Give & Take: Staying Connected to Your Community This Summer

With July 4th on the horizon, many of us are thinking ahead to our summer plans: weekend trips to the beach, maybe a week off work – there’s so much to look forward to! There’s no denying that summer is often the time when we can disconnect, take a break from our daily routines, and spend time reconnecting with friends and family.

With this in mind, it’s important to step back and remember that many people don’t have the luxury of taking time off from work for a few days to “disconnect.” This long break from typical daily activities can cause stress for many families around the world. For some kids, no school means no access to healthy meals, leading to what’s known as “Summer Hunger.” For others, warmer months mean dangerously high heat without access to air conditioning, leading them to rely on community cooling centers. So, what can you do about it? My advice is to start small.

Having previously worked in the nonprofit sector, I often heard from donors that they wished they could give more money or time to the organization and didn’t think their small donations would truly have an impact. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Every small act of kindness – whether it’s a monetary donation or volunteering for even one hour of time – truly does count and can have a direct impact on your community and the causes you care about.

Summer is typically the slowest time for fundraising, which makes any amount of monetary donations or time spent volunteering during these months even more valuable, and often imperative, as it can help sustain programming through fundraising lulls.

Summer Causes to Consider

When thinking about how you can stay connected to giving back over the next few months, I recommend thinking about what you love most about the summer months. Did you go to camp as a kid? Do you enjoy a day at the beach or a local park? Do you like to host friends for a barbecue? All these activities (and likely anything else you like to do) are associated with fantastic organizations that can bring experiences to individuals who might not otherwise get exposure to them.

See below for some of my favorite organizations that support these summer activities. They all accept volunteers and monetary donations.

Camp: Serious Fund Children’s Network is a worldwide organization that works to empower children with serious illnesses and their families to reimagine what is possible by creating inclusive camp and recreational experiences, inspiring confidence and joy, and building community and connection. I was lucky enough to volunteer here throughout college and got to see the joy that adaptive camp brings to so many children (and their families) who otherwise wouldn’t get to go to a traditional summer camp.

Clean Beaches and Oceans: This is an easy one to get involved with – you don’t need a formal organization (but there are many that do great work). Even taking a few minutes to collect trash off the sand and beach dunes can help protect marine life and preserve the beach for years to come. Don’t live near the beach? You can also volunteer by beautifying a local park or picking up trash around your neighborhood.

Food Security: City Harvest is a NYC based nonprofit that aims to end hunger in communities throughout New York City. They do this through food rescue and distribution, education, and other practical, innovative solutions. This is especially important during the coming months as they aim to tackle the Summer Hunger issue by providing meals and resources to families in need. If you aren’t New York based and want to get involved closer to home, consider finding your local foodbank and donating what you can!

These are just some of my favorites, but there are so many fantastic organizations out there that even small donations could make a huge impact on. So, before you disconnect this summer (or after!), consider giving back and helping others do the same.