It’s been a rough month for us all. Isolation and quarantine sounds good in theory, but the reality is overwhelming to so many.  I have been battling depression, as has my husband, and so many of my friends. We’re trying to keep upbeat and positive in a world gone mad.

In response, a friend of mine started a group on Facebook she’s called “Kindness Club”.  We all have wish lists on Amazon and we share happy posts, recipes, and general kindness….and we use those lists to send each other happy mailings.  It can be something as little as a couple of bucks, or something bigger. Whatever we can spare to give each other a little cheer.

It’s been an amazing experience, and it got me thinking on other ways to spread a little love and kindness.

Animal Shelters, charities, they all have wish lists too.  So I’ve pulled up several of my favorite places, and found their wish lists and plan on donating something to each of them…whether in cash or something off of their wish list.  It makes me feel good to do something nice and give someone else some cheer in their mail.

Here’s my current list, and I encourage you to click one of these links, or to find your own favorite charity and see how you can help today. Even the smallest donation is appreciated more than you know.

1. Southside Animal Shelter in Indianapolis.  They have been on my feed for a long time, and even though I’m no longer in the Indy area, I still want to support them.  They have two ways to help, cash donations and an Amazon Wish List.  CLICK HERE to help out.
2. Humane Society of Marion County.  This one is here in Florida.  I really, really want to help them out by fostering, but my husband would kill me.  Instead, I’m perusing their Amazon Wish List for something to donate.
3. Give Kids the World Village. This place means the world to my family and so many others.  It’s, unfortunately, closed right now due to the pandemic…but they create magical experiences for so very many people.  They don’t have an amazon wish list, but they do have a wish list on their site. CLICK HERE to find it (they are called “in kind” donations).  You can also find a few other ways to help out on their site.  For more information on how they impact families, check out my story, or my friend Matt’s story.
4. Misty Eyes Animal Center.  This is where we got our girl, Ripley (her story HERE).  They’re a wonderful organization and I’m happy to support them in some small way through their Amazon Wish List.
5. Make A Wish.  Oh, how amazing they are.  Thanks to them we went to Disney/Universal (Twice!), and realized it was our dream to move to Florida. I even volunteered at the Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky branch for a while (until it was time to move).  Our kids got to experience some real magic thanks to their Wishes.  They have SO MANY ways to donate.  Airline miles, car rentals, hotel points…and in-kind donations.  You can find all of the amazing ways to donate HERE.
6. Black Pine Animal Sanctuary.  For all of you Tiger King fans…I hope you’ve learned that places like that are actually horrible for these majestic animals.  Places like Black Pine are a sanctuary for animals rescued from people like him, and many other horrible situations.  They have lions, and tigers, and bears (oh my!)…as well as a great variety of others such as foxes, wolves, galagos, parrots, turtles, an alligator, and so many others.  I was fortunate enough to visit this place on my big 40th birthday weekend. It’s beautiful and all they do is amazing.  They have several ways to donate from several different sources (including Amazon). You can find them all HERE.

I hope something in my list inspires you.  If you want, just reach out to a friend and see if they have a wish list.

Inspiring each other, and spreading love & kindness….it will help us get through this. Together.

Do you have any charities you can recommend for giving? These are all dear to me, but I’m always open to suggestions!