhere else.
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Discuss eco-friendly ways
Being eco-friendly means living in a way that is not harmful to the environment and making goals to protect the planet. Hold a meeting and discuss plans for the community to be more Earth-conscious and practice sustainability.
If your town is affected by things such as litter, organize a neighborhood cleanup that involves volunteers to make an effort in putting trash cans, picking up litter, and planting trees for the whole community.
You should also discuss how big the impact might be with using eco-friendly alternatives such as switching from toilet paper rolls to one made out of bamboo, recycling plastic bottles and containers, and stopping using detergents, preservatives, or foaming agents since they cause harm to the environment. Residents can go for a product that does not contain such strong and synthetic ingredients. Start the change with yourself and soon, people might follow.
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Attend town halls and other meetings
Attending town hall meetings and other scheduled conferences will help you know more about the needs within your community. If you want to make changes, you need to be aware of the local issues that affect your town. This kind of meeting will give people a platform to voice out their concerns.
Take the opportunity to ask how you can help out whether it would be volunteering at the animal shelter or participating in local fundraisers for a cause. Discuss some things that your community may lack like infrastructures for the homeless, which you can start by contacting construction equipment suppliers and researching affordable housing.
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Donate to food banks
Every community has its own struggles, including hunger. You can help your community residents to face this problem which is a very good way to instill a positive change. Local food banks function as storehouses for food donated or purchased in bulk. You can directly give them money or donate canned soup, fruit, vegetables, stew, fish, beans, pasta, and other healthy alternatives.
If you lack funds, you can volunteer to work there during your free time. The obligations might include packing, inspecting, and sorting fresh produce, stocking up and cleaning pantries, building home delivery kits and disaster boxes, assisting with meal preps, and packing meals for daily distribution.
There are several ways for you to make a positive social change within the community. It can be as simple as a smile and lending out a helping hand or as big as helping out with building infrastructures, planting trees, and volunteering to non-profit organizations. Regardless of what changes you make, the impact of the gesture is guaranteed to come in waves.
