Does it tear at you emotionally when you see young children in need? Are you the type of person who notices children at your kid?s school who are not wearing warm enough clothing during the winter? Do you wish that you could help them, but you are unsure where to begin? A large percentage of people desire to assist those in need, but very few actually know where to begin. There are actually many ways that you can help out those children in need. Some of the ways do not even involve the donation of any money, which can be difficult for some.

Keep an eye out for children in need
In many situations, children who require assistance do not receive it because no one ever identifies their struggles. A teacher can write off lack of appropriate clothing to the child?s clothing preferences. A school monitor can write off a child skipping lunch to them focusing more on social relationships. If you notice that there may be a problem with a child, speak up. You could be doing them a favor by looking out for them. If you are mistaken, most people will see the intention behind the mistake and forgive you. The school may be able to provide them with the resources they need.

Provide children in need clothing donations
There are many government funded programs to assist low income families with food and shelter. However, there are not many assistive programs available for clothing items. Clothing is a necessity, including cold weather and warm weather clothing in many states. You can help with children in need clothing by donating all of your children?s unused and outgrown clothing items. These clothing items not only provide needed clothing to children, but also can be translated into funds for other needs.

It is very likely that you have multiple clothing pieces in you and your children?s closets already. These are likely clothing items that are rarely worn and may never be worn again. Provide children in need clothing with a donation pick up or a clothing donation at your local charitable organization. Charity clothing pickups make the entire process easier for you. You can simply bag the items and place them on your front porch for pickup. With an estimated 80% of donated clothing in the United States being used by charitable organizations for donations to the needy and for funding, these children in need clothing items can be very helpful.

Donate household items
There are also likely many household items that you no longer use throughout your home. These may be small appliances, cleaning products, or dishes. These are all things that government programs do not provide either. When you donate clothes, you are giving warmth in the winter. When you donate household items, you are normalizing the child?s home life. They have the ability to utilize many of the same appliances and materials that their peers do.

Donate your time
A lot of charity workers work strictly on volunteer time. Most charitable organizations are constantly looking for additional volunteers to help with things like picking up the charitable donations, sorting through them, and then working in the charity store. Even if you do not have a lot of household items to donate or extra money to give, donating your time can be just as valuable. Approximately 95.4% of Americans participate at some level of charitable giving, with a lot of this in terms of volunteer time giving.

Despite decreasing unemployment rates, there are still many Americans struggling to get by every day. Approximately 440,000 Philadelphia residents currently fall below the federal poverty line, and that is just one large city in the United States. If helping children in need is a passion of your, there are a variety of ways that you can help. You can be more aware of children who may require additional resources in the school setting, donate you and your kid?s used clothing items, donate your volunteer time, and donate household items. Consider your abilities to help and choose one that is the best option for you.