This year commit to do something fun yet really meaningful for those in your community who are are sad and lonely. Become involved in a project and possibly enlist the help of other families and friends. Ý First, call your local nursing home or children's hospital and explain that you would like to bring handmade gifts to the patients. ÝFind out the do's and don'ts of acceptable gift giving. Now, get busy and go to work. Visit the FamilyCares website. Scroll down until you see Project Ideas. Decide whether you want to make a cooking, sewing or other type of craft project. One word of caution here. The first time we became involved in a community project, we got a little carried away by our enthusiasm and spent more than we wanted. Don't make the same mistake. Meet with your other community project partners and agree that you will set a spending limit. To make the project enjoyable for everyone, be sure to also consider the age, ability, interest, and attention span of the children/teens involved in making the gifts. Bargain hunting does take time but is well worth the effort. These trips are useful for children and teens as they learn about budgeting, units of measurement in cooking and how much yardage of material to buy. Visit some craft, yardage and stationery stores in your area and explain what your group is doing and ask to see the remant racks and bins. Also inquire about possible discounts. You can also cut costs by purchasing baking items at many discount grocery chains. Below, are some additional sites and recipes to consider for your cooking projects. Old Fashioned Sugar Cookie Cutouts ~ Recipe from Montessorian Kathy O’Reilly IT'S A WRAP - Making Beautiful Gift Boxes
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