As a travel nurse, there’s a good chance you might find yourself on assignment in city far from family and the traditional Thanksgiving setting. There’s no reason to sit and sulk. In fact, this is the perfect opportunity to step away from the football, the food and the “norm” and instead give back to the community.
Think about it… what better way to show how thankful you are for all that you have than to give back to those that have very little. There are so many charities out there that welcome extra hands or even monetary support. You don’t have to feel the need to make it more than a one-time event; many charities understand hectic schedules and are happy to take what you can give. Of course, if you still feel a little twinge of guilt over the lack of long-term commitment consider volunteering at an event specifically for the Thanksgiving holiday, such as a soup kitchen, local church, boys and girls club or YMCA. Here are simple instructions to get started:
1. Find out which soup kitchens are located in your area. Do a search online, look in the phone book, call information or ask your city or town clerk.
2. Contact a local soup kitchen and tell them you’d like to help.
3. Organize a group of travelers who also might be far from home and are willing to volunteer on Thanksgiving.
4. Understand that the soup kitchen needs lots of help in other areas besides food service. Offer to pick up donations, do an inventory on them and store them away. You might also set up tables, prepare the food and help clean up after the meal is through.
If you happen to be working on Thanksgiving but still want to give back then consider donating a frozen turkey or ham, bags of potatoes, stuffing mix, bottles of soda, ingredients for pies, canned goods such as vegetables, cranberry sauce and even gravy. Local Rotary or Elk clubs often set up food drives during this time of year. Another excellent way to get food on peoples plate this holiday is through the charity Feeding America (formerly known as America’s Second Harvest) http://www.secondharvest.org/default.aspx. For as little as one dollar you can help provide 16 meals! Here’s a message from this organizations website: “Between this year’s horrible disasters, the slumping economy, and the record-high food and fuel costs, our food banks are running on empty and the holidays are almost here. Your gift is more urgently needed than ever.”
Last but not least, if you’re a travel nurse who is actually fortunate enough to be spending the holiday with family you can still give by sharing the food you’re putting on the table. You may have a neighbor or coworker that may not be able to provide a holiday meal or may be alone on the holiday. Invite them over to spend the day with your friends and family. As you may know, there are also going to be numerous public service men and women that can’t be home. Take a few dishes to the local fire station or police department for the men and women on duty serving the community. Call the non-emergency dispatch number, inform the dispatcher that anyone on duty (especially if you live in a smaller community) is welcome to stop by your home for a hot meal.
If you’re not sure how you want to give back and really feel like you want to explore all the options out there, you might want to check out the Charity Navigator http://www.charitynavigator.org/. Charity Navigator has become the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities. This is a great site to really explore and do some “background checks” on charities you’ve been thinking about donating to.
However you decide to give this Thanksgiving is entirely up to… the important part is making sure you do it. There’s a lot that we can do to make at least one day out of the year that much more special for the people who live around us.
