1. Bring teddy bears, blankets and books to a local shelter.
2. Designate a nearby shelter as the recipient for a buy-one-get one magazine deal when you renew your subscriptions. 
3. When you get notifications of great sales or freebies at Office Depot or Staples, buy extra school supplies and fill up a back pack for your local shelter.
4. Donate extra sports tickets or tickets to a play that aren't being used to a shelter. 
5. Host a pizza party with a friend for kids at a local shelter. 
6. Call the animal shelter and offer to be a temporary host family to displaced pets of families that had to move out due to foreclosure.
7. Volunteer at the local food bank or Northwest Harvest (www.northwestharvest.org).
8. Serve meals to the homeless at a soup kitchen.
9. Organize a food drive at work and give the donations to the food bank.
10. Adopt a local family in need for the holidays - Include all the items needed for a thanksgiving or holiday dinner.

Studies show that people who volunteer are healthier, live longer, and are more satisfied.  So giving and volunteering is not only a good thing for the community, but good for you as well! To find volunteer opportunities, visit www.volunteermatch.org.