Spreading Holiday Cheer By Giving Back

During this time of year, in the spirit of giving back, I make it a priority to get involved in my community. Recently, I participated in a “Soup and Cards” event at my church. I knew it would be a perfect opportunity for me and my daughters to help out others who may be in need of some holiday cheer. We each picked a job and worked together to prepare hot soup, cookies, and corn muffins to create a complete meal to donate to those in need. In addition to preparing hot meals, we each made decorative cards filled with holiday wishes. Although cooking and making cards was enjoyable, my favorite part was personally delivering the meals to families. Our first “Soup and Cards” package was delivered to a 90 year-old woman named Mary, whose husband recently passed away. After delivering the meal and spending time getting to know Mary, she “paid it forward” a few days later by personally delivering homemade cookies to my house to thank my family. Mary’s personality and generosity made an impact on my life and I plan to visit her again soon.

While I love to help those in need, most days I am rushing to appointments, attending my daughter’s sporting events, or making countless trips to the grocery store. I love what I do and taking care of my family is my primary goal, but this volunteer opportunity served as a reminder of how good it feels to give to those in need.

Many of the charitable things we do at OneDigital also serve as an inspiration and opportunity to make time to help those like Mary and others who are less fortunate. In the short time that I have worked at OneDigital, I have volunteered at a local food bank, painted a fence for a nonprofit school, donated school supplies, and collected toys for a holiday toy drive. I appreciate that our organization is committed to elevating our presence not only in the office, but also in the community we serve.

I am very fortunate and thankful to be a part of an organization that stands behind the clients we serve and helps others in our own backyard. This is a perfect time of year to say “thank you” and give back to someone in need. I hope my experience has inspired you to take a moment in this busy time of year to think of others. I promise you, it will be worth its weight in gold.