Do One Nice Thing
In the spirit of giving back that our story Second Helpings celebrates, LA author and founder of the website DoOneNiceThing.com, Debbie Tenzer, has some ideas about what you can do to give back once a day or once a week in easy, inexpensive and badly needed ways.
Debbie Tenzer's List of 8 of the neediest places that are featured in her book Do One Nice Thing:
1. Children's Law Center of Los Angeles
Send gifts to the many LA County foster children whose birthdays are overlooked.
2. Westside Food Bank or any food bank
In addition to food donations many also accept small toiletries. When you look better, you feel better!
3. Kid Flicks
Two Westwood students collect and send used DVDs for kids in children’s hospitals across the country.
4. Horses in the Hood, LA & Topanga
Started by an Olympic equestrian, this nonprofit is a horse camp that gives inner city kids a safe out-of-the-city experience and teaches them responsibility and self-esteem.
5. BookEnds A nonprofit where kids donate and organize book drives, and deliver books to public schools and their students that need them.
6. Search Dog Foundation (Ojai)
Started here to train search dogs for earthquake rescue but has expanded to searches nationwide, including 9/11 and Gulf Coast hurricanes.
7. Stitches from the Heart
Knitters make tiny booties, hats and blankets for premature babies for families across the U.S.
8. Give an Hour
Psychologists volunteer their time to give therapy to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress (not only in So Cal, but it does exist here and the need is great due to our large number of veterans, many of them homeless).
