Goodness for the Soul:
Updated: Apr 21
Sometimes helping yourself; Means helping others
Harvest Home Los Angeles: A Social Services Organization I Would Like to Share
For those who read my last post, you know that I left my job and I am for the most part just trying to figure out what comes next in my life. At 40 years old, I never thought I would find myself jobless and trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. (Who knew that was still going to be a thing at this age) That said, once I quit, I realized that I needed to decompress for awhile and really get back to the basics. I needed to figure out what actually makes me happy. What actually brings me peace or makes me feel good. I regret to say that I could not come up with many answers, but eventually, I remembered that someone once said "If you want to feel happy, do something nice for somebody else." In fact, research shows that acts of kindness can improve your well-being. There's a whole study on how acts of kindness can increase the hormone "Oxytocin", which makes us feel good and I was definitely in the market for feeling good.
So I mulled around a few ideas of ways I could do something nice for someone. I originally landed on volunteering but selfishly, I wasn't sure I was ready to do something that required face to face interaction. I know that seems horrible but coming from a job in which I worked very long hours and developed quite a bit of inner turmoil over the past 3 years...I was afraid that I might have left the experienced feeling drained. Logically, I know that most likely, I would have come out of the experience feeling uplifted, still, I did not want to take a chance of faltering on a commitment and so ultimately I opted out of volunteering.
I then, turned to looking into donation options. Being a little leery at first, at giving money to organizations that I hadn't thoroughly researched, I stumbled upon one that I felt had a worthy mission.
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A Worthy Mission; Harvest Home Los Angeles
Harvest Home Los Angeles is an organization that provides housing, support, & other programs to assist homeless pregnant women. This includes: providing shelter and beds, warm meals, programs to increase physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being amongst other things. The thing that stood out to me most, along with the counseling they provide is that they also help mothers to be develop a plan for financial stability. As Americans, we are often told to "Pull ourselves but our boot strap" with no real understanding on how exactly we are supposed to do it. This can often lead to feelings of doubt and insecurity. Sure, a lot of us eventually make a way and figure out how to survive, but imagine yourself going through a series of circumstances, many outside of your control that landed you pregnant and homeless with no plan b. The pressure of that has to be insurmountable. That said, I knew instantly this was a cause that I could get behind.
Another thing that really stood out to me, is that there are multiple ways you can help. Sure, you can give money if you like, but you can also donate needed clothing items, blankets, strollers etc., volunteer, and you can also purchase things from an Amazon wish list that will be mailed directly to the organization. I chose to make a purchase from the Amazon wish list. It was quick, easy, and painless. There are a variety of items to chose. Some items are inexpensive such as maxi pads or panty liners. For those who are looking to support the organization but may not have the biggest of piggy banks, these items would be perfect. There are also some items that are a bit pricier, as well as, a few items that at first glance may make you question the purpose. Keep in mind, however, that the organization is providing more than just baby or maternity items. They are providing housing and other programs for homeless pregnant women; That said, some of the items are housing items (kitchen supplies and what not), some pertain to transportation, and well some items are simply to hook a gal up with some caffeine, as new mothers are often sleep deprived.
If you are looking for a worthy cause to give to, I implore you to check out Harvest Home Los Angeles. While, my quest to find happiness did not end by doing this one simple act of kindness, it certainly helped and I feel empowered to do more. Perhaps you will have a similar experience. Sometimes, making a small kind gesture is just what we need to get us headed in the right direction.
If you would like to check out ways to help this organization, you can log onto: https://www.harvesthomela.org or click the button below and check out the "Get Involved" section.
To make a purchase from their Amazon wishlist just follow the link https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/E6PIO2J3GR42/ref=hz_ls_biz_ex or click the button below:
If you chose to make a purchase from the wishlist, just please ensure that the Harvest Home address populates during check out.
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