Generosity at Home Menu

This is a menu - don’t try to eat it all! Pick one or two suggestions to try at home.

“When I think about the kind of giver I’d like to be, [what comes to mind is] being someone whose dedication spills out, not just in the time and money they give, but in the way their passion becomes contagious.” - Rev. Amelia Ricardson Dress

"You are the light of the world… Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Creator who is in heaven.” - Matthew 5:14-16

Printable menus are below.

For Adults

Appetizer: Getting hungry for spiritual practice
- How generous are you?
  - Take the quiz: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/quizzes/take_quiz/altruism
  - Read the research results
Main Course: Tasting the practice
- Fill a day with kindness: According to research by Greater Good at UC Berkeley, acts of kindness have a bigger impact on our happiness when we perform them all at once, rather than sporadically. Pack one day a week with five acts of kindness, such as feeding a stranger's parking meter, donating blood, helping a friend with a chore, or providing a meal to a person in need.
- Carry cash: Get cash from the bank with the aim of carrying a few dollars on you with the intention of giving it away. Holding money in your pocket, expecting to offer it to another, is a daily reminder to give of yourself in other ways.
- Plant extra: Add a few more tomato, cucumber or zucchini plants to your garden next summer, and find donation coolers where you can drop off the surplus bounty for the hungry through Salt Lake Gardenshare.
Dessert: Using the practice to sweeten my life
- Research has found that not all giving is created equal in terms of its spiritual benefit. When we give in ways that not only help others but also make us feel good, we’re more likely to make giving a habit. The most happiness-inducing acts of giving don’t feel like an obligation, and they allow us to connect with others and see the impact of our help. So consider choosing activities where you get to spend time with recipients—like helping a friend move or volunteering at a soup kitchen—or donate to charities that clearly explain where your money is going. Source:
  - https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/make_giving_feel_good
  - https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/quizzes/results/altruism
Digest: Absorbing the meaning of the practice
- Read Chapter 7, “Generosity: Choosing Abundance,” in The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times by Amelia Richardson Dress, available on Kindle
- "True giving is not an economic exchange; it is a generative act. It does not subtract from what we have; it multiplies the effect we can have in the world." From Simple Truths by Kent Nerburn

For Youth

Appetizer: Getting hungry for spiritual practice
- Learn about homelessness experienced by American teenagers: https://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/homeless-and-runaway-youth.aspx
- Journal about the role of wealth in your life:
  - How do you use money? Why?
  - How easy is it to talk about money? Why?
  - Is there a place I could help those in need by giving money?
Main Course: Tasting the practice
- Set aside an afternoon to clean out your closet and donate items you no longer use. Thrift stores help the community in three ways, by raising funds for the charitable organizations that run them, making low-cost and environmentally-friendly clothing available to the community, and keeping unwanted items out of our landfills. Reflect:
  - How full are your closets?
  - When is the last time you cleaned out your closet?
  - Does it matter how we use (or not use) the items we own?
Dessert: Using the practice to sweeten my life
- One suburban high school soccer team discovered that one of their players was homeless. No one knew this because players had never asked each other about where they lived. Once they learned that one player was homeless, parents and players worked together to help him and his family.
  - Have you ever known or seen a homeless teenager? If so, where and when?
  - How old are most of the homeless people that you have seen?
  - What have you done in the past to help those who are homeless?
  - How can you help make life better for your friends who are in need?
Digest: Absorbing the meaning of the practice
- The Bible says that “from those to whom much has been given, much will be expected” (Luke 12:48) and “the measure you use will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38).
- Rabbi Jonathan Sacks in Celebrating Life notes: "Happiness is not made by what we own. It is what we share."

For Kids

Appetizer: Getting hungry for spiritual practice
- Learn about children experiencing hunger by reading picture books:
  - Maddi’s Fridge
  - Lulu and the Hunger Monster
- Who feeds you? When have you shared your food with others?
- Would you rather receive a gift or give a gift? What makes either one special for you?
Main Course: Tasting the practice
- During COVID, many soup kitchens are not allowing children to serve. However you can take a virtual tour of how a food bank and a soup kitchen works to help others, by watching these videos:
  - Running a food bank
  - Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen
- Make a list of people who might enjoy getting a handmade gift. Include grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, neighbors, and other people who are important to your family. If you know of anyone who is sick or hurting, make something for that person as well. You can write a note on the paper and decorate it with colorful designs. Notes could say, “I’m thinking of you.” “I love you.” “You always make me smile.” “I think you are the best.” If you do this with someone else in your family, they might just let you have their picture to keep!
Dessert: Using the practice to sweeten my life
- Empathy is the ability to understand situations different from our own—in other words, what it’s like to be someone else. When we have empathy, we are more thoughtful and caring. For example, if your friend loses a favorite bracelet and is very upset, you can try to understand how that feels. Or if your friend’s family is going through a hard time, imagine what it is like for them. When you have empathy for others, you want to help them more. From https://www.feedingamerica.org/take-action/talk-about-hunger
Digest: Absorbing the meaning of the practice
- You don’t have to have something to give away in order to be generous. Kindness also counts. “Thinking well of others and speaking well of others is the basis for generous giving.” - Henri Nouwen

For Families

Appetizer: Getting hungry for spiritual practice
- Tell your kids about a time they were generous and how it inspired you. Then ask your kids what helps them feel hopeful. See if there’s a way to include more of it, whatever “it” is, in your lives together. - From The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times by Amelia Richardson Dress
Main Course: Tasting the practice
- If your kids get an allowance, see if there’s a way to add a giving practice to it. Can they donate a percentage of their allowance to an organization of their choosing? Use “Save, Spend, Share” jars for [your child’s] allowance. The idea is that when [they get] money, it’s designated right away for a longer-term planned purchase, immediate spending money, and donations. - From The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times by Amelia Richardson Dress
- Use this worksheet to focus your giving as a family. Each member of the family gets a penny, a nickel, a dime and a quarter. Place the coins to “vote” on the issues you care most about. The issue that gets the most number of “cents” may be the one that makes “sense” for your family to focus on. Rev. Amelia Dress suggests, “Rather than giving a little bit of time here and a little bit of money there, give more of both to one organization or cause…. [to] become personally invested in the work [you’re] supporting.” Focusing also allows you to invest in an issue on multiple levels such as combining volunteering and giving with activism.

Often we focus on volunteering with organizations, but see if there’s someone in your church, apartment building, or neighborhood who could benefit from some help. Can your family offer to pick up groceries or make a meal for someone? - From The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times by Amelia Richardson Dress
This holiday season, the church is holding several giving drives which are easy to participate in, including Project Elf presents for foster teens, the Reverse Advent Calendar grocery collection for Glendale neighbors, and a blanket drive for homeless individuals. If participating in the Project Elf giving tree, involve your child by explaining that your family is going shopping to buy a Christmas gift for a youth in need. Before you come to church, discuss a budget so your child knows what can be spent. Let your child choose a gift tag on the tree that is within your budget, and then go to the store together.

Dessert: Using the practice to sweeten my life
- If you catch the service bug, Rev. Amelia Dress has guidance and suggestions for additional suitable projects on her blog: http://www.ameliadress.com/service-projects/
- Deepen the impact of volunteering on your kids by discussing the experience together after serving. Discussion guides for Big Hearted Families offer reflection resources on a variety of topics. Here are some sample questions:
  - How did you feel when you were volunteering?
  - What was easy about the volunteer experience?
  - What was challenging?
  - Why do you think it is important for your family to help other families?
  - What other actions could we take as a family to help other families in need?
Digest: Absorbing the meaning of the practice
- “While teaching empathy may seem like a daunting task, we can teach it by modeling. If you want to raise generous kids, then chances are you’re generous yourself or you want to become more generous, or even more likely, you’re both. Living your life in a generous way is the first step in teaching your kids to be generous.” - Rev. Amelia Richardson Dress

A Prayer for Generosity

Dear God, thank you for always being so generous with us. Help us to be generous with others this holiday season. Please be with all those individuals who depend on resources gathered by people who care. Hold them close and help them to feel safe and warm this winter. Help them to find good things in this wonderful world that you have created. Amen.