12/23/13

Some of the most-needed items for soup kitchens and food banks are fresh fruits. So what if the next time you purchase a fruit basket as a gift, your purchase is matched to help feed people in need? The e-commerce site donatefruit.com lets you do just that: Order from a selection of handpicked, high-quality fruits like French butter pears and pinata apples, and with every purchase, the company will match your order pound for pound with a donation to food bank networks across America. Plus, your gift recipient will know that your purchase helped others in need -- each basket comes with a card that explains how the program works.

12/22/13

If you collect your household recyclables outside of the home, be sure to place them inside a container with a tight-fitting lid. Glass and plastic jars that still have the residual smell of foods like peanut butter, yogurt and jams can become death traps to wild animals. The just-wide-enough mouths on the containers can be too tempting for animals that find their heads stuck inside with no way to remove the container. If you don’t have a recycling bin with a lid, consider storing these types of recyclables inside the house until collection day to help our furry friends.

12/21/13

Many of us have gift cards with small balances left on them that can be anywhere from a few cents to a few dollars. Instead of tossing the card, why not donate the remaining balance to schools that need them? All you have to do is visit www.PlasticJungle.com; enter the name of the retailer and the coded information on the card to find out what your exact remaining balance is. Choose the charity option to give to your choice of schools, which are vetted through donorschoose.org. It takes only minutes, and you’ll help a needy school fund its programs.