A great way to start your day one challenge off while also giving back this holiday season is by organizing a drive. It would help if you began with a focus in mind. Two excellent initiatives, to begin with, could be a food or a clothing drive.

Food drives help food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens gather food donations so that they can keep their shelves stocked.  A clothing drive requests donations from community members or a network of individuals to benefit a non-profit group or a vulnerable community. Your initiative could marry the two ideas. A very creative idea is a blessing bag drive. The items you put in this bag could help those who are homeless or in need. These blessing bags can be delivered to those in shelters, as well as those you see looking for help on the side of the road.

Items in these bags can include but are not limited to bottles of water, hand-warmers, band-aids, baby wipes, washcloths, hand sanitizer, travel-size toiletries, personal items like new socks, underwear, gloves, and non-perishable goods. Some of these items are especially helpful during the wintertime when it’s cold outside.

If you want to begin a drive, but you don’t know where to start, there are several sites online that provide a free printable checklist to get you going and figure out what items are best to have on your list. Consider getting help from your church, neighbors, friends, and family who can really help you bring your dream to life. These items may seem small or insignificant, but they can really brighten a person in need’s day and make a really big difference in most vulnerable people’s lives. Are you ready to begin this challenge?

Every day is a new opportunity to #LightTheWorld. Visit ComeuntoChrist.org for more service ideas.