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.
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!
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.