From guided meditation sessions to food donations to paper straws, here are some ways to help others and help save the planet while celebrating the holiday season.
New York nonprofit Transfernation picks up extra, untouched food from events and corporate cafeterias and delivers it to the closest local food program such as a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. Event hosts can download the organization’s app and request a pickup for their leftover catered food, similar to a rideshare app. The service charges a small fee to reimburse the independently contracted food runners; donors receive tax receipts for the donated food.
Photo: Courtesy of Transfernation
Wolfgang Puck Catering works with Los Angeles’ Chefs to End Hunger, Dallas’ Equal Heart, and other food recovery programs in local markets around the U.S. to help feed the hungry with any leftover prepared food.
Photo: Courtesy of Wolfgang Puck Catering
Founded by cancer survivor Dan Schorr, Vice Cream features tasty mix-ins in eight different flavors such as Choc of Shame (chocolate ice cream with brownie dough and dark chocolate shavings), Toffee Wife (peanut butter ice cream with chopped toffee bars, peanut butter cookie dough, and a toffee ripple), and Breakfast in Bed (sweet maple ice cream, sticky bun dough, pecan praline, and a touch of cream cheese). Through its “Nice Vice” program, the brand partners with national cancer institutes, donating a portion of sales to support patients, doctors, nurses, and organizations that care for patients and their families. The ice cream ($5.99 per pint) is available throughout the U.S. at retail stores.
Photo: Courtesy of Vice Cream
Made from fallen palm leaves, VerTerra’s lightweight, compostable products are a sustainable alternative to disposable paper and plastic plates. The collection includes plates, bowls, serving trays, to-go boxes, cutlery, and cheese boards, and is able to withstand hot and cold foods and liquids, plus items are microwave- and oven-safe. Pricing starts at $9; shipping is available nationwide.
Photo: Courtesy of VerTerra
Random Acts of Flowers delivers recycled flowers to local health care facilities by coordinating with event hosts in Knoxville, Tennessee; Tampa; Chicago; and Indianapolis. The Knoxville-based organization transforms lightly used flowers, which it receives from florists, grocery stores, funeral homes, weddings, and other local events, into bouquets. (Donations can be dropped off, or pickup can be arranged within a 30-minute radius of the facilities.) The group also hosts Flowers After Hours events, where attendees can participate in a hands-on demonstration with a local floral design expert. Each person takes home an arrangement; any additional arrangements are delivered to a local nursing home.
Photo: Courtesy of Random Acts of Flowers
Orlando-based Play With a Purpose offers the “Ye Olde Toy Shoppe” activity where groups can assemble and decorate a variety of children’s toys and furnishings, which are then donated to a local charity.
Photo: Courtesy of Play With a Purpose
Instead of plastic straws, set out Kikkerland Design’s eco-friendly, wax-coated paper straws, which are printed with soy-based inks and are biodegradable and compostable. A pack of 144 straws costs $9.
Photo: Courtesy of Kikkerland Design
Hyatt Regency Austin, located on the shores of Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin, recently introduced its “Keep Your Meeting Weird” experiential menu for meetings and groups. Planners can now organize Austin-theme experiences for attendees, including goat yoga, build-a-guitar teambuilding, an interactive graffiti wall, and more. Also, inside the pop-up PeaceBox, a mobile venue for meeting attendees to relax and recharge, instructors work with groups to provide wellness training and guided meditation during an event.
Photo: Courtesy of Hyatt Regency Austin
Ancolie, located in New York’s Greenwich Village, creates meals prepared in reusable glass jars including salads, desserts, and breakfast items like oatmeal. The fast-casual eatery also offers catering options. Pricing for a typical lunch with a large salad jar and chocolate bite starts at $16 (plus tax and delivery) per person. Items are served in reusable vessels or with compostable utensils, and all food scraps are sent to a community garden in the East Village.
Photo: Courtesy of Ancolie
Charity gift card-giving site Donors Unite allows users to purchase a tax-deductible gift card, which recipients can then redeem and donate to one of more than 1.5 million registered and IRS-approved charities listed on the site. Gift card amounts start at $10. Donors Unite also lets users buy an unlimited number of gift claim codes that can be printed on their own correspondence or on pre-printed personalized cards.
Photo: Courtesy of Donors Unite
