Helping the poor is easy and rewarding.
Poverty is an issue for every country and society. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 1 billion people around the world live on less than a dollar a day. The UN has outlined a Millennium Development Goal to cut poverty in half by 2015. (See Resource 1) Of course, this requires global cooperation and awareness of the growing crisis that poverty presents. People who want to help the poor have no shortage of opportunities to do so.
Donate
There are numerous ways to help the poor through donations. A donation does not have to be monetary: Clothes, everyday items, food and gifts can be given. Organizations such as Goodwill and the Salvation Army provide used necessities at low cost, and it is easy to donate. Additionally, numerous organizations help the poor in Third World countries, such as Help a Poor Child.com and Food Relief.org. (See References 1 and 2) Many religious congregations also provide opportunities to give money to the poor on a regular basis.
Educate
Educate yourself and others about poverty and its effects. Books, films and lectures are a good way to begin. Poverty.com offers much information on poverty and its many causes and effects, such as AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and hunger. The web site also provides an opportunity to print out and mail a letter to the U.S. government asking that donations to the poor be increased to end world hunger. (See References 3 and 4)
Volunteer
Volunteering is an excellent way to help the poor in an intimate, personal way. Volunteer activities can be as simple as serving food at a soup kitchen or as involved as going on an overseas mission trip. A number of organizations provide volunteer opportunities, such as Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit Christian organization that builds homes for poor people. (See Reference 5) Habitat has a range of volunteer groups, from local to international.
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