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Guys, world news is kind of depressing me today, between Georgia preparing to execute someone who could well be innocent, another bullied gay teenager committing suicide despite the love and support of his family, and, you know, the economy just generally sucking and leaving people broke, homeless, and hungry. It’s all feeling like a lot today.

So, rather than feeling overwhelmed by it all and cursing the darkness, or shutting out the suffering of my fellow people so I can get the hell back to work, I’m picking something small but concrete to do so I can feel like I’m being at least a small part of the solution. Maybe you’d like to join me, if you’re able. Here are some suggestions:

Join Kiva: Microloans for small business owners around the world to help them get off the ground. And when I say small business owners, I mean the loans are things like, “A taxi driver in Lebanon wants to upgrade his vehicle,” or “a farm coop in Peru wants to be able to add an alfalfa patch” or stuff like that. Your $25 combines with other $25 to fund a loan, and then gets repaid and you can reloan it, so your $25 can help people over and over again over time. 

Donate to Modest Needs: If you prefer to keep your charitable dollars close to home, this is a pretty great idea- it’s a charity focused on giving smaller grants to low-income families that just need a little help getting past a short-term financial emergency and keeping the lights on and food in the house. 

Donate to your local food bank: Buy $10 or $20 of extra stuff next time you’re at the store and take it to your local food bank. 

I know not all of us are in a position to do this; but if you’re like me and need a “maybe the world doesn’t completely suck” pick-me-up and can swing it, please do, and let me know. If there’s interest, I’ll add it up and do a “The Internet made a difference in the amount of” post. :)