After delving into life coaching last year, I did a lot of personal and inner work on my own values. This wasn’t something I’d ever really thought about before. What values TRULY mean the most to me and why? And one that came up over and over again was ‘kindness’. I might not seem like the kindest and nicest person in the world online but deep within me, the value of kindness really sparks something.
Photo by Nathan Walker on Unsplash
So it was really important for me to act on that new found knowledge and start thinking about kindness and how I can practice that more in my daily life. One element of kindness that I felt compelled to act on time and time again was charity. And with 2020 being so UTTERLY RUBBISH and having such an impact on so many businesses, charities and people, there was no time like the present to start acting on that calling.
Last year just really got me thinking about what was important and how I can help. I’m not sure there’s a soul out there who didn’t have some sort of similar revelation during the last 12 months. So today I wanted to share with you some of the charities I’ve both discovered and been supporting regularly in 2020. There’s a real mix in here which helps a range of different people, communities and industries. So I hope you find one that resonates with you.
Here are 6 amazing charities to consider supporting in 2021:
Hopefield Animal Sanctuary
Hopefield Animal Sanctuary is a charity that I’ve been supporting for years and I’ve watched them grow exponentially over the last few years. The work they do for uncared for, injured or abandoned animals is amazing and they rely on the generosity of the public and the kindness of volunteers to keep the sanctuary running so smoothly.
Hopefield rescues horses and other farm animals but have opened their doors to a whole range of animals over the years, from exotic animals, rabbits, alpacas, reptiles and more! Based in Brentwood, Essex, Hopefield is also a fun day out for the whole family. There are tons of ways to support Hopefield such as visiting the sanctuary, adopting an animal (I’ve adopted Peter Pan the pony and Tubs and Shy the meerkats), purchasing from their Amazon Wish List and more.
They also have a completely Vegan tearoom on site which sells lunch, cakes, coffee and more and they run various events throughout the year. Their dedicated to their animals is inspiring and and highly worthy charity to support this year.
Born Free
Keeping with the animal theme for now, the next charity you should consider supporting this year is Born Free. They work tirelessly to help protect and care for wild animals, whether that’s in captivity or in the wild. They work to enhance the survival of threatened animals in the wild and fight to end trophy hunting, animal exploitation, the wildlife trade and more.
The amount of work Born Free do for wild animals is FAR too much for me to write about, so if you want to read more about it, read the Born Free about page here. There are loads of ways to support Born Free but one of my favourite ways is by adopting an animal.
You can pay monthly or make a one off payment of just £36 to an animal of your choice, from elephants, to big cats, orcas, bears, gorillas and tons more. You’ll receive an adoption pack and adoptions last for a year. I think this is a really lovely idea for a gift for animal lovers. I’ve received 2 of these over the last few years for Christmas.
Bloody Good Period
Bloody Good Period are a charity that I discovered last and year and I just couldn’t sit back and not do my bit to help. As a woman and a human being, it breaks my heart to think of people unable to afford sanitary products, which aren’t cheap but are 100% necessary. This is the reality for many refugees or people living in poverty.
Bloody Good Period have teamed up with 40 asylum seeker drop-in centers around the country to deliver sanitary products to those who need them and they provide educational sessions and workshops as well as schemes to help employers support employees that menstruate. As well as donating, they also have a shop with some amazing products where all profits go to their pad fund.
The Felix Project
This charity piqued my interest in 2020 after the government decided to not extend free school meals for children into the half term holiday, and the public decided to take action instead and donate their time and money to ensuring no child was to go hungry during the half term.
The fact that children and families are going hungry obviously didn’t sit right with me so I did some research of food charities throughout the UK and The Felix Project was one that stood out to me. The Felix Project collects and delivers surplus food to charities and schools so they can provide meals to those who need them.
Tonnes of surplus food goes to waste every day and although that food can’t be sold, it’s still perfectly okay to eat. So that’s where The Felix Project comes in. Just £30 can deliver food for 183 meals! Find out how to help The Felix Project here.
Book Aid International
As a life long book lover and reader, I really wanted to find book related charities to help last year and Book Aid International was one I absolutely loved. Book Aid believes that everyone should have access to books that will enrich their lives and they provide books, resources and training. In 2019, they provided 1,211,423 books to people in 26 countries around the world.
They have tons of projects going on to help children in education, providing books for refugees, donating books to public, community and prison libraries as well as helping to train librarians and teachers. Again, there are loads of ways to help Book Aid, including a monthly donation which enables them to send books to those who need them.
Age UK
After the absolute car crash that was the 2020 Christmas period, this charity was one that I felt compelled to donate to. I don’t need to remind everyone how tough 2020 was on elderly people who found themselves alone with no visitors for the majority of the year due to COVID.
Age UK help to ensure no elderly person feels alone. They provide an amazing telephone befriending service, where volunteers can sign up to be matched to an elderly person in need of companionship and there are SO MANY ways you can help! You can make a donation, volunteer, fundraise and more.
[…] the start of 2021, I wrote this post about charities to consider supporting during the year. I really enjoyed writing it and think it got a pretty great reception, so […]
Yay for supporting Age UK… I work for Age Cymru in here in Wales. Other charities I support are the National Garden Scheme (I volunteer for them) and Shropshire Cat Rescue (I got one of my cats from them).
Thanks for sharing! Age UK is such a great charity.
Some great suggestions – AGE UK has always been one we’ve donated to xx
Thanks for sharing, these charities are all worth supporting, I gave money to Age UK last year when my Granddad passed away 🙂
Age UK are such a worthy charity. I’m sorry for your loss.
Fantastic ideas! If you don’t mind I’d love to do something similar in perhaps spring about some local charities to support. It’s a great way to raise awareness and inform people about said charities.
Of course, go for it!
My go to charity is my local hospice but i have donated to animal causes in the past aswell xxx
That’s great to hear lovely x
What an amazing list of charities to support! I definitely want to do more for charity this year when I can. At the moment we support Dogs Trust & Marie Curie each month but I’d love to add to that xx
Tiffany x http://www.foodandotherloves.co.uk
I have a direct debit set up for Dogs Trust as well as a hospice charity, too!
What a wonderful post, which a great message! I have previously volunteered at places and I have even raised money by doing a fun run dressed as Santa for a local charity. But as you have mentioned about supporting families that cannot afford food I have looked into volunteering with a local food bank or ways I can donate essentials to families that need it! I shall look into the other charities you have mentioned too xx
Thank you so much! Ah that’s amazing. I’d love to do more for food banks etc, especially during this time. It’s bad enough everything that’s going on without a family not having enough money for food as well.
What a great list of charities to support this year! Thanks so much for sharing them all!
Thank you 🙂
Fantastic post! I volunteer for a small charity, and I think any support for small charities (if you have the means of course) is a wonderful thing to invest in this 2021- especially with the world as it is 🙂 I love the work done by Bloody Good Period and it really upsets me that people cannot have access to basic (essential!) products every month x
Oh wow that’s amazing, well done you! And same, can you even imagine, it just shouldn’t be a thing that people don’t have access to.
I agree, so true!
We support a couple of real local charities where we live that take in unloved or injured animals and care for them until they are better or have new homes x
Ah they sound like amazing charities.
This is a really wonderful post and I just really appreciated reading it and learning more about some fantastic causes. Lately my go-to has been donating to some causes that pop up on my feed from friends and local businesses, like saving a historic movie theater or a go-fund-me for medical bills. I’d love to make it a more regular habit through organizations! Thank you for sharing.
Oh yeah same! There’s been SO many during this pandemic.
I really want to donate to an animal charity and a mental health charity in 2021. I’ve realised speaking out about these issues isn’t enough for me and, if I have the means to, I should put my money where my mouth is!
That’s exactly how I felt last year and I realised that you know what, I’m never going to notice that money leaving my bank but for some people / charities, that £10 or whatever could mean the absolute world. And it was a no-brainer from there.
Charities that spearhead projects that, essentially, help spread happiness and health are definitely ones to consider supporting and your list has a wonderful, diverse inclusion of options! Bloody Good Period and the Felix Project both sound amazing; thanks for sharing! 🙂
I totally agree. Both amazing charities.
This is such a sweet post! I donate to the Alzhemier’s society in Canada as well as BC cancer research. Thanks for sharing! This will help the charities immensely x
http://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com
Sound like 2 amazing charities, considering the amount of people affected by both of those things.
This is such a great list of charities that you’ve highlighted Jenny! Bloody Good Period stands out the most to me. It’s a charity that I’ve never heard of before but it sounds incredible x
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
They are amazing and the work they do is SO vital!
My grandad got diagnosed with Parkinsons about a year and a half ago, so that is a charity close to my heart!
Love, Amie ❤
The Curvaceous Vegan
That’s a great charity to support. My boyfriend’s Nan has Parkinson’s as well.
These are some great charities. After everything that went on last year, I really feel sorry for all the charities that are struggling for donations despite still trying to help those in need.
Oh same it breaks my heart. I literally donated to so many charities last March / April who were struggling
First up, you do yourself a grave disservice, Jenny, you are one of the kindest people I know online. Always there for everyone and so supportive. And this post is typical of you, I love how thoughtful you are, these are 6 great charities to support. We support our local animal charities, including Cats Protection, but I’ll definitely look into some of yours too, thank you! xxx
Oh my God Lisa this means the absolute world to me. Thank you. Local animal charities are always a good option, hence why I support Hopefield so much, they’re such a great organization!
Great post, looking for support more charities
Thanks for sharing
https://uncuaderno4cero.wordpress.com/
Thank you 🙂
Such a gentle and thoughtful post Jenny. 2020 has been a hard year and we should all support good causes and those who are in need and more vulnerable at this time.
Thank you so much 🙂
2020 really has been rubbish and it’s worrying to think how many charities will be badly impacted by it all, too. These are some great suggestions here – a couple I’ve not heard of so I’ll have to look into those as I’d absolutely love to support them. I already support Age UK when I can, brilliant charity. I’m looking forward to charity shops reopening so I can make some donations as well. Fab post!
Caz xx
Oh I know, it breaks my heart to think about charities that are struggling. Age UK definitely are amazing.
This is the most heart-felt feel good post I’ve read for a long time and I absolutely love it!! I have a monthly donation set up with the Samaritans and have done for a while. I love the sound of these though and will definitely be doing some more research. Thanks so much for bringing them to light!
Awh thank you so much! Oooh that’s a good shout. I always give £10 to 3 different charities each month so I think I’ll put Samaritans on my list for February!
Great post ! This is such a well rounded list of charities ! I am always looking to donate and spread awareness wherever I can so I’ll definitely look into these lovely !
Thank you for this !
Thank you! 🙂
Your kind heart does shine through in your blog posts! This is a wonderful post and you highlight many good charities. Book Aid International is a great thing. I hate to think of anyone not being able to read books! Thank you for sharing your list!
Awh thank you so much Lisa, that means the world. Book Aid are amazing!
These are incredible charities to support in 2021, they all do amazing work and deserve yours and everybody’s support! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
They sure do!
Great post..
https://swarnaz.com
Thank you 🙂
What a brilliant post. It’s such a shame that so many charities are suffering so much because of the virus!
Rosie
I know, it breaks my heart.
I love all of these suggestions. Free school meals is a cause close to my heart as I work in a school. But the Age UK one, I think I’d love to sign up for this. I could literally talk for hours to anyone!
I am going to look in to this, thank you for sharing.
Charities need our help now more than any other time x
Ah that’s amazing to hear, Claire. I think you’d be brilliant at that! They really do. It breaks my heart to think of them struggling x
Woow gorgeous post! I am planning my days out from hour to hour since the new year to improve myself and my productivity! <3
This is such an amazing post! When it comes to have charities I have a select few that I’ve always supported, but it would be nice to support others too so thank you for the recommendations xx
Hannah | https://luxuryblush.co.uk/
Thank you! 🙂
Kindness makes the world a more beautiful place. Well done for doing this inner reflection, and thanks for sharing your recommendations with us. : )
It sure does 🙂
Such an amazing post Jenny! Thank you for sharing these charities. It truly is so important to help those in need as much as we can.
Antonia || Sweet Passions
Thank you 🙂 I agree.
The Felix Project sounds really lovely! Thanks for sharing a range of charities from big and small!
Katie | katieemmabeauty.com
Thank you 🙂 And yes, The Felix Project are great and so vital right now!
I’ve donated to Born Free on behalf of a friend for his birthday. My regular charities are Mind and Stroke Association, and I semi-regularly donate to Macmillian, who looked after both my in-laws to the end. Amazing people with big hearts.
Misa | Misa’s Place
That’s a great idea. My Christmas presents for the last couple of years have been a animal sponsorship from my parents. Mind and Stroke Association are both causes close to my heart as well so I’ll have to consider donating more to them too.
I recently started helping out a local church but will definitely pick one of your recommended ones 🙂
Thank you for sharing Jenny! Book Aid International is a charity I support and think I’ll have to check a Bloody Good Period out as well.
Both very worthy charities!
This was such a great post Jenny! I am always checking new charities to donate to and will loom more into sponsoring one of the animals at the Hopeland sanctuary and Book Aid! Thanks for sharing them x
Thank you 🙂 It’s be amazing if you could sponsor an animal at Hopefiled! They do such amazing work.
Hopefield Animal Sanctuary sounds amazing, I’m definitely gonna be checking this one out. I’m usually supporting cancear research charities and this year, I’ve decided to extended my support and pick an animal charity to support as well. I’m glad you mentioned this one in your post, thank you! 🙂
It’s such a lovely day out! Cancer Research is always a vital charity to support.
I am always on the lookout for new charities to donate to so this post is perfect for me! I love being able to give back especially to a charity that I’m passionate about! X
Totally!
Really loved this post, thanks for sharing. One of my NY resolutions this year to do more things for charity so this has really helped! I’m deffo going to check the period one out, breaks my heart x
Ah glad you found this post then!