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8 Ways to Give on Valentine’s Day (They Include Chocolate)

 

Happy Valentine’s Day!! Valentine’s Day is not only for couples, it is a day where you can show love and appreciation to your friends, a teacher, your parents, your siblings, your pets, and your children.  Valentine’s Day or Saint Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love and affection, which can be shown in many different ways to everyone you know. Here are our ways to give on Valentine’s Day that makes your Valentine’s Day a lot more special.

What Started Valentine’s Day?

Do you know how Valentine’s Day started? The first Valentine’s Day was in the year 496! Valentine’s Day is a very old tradition thought to have originated from a Roman festival. The Romans had a festival called Lupercalia in the middle of February, which was the official start of their spring.

8 Ways to Give on Valentine’s Day

There are many ways to give on Valentine’s Day but here are 8 Valentine’s Day giving ideas to help you get started.

  1. The obvious is giving red roses. Roses are beautiful and they are a nice gift to receive. Who doesn’t love to receive roses, right? Check out the Environmentally Friendly Farm “Stems Flower Farm”, for eco-friendly flower growing information.”
  2. Make your own treats this year with Lily’s Sweets gourmet, Stevia-sweetened chocolate baking bars and chocolate baking chips. We promised that chocolate would be in a few gives and this one is super special. The company was named after the co-founder’s niece, a brain cancer survivor. Lily’s donates a percentage of profits each year to provide services for children with cancer and their families. What an amazing way to give back and give to someone on Valentine’s Day.
  3. Write a love letter for that special someone. Gifts don’t need to cost money. They just need to come from the heart. Write a letter to your partner or loved one expressing why you love and appreciate them. We don’t always find the time to speak our true feelings but when you put your thoughts to paper, it adds a whole new dimension and sometimes what you want to say comes out better when written.
  4. Create homemade cards with your kids for their friends at school. This gives you a chance to do something fun and spend time with your children. It can also bring out their creative side. Check out some cool craft ideas and get inspired at personalcreations.com.
  5. Write kindness letters for the elderly. This is a beautiful idea and will put a smile on an elderly person’s face. You can do this with a group of friends or family and write kindness letters to people in a nursing home. Many of those people don’t have anyone to visit them and feel quite lonely. Jacob Cramer’s story is inspiring. You will love it when you read it. What an amazing and life-changing idea for the elderly people who have had the opportunity to receive a kindness letter.
  6. Give a present that gives back! The Giving Keys is a jewelry company that helps people transition from homelessness. Choose one of their keys which have a word on them, – any word you choose – made by an employee transitioning out of homelessness. You wear your key until you’ve embraced your word. Then you pass your key along to someone who needs the message more than you. What an amazing concept. It’s a pay it forward company. Isn’t that one of the coolest things you’ve ever heard?
  7. Rescue Chocolate is “the sweetest way to save a life!” 100% of the proceeds from these vegan chocolates go to a different animal rescue shelter each month and brings awareness to issues from feral cat overpopulation to countering the bad rep pit bulls get.
  8. If you would like to purchase a Valentine’s Day gift for your child’s teacher as a “thank you for being so awesome,” you can buy some office supplies at Yoobi, and in return, Yoobi will donate an item to a school in need. They’ve already donated enough school supplies to help one million kids.

There are so many ways to give at Valentine’s. Not only are you giving someone you love or care for a wonderful gift, but in turn you may be helping a cause that is near and dear to your heart. Remember a give does not have to cost anything, there are so many ideas where you give costs absolutely nothing but brings so much happiness to others.  And it doesn’t always have to cost a lot to give.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY TO YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES!

Share your Valentine’s Day giving ideas at 365give.ca. Sign up for your free membership and start tracking your gives on our impact. It will change you and the world one give at a time.

 

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Shelley Gardner, Grade 6 Ridgeview Elementary (West Vancouver)
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