Feel Good by Doing Good

Feel Good by Doing Good

A look at a few local ways to feel good by doing good this season

By Tony Zeli

It’s not a new idea, but in recent years more and more researchers are demonstrating the link between doing good and feeling good. For instance, volunteering is great for mental health. A review of some forty papers published by peer-reviewed BMC Public Health journal found that volunteering had favorable effects on depression, life satisfaction, and overall wellbeing. Further, volunteering and giving can even have positive physical effects, such as lowering your blood pressure. A 2013 study published in the journal Psychology and Aging demonstrated that adults over age fifty who volunteered about four hours a week were forty percent less likely than non-volunteers to have developed hypertension four years later.

So, to help us all live a little longer and happier, here are a few ideas to inspire. Be a part of the solution and give time or donations to Preble Street, shovel snow for seniors, or do good by simply being thoughtful about where you shop for holiday gifts.

Preble Street

Organizations like Preble Street, which operates Northern New England’s largest direct service emergency food program, rely on the generosity of the community. According to Danielle Smaha, Preble Street Communications Director, this season winter gear is especially critical to help those living outside to survive the freezing winter temperatures. Needs include gently used and clean coats, boots, gloves, and hand warmers. But, in addition to giving, consider volunteering a little of your time. Even a small gift of time and energy can pay big dividends for you and others.

“Nearly 1,000 people have volunteered their time to Preble Street this year to help support Mainers experiencing hunger and homelessness. It takes many, many hands to accomplish all we do — including providing over one million meals each year and ensuring people living outside have the clothing and gear they need to stay safe — and volunteers play a key role,” says Preble Street Volunteer Manager Elisa Fleig. “Preble Street volunteers – whether they volunteer once a year or once a week – make a difference, one meal, one interaction, and one act of kindness at a time. We couldn’t do what we do without the support of this amazing group of people!”

To donate, visit the Preble Street Receiving Center at 18 Portland Street, Portland, between 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. To drop off outside of those hours or for a list of the current most urgent needs, visit www.preblestreet.org/you-can-help/in-kind-donations/.

Food donations are accepted seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Preble Street Food Security Hub at 75 Darling Avenue, South Portland. Donations of canned goods and non-perishable items are especially appreciated.

Shoveling for Seniors

Age Friendly Portland, a program of the city’s Elders Affairs office, is seeking volunteers to shovel snow for elderly neighbors this winter. Or if you can’t help by shoveling, consider becoming a neighborhood coordinator and help pair volunteers with neighborhood seniors.

“Portland has many distinct and very different neighborhoods, so having coordinators who know their neighbors and the local streets helps to make this city-wide program much more manageable,” says Linda Weare, director of Elder Affairs.

The city manages the snow shoveling program as a part of Portland’s Age-Friendly Community Initiative. There is no grant funding for the snow shoveling program and it relies on volunteers. Says Weare, “The snow shoveling program works because of the kind hearts (and strong backs!) of the volunteers.”

So, whether you can donate your time shoveling, or would like to help by coordinating and pairing volunteers with seniors, now is the time to pitch in. And many of you are! In the past two months, thanks to recruitment efforts, some forty volunteers have signed up. However, of the thirteen neighborhoods in Portland participating in the snow shoveling program, only nine of them have volunteer coordinators.

If you are age sixty-five or over and a Portland homeowner in need of help with shovliing, or are able to help by volunteering, contact agefriendlycommunity@portlandmaine.gov or call 207-541-6620.

Local Multiplier

This time of year there is a lot of pressure to buy, buy, buy… Yet we all know that consumerism doesn’t make us feel good in a meaningful and lasting way. However, if you make good choices, you can turn holiday consumerism into a more positive force for the community – thanks to the local multiplier effect.

What is the local multiplier? Well, conceptually you probably already get it. Buying locally keeps more money in the local community. What is interesting is that economists have been running the data and the local multiplier effect is very real. When you spend your dollars at a local and independently owned business instead of a chain store or online giant, more of your money recirculates through the local economy.

In fact, the local multiplier adds two to four times more money into the local economy than the money spent at non-local companies. This is largely because independent business owners spend more of their revenue locally than chain stores do. Not to mention local workers spend more of their hard-earned money around town, too.

Give a local gift

Even purchasing gift cards this holiday season – or all year long – can be a way to support local businesses. Though it doesn’t influence the multiplier effect directly, it does mean more purchases at locally owned businesses, which means more benefits for the community thanks to the positive impacts of the multiplier effect.

“Purchasing gift cards is a great way to support locally owned businesses,” says Jen Risley, Director of Operations for the American Independent Business Alliance. “It’s a wonderful way to encourage friends and family to Choose Indie Local, especially those folks who tend to shop at chains and online giants. It’s also a great way for family and friends to discover a new favorite business.”

So, now you know. You can do good simply by redirecting some of your holiday budget to local stores and restaurants.

There you have it. Not at all an exhaustive list, but a few good ideas to help inspire you. Whether volunteering or just being concienctious about your shopping, it’s easy to feel good this winter – simply by doing good.

Tony Zeli is publisher and editor. Contact him at thewestendnews@gmail.com.