How "Clicking" on Internet Websites Can Help You to Help Others

Whenever I read or hear about people who are actively helping others, whether it is people, animals or other worthy causes, I think how wonderful that is and how I wish there was something that I could do to help others too! The problems that I personally have that keep me from helping others are 1) my family responsibilities; 2) poor health; and 3) lack of money.

For me, my family comes first, always. While I only have one child who is now a thirty something adult, she has three young sons and I live with them. The major reasons for this living arrangement are financial and my health concerns. Basically we all need each other just to survive in today's tough economic climate. There are quite a few days that I feel bad health wise so I just barely function or not at all. I'm not saying this to garner sympathy; it's just what I live with each day. Frankly, I am happy to be alive and with my family! But this translates to: if I am having a good health day, I give that to my family through babysitting or fixing meals. I do what I can for my immediate family because they are first. Generally I don't have the energy to do anything more strenuous than the little I do for my family. This leaves me with zero energy or time to help anyone outside of my immediate family. And because I have problems with my health, I am not able to hold a job therefore I have very little to no money.

I have been forced to learn acceptance about the truly important things in life. I have to accept the place and circumstances that I am in right now because I can not change them. I have to accept that I am not physically or financially equipped to do anything for anyone except myself and my family. I have to accept that it is okay. I have to accept that I am okay. I do what I can when I can and that's okay. I have to accept that what I do for my family IS important. I am helping to raise a whole new generation. If that means sitting on the couch, cuddling with an autistic four year old while we watch Thomas the Tank Engine or Dora the Explorer, that IS important. If it means that I am praising a seven and ten year old as they play a video game well, that IS important. If it means that I am fixing frozen chicken nuggets, cheese slices and fruit for dinner again, that IS important.

Once I have accepted myself and my role in life, what then? I have found, via the Internet, a few small ways for me to help others that don't require a lot of my time, energy, or money. And yet, I can feel good about helping others too! The internet makes the world a smaller place and brings us all closer together. And while it is true there will never be an article in the newspaper about me and what I'm doing to help worthwhile causes, that's okay. At least I can help in my own small way and if other people did the same things I do, then eventually we really can make a difference.

One current promotion where I am devoting some time to helping others is the "Share a Little Comfort" Kraft Foods Donate Boxes of Macaroni and Cheese to Feeding America campaign. Kraft Foods and the social networking site, Gather.com are working to help donate boxes of macaroni and cheese to Feeding America, a hunger relief society. Kraft Foods goal is to reach up to one million boxes. You can find out more information from Gather.com at their article "Share a Little Comfort on Gather and Help Donate Boxes of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese to Feeding America!" which alsos tells Gather.com members how they can help out and donate even more boxes of macaroni and cheese to Feeding America. You can find out more information at the"Share a Little Comfort" website too.

This type of "helping" may not seem like much but think about it; what if everyone on the internet promoted the "Share a Little Comfort" promotion and clicked just one time, well that would certainly give those million boxes of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese to the hungry! Kraft Foods is also donating $100,000 to Feeding America. The best thing about the whole promotion, in my opinion, is that the hungry are getting the good macaroni and cheese, NOT the off-brand. As an added bonus, if you visit the "Share a Little Comfort" website, you can print out coupons to buy your own boxes of macaroni and cheese at a reduced price.

Another website that I like to visit and help out is "Click to Give." From one website, which has tabs along the top of the webpage, you can click to give to six different worthy causes. Each tab takes you to a different cause where various sponsors' help financially based on how many people visit the site and click the buttons. "Click to Give" also has online stores which sell unique themed merchandise at decent prices which helps each individual program. You can also click to sign petitions, send e-cards and more to help out each cause. Sometimes they even have sales on their merchandise and offers for free shipping. And so you won't forget, you can sign up for daily reminder emails to remind you to click and be counted each day.

The first Click site I heard about is the Click to Give to Animal Rescue. With your daily click to their website, you give the value of .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Recently the site sponsored a 2009 Shelter Challenge where visitors voted for their favorite animal rescue program. There were weekly winners who won a thousand dollar grant and one big winner who won a $20,000 grant. They hold this challenge each year so check back and vote for YOUR favorite shelter in your area in 2010.

The other "Click to Give" sites are: The Rainforest Site where you click to help save endangered habitat. With each click you help to protect 11.4 square feet of rainforest. The Literacy Site where you click to give FREE books. Each click helps a child in need attain literacy. The Child Health Site where you click to give FREE child healthcare. The Breast Cancer Site where you click to give FREE mammograms. The Hunger Site where you click to give food and each click gives the value of 1.1 cups of food to the hungry. Plus each site says that 100% of sponsor money goes to charity.

I know there are other websites out there that help others but the ones listed in this article are those that I know of and feel comfortable with. If you are ever uncomfortable with a charity organization, you can do an internet search and find out what others are saying about them. If there is quite a bit of negative talk, you might give that one a pass and find a different one. But if there is mostly positive with only a few negative comments/reviews, that site is most likely legitimate.

Can someone in my situation really help anyone? I know volunteering and giving money are the easiest and most obvious ways to help out but neither is an option for me. So I get frustrated, and sometimes I even wonder if I am really helping my family anyway. But you know what? I accept that I CAN help and I CAN make a difference. And while I know just one person can't make much of a difference, when there are enough of us doing the same thing, i.e. clicking daily, then WE CAN make a difference.