Heart of Dinner delivers culturally appropriate food to Asian elders in the NYC and LA areas. Monetary donations are always appreciated but you can also create handwritten and decorated notes that are treasured by the recipient. They need notes written in Traditional Chinese, and samples are provided. These notes are cherished by the recipients.

Learn more about Heart of Dinner from this CBS segment: Nonprofit combating the rise in loneliness among Asian-American older adults

Photo by Joey Huang on Unsplash

Support pop-up town halls. I’m a big fan of the public servants holding town halls in areas where elected officials seem to be missing in action. People want to be heard, and these are filling the gap for many districts. These events take resources, and a quick web search will tell you how to give.

Support your local Sierra Club chapter! We recently joined the Washington Chapter and attended an action call. I was very impressed with everything about it. It was respectful and upbeat. So many good resources. Direct action. A conversation with the Commissioner of Public Lands. All in under an hour.

Support independent journalism. I read a sobering piece from a former NYT staffer about the paper chasing eyeballs. When the bottom line is paramount, it stops being good journalism. There are so many independent journalists who are doing good work, and your $5 will keep them going.

Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash

We believe that small efforts don’t add up, but they do. It’s better to light a single candle than curse the darkness and all that. So if you have $5 to spare, here are some people and organizations that can use it.

• Representative Emily Randall from Washington’s 6th district has a “We Can’t Wait” campaign and has adopted Arizona’s 6th district. Emily Randall for Congress

• Libraries can squeeze a lot from every dollar. Some offer merch like this epic T-shirt from the Friends of the Mt. Pleasant Public Library in Washington, DC. (Hat tip to Austin Kleon)

• Speaking of Austin Kleon, you can support him for $5 a month on Substack.

• There are many independent journalists and publications on Substack and elsewhere that you can support with both free and paid subscriptions, plus podcast reviews and downloads. The Guardian is a favorite because it’s free to all. The First Amendment is a beautiful thing.

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  Photo by Keenan Constance on Unsplash

If you have $5 to spare, here are some people that can use it. 

• Cynthia Kincaid is a writer colleague of mine (and fellow Sun Devil) who is facing a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Cancer treatment is challenging in the best of times but especially for a freelancer. Cynthia is the person who always amplifies the posts of those in need. I’d like to do the same for her. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-cynthia-in-her-cancer-fight
• Help families in the historically Black community of Altadena rebuild after the devastating L.A. fires. Stephanie Harrison of The New Happy shared this spreadsheet of GoFundMe links. $250 million as of February 12, 2025, more than the amount donated on the platform for all disasters in 2024. I am taking this as a sign of hope for our collective humanity.) 
• The Trevor Project is working to prevent suicide among LGBTQ youth.
• Support your local library. 

Libraries offer front-line support to so many including a lot of children. Librarians are a force. 

• $5 also goes a long way for a food bank. We recently discovered a local organization that leverages neighborhood-based food collection every other month to support the local food bank. Food banks often publish wishlists. Check out your local food bank or consider contributing to a food bank in an area of great need: like D.C., Asheville, and Los Angeles.

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash