Skip to main content
Part of complete coverage on

12 ways of giving -- without reaching into your wallet

By Danielle Berger, CNN
Derrick Tabb and The Roots of Music are taking donated instruments and giving them to children in the program.
Derrick Tabb and The Roots of Music are taking donated instruments and giving them to children in the program.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Want to give more this season but lack the funds to do so? Consider donations
  • Many CNN Heroes are accepting used goods, whether they be books, computers or cars
  • You can even donate your time to mentor mothers-to-be as a "sister friend"
RELATED TOPICS

Editor's Note: "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" replays on CNN International on Christmas Eve, December 24, at 1000, 1800, 2300 GMT and on CNN/US on Christmas Day, December 25, at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, and 1 a.m. ET/10 p.m. PT.

(CNN) -- In this season of holiday parties and gift-giving, CNN Heroes offers ways to give from your heart -- without having to reach into your wallet -- and help a Hero help others. Happy giving.

1. Throw a party for water projects with Wine to Water
Having a holiday soiree? Let it benefit Wine to Water and spread holiday cheer worldwide.

Doc Hendley, a 2009 CNN Hero, started holding wine-tasting events to raise awareness and funding for clean-water projects. Now his organization, impacting more than 50,000 people in nine countries, provides hosting tools to turn your party into a benefit for clean-water projects in remote regions around the globe. The group also offers its own wines to party hosts at discounted prices.

Get your party started at http://winetowater.org/get-involved.

2. Share your garden bounty with AmpleHarvest.org
Overwhelmed with the bounty of your backyard garden? Feed hungry neighbors by logging onto Ampleharvest.org.

Gary Oppenheimer, a 2010 CNN Hero, created Ampleharvest.org to allow American gardeners to share their fresh bounty with neighbors in need. Log on, enter your ZIP code and start giving. Or register your pantry so that those prepared to give can find you.

Locate your neighborhood pantry at www.ampleharvest.org.

3. Send a taste of home with Tunes 4 The Troops
Your CDs, DVDs, iPods and MP3 players can bring joy and comfort to homesick troops over the holidays.

Kaylee Radzyminski, a 2008 CNN Hero, has sent more than 750,000 CDs and DVDs to troops based far from home.

Purge your collection today at http://www.tunes4thetroops.org/participate.htm.

4. Help the band play on with The Roots of Music
Have a musical instrument collecting dust in your closet or attic? Shake off the cobwebs and help the Saints go marchin' in New Orleans.

Derrick Tabb, a 2009 CNN Hero, has provided free tutoring, instruments and music instruction to nearly 300 young students living in the Big Easy.

Donate your unused instruments at http://www.therootsofmusic.com/donate/donate-instruments.html.

5. Give home goods for the holidays with Stand Down House
Your unused hotel toiletries, lightly used sheets and towels, and functioning appliances can help others stay clean and cozy this season.

Roy Foster, a 2009 CNN Hero, has provided housing and addiction support to more than 1,200 U.S. veterans struggling in Florida.

Receiving in Palm Beach, Florida -- find out more at http://www.standown.org/helpus.html#nonmon.

6. Baby a baby with A New Way of Life Reentry Project
Are your babies all grown up? Your lightly used car seats, strollers, baby clothes and toys can help a mom keep babies bouncing this holiday.

Susan Burton, a 2010 CNN Hero, has provided sober-living housing and support to more than 400 formerly incarcerated women and their children.

Receiving in Los Angeles, California -- find out more at http://www.anewwayoflife.org/donate

7. Step into a sisterhood with Birthing Project USA
Help a new life enter the world by becoming a "sister friend" to a mother-to-be.

Kathryn Hall-Trujillo, a 2010 CNN Hero, started Birthing Project USA to battle high infant-mortality rates. The initiative pairs soon-to-be moms with volunteer "sister friends." These mentors, who provide one-on-one sisterly guidance and support through the pregnancy and first year of the baby's life, have welcomed more than 12,000 babies into 94 communities so far.

Find a chapter near you at http://www.birthingprojectusa.org/volunteer.html.

8. Breathe new life into literature with Sheltering Books
Make space for new gifts by donating the books you've already enjoyed to children and women living in shelters across the United States.

Mackenzie Bearup, a 2010 CNN Hero, turned to books to escape the pain of a chronic illness. Since 2007, she has shared the power of the imagination by collecting and donating 51,000 books to date.

Receiving in Alpharetta, Georgia -- find out more at http://www.shelteringbooks.org/Contact_Us.html

9. Take technology further with Help Kenya Project
If your holiday plans include a technology upgrade, don't dump your old model: Pass it on.

Jude Ndambuki, a 2009 CNN Hero, wipes and restores donated computer systems and ships them for free to qualifying schools in Kenya. More than 2,700 machines have been delivered to students, who, in exchange, have planted more than 150,000 trees in Kenya.

Receiving in Dobbs Ferry, New York -- find out more at http://www.hkenyaproject.org/items.php.

10. Provide a ride to health care with Houston Ground Angels
Have wheels or wings to share? Many patients battling life-threatening illnesses struggle to get to the care they require.

Houston Ground Angels, started by 2010 CNN Hero Kathy Broussard, has assembled a group of volunteer pilots and drivers who have provided nearly 6,000 free flights and car rides to critically ill patients coming into the Houston, Texas, area.

Sign up at http://www.houstongroundangels.org

11. Turn over the keys to your clunker with Wheels of Success
Have a vehicle you're ready to dump? It could keep a working family working.

Susan Jacobs, a 2009 CNN Hero, has distributed nearly 400 donated and refurbished cars to low-income, working individuals, and she can help donors write off the gift.

Receiving in Tampa, Florida -- find out more at http://www.wheelsofsuccess.org/want-to-help/car_donation_app.html.

12. Get someone moving with PIPO Missions
Have you outgrown the use of a brace or prosthetic? Give the gift of mobility to another in need.

David Puckett, a 2008 CNN Hero, has refurbished, custom-fit and hand-delivered hundreds of free prosthetics and braces in rural Mexico. Send your retired limbs and braces to dramatically improve a life. Old crutches are also appreciated!

Receiving in Savannah, Georgia -- find out more at http://pipomissions.org/Donate.htm.