These days, it is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day schedule of life. There seems to be less time for the gym and more time for surfing through Facebook. But what websites do we click on when people are sharing websites? Are we reading some article that caught our fancy? Are we looking at a live stream of otters? (Thank you AnimalPlanet.) There're a million things to grab our attention. But what about giving back? These following websites provide easy ways to help some of the prevalent problems in today's society. Now it is possible to donate to these websites with money. But as a college student, I'm not exactly rolling in the dough. These websites all provide another way of helping than simply giving money.
1. FreeRice
Freerice.com provides a fun way to help give grains of rice around the world. As their website states: "Freerice is a non-profit website that is owned by and supports the United Nations World Food Programme." The United Nations World Food Program is committed to fighting hunger worldwide. Freerice.com was founded in 2007, and the group buys rice from the country it is providing the rice for. This method helps to stimulate the local economy as well. The way Freerice.com works is by presenting questions on a variety of subjects, that once answered correctly, account for 10 grains of rice. It can quickly become addicting as well.
2. Answer4Earth
Answer4Earth.com has an interesting approach to the problem with the environmental crisis. This website was copyrighted in 2008. It asks people to play a simple game of answering questions. For every correct answer, a person has earned a leaf. For every 12 leaves, a person has earned a branch. For every 15 branches, a person has earned a tree. It seems easier than it is. These questions are not anything a quick Google search can't solve. But my pride took a bit of a hit after a few incorrectly answered questions. I then strengthened my resolve until I had a whole tree. I also learned that I knew more than I thought I did. This one had me hooked for over an hour.
3. FreeKibble
FreeKibble.com is a cute little website with three easy questions. The website donates whether or not you get the questions right or wrong. After you answer the question about the dog, you have two options: Click to feed cats too, or click to donate cat litter. One link will take you to a question about cats, and the other takes you to a picture of a cat over litter that you need only click. It takes less than three minutes to do all three. It's a simple easy way to help feed cats and dogs. Freekibble was launched in 2008. This website has since donated over 16 million meals to dogs and cats in need. We can't forget our favorite furry friends when we decide to help out.4. The Hunger Site
The Hunger Site isn't only focused on hunger. There are ten links to click through on the top of the page. By clicking on each of them it will take you to a different part of the site. Just below the banner of the different topics a box will appear for you to click daily to give support for that topic. There are 10 different topics available: GreaterGood, Hunger, Breast Cancer, Animals, Veterans, Autism, Alzheimer's, Diabetes, Literacy and Rainforest. If any of these topics are near and dear to your heart, you can help by clicking daily. When I found this website, I clicked through all of them.
5. Care2
Care2 is very similar to the Hunger Site. Care2 offers 11 different links to click through on the left side of the page. There is some crossover, but the topics are not all the same as the ones from the previous website. Once a topic is selected, it will take you to a different section of the website. After a person has clicked the click to donate, it will take you to the previous website, but this time, there will be a green check mark on the topic you have donated to. The different topics that are available: Children, Rainforest, Big Cats, Breast Cancer, Seals, Oceans, Animal Rescue, Primates, Global Warming, Stopping Violence Against Women and Wolves. Again, if any of these topics are close to you, it is easy to simply check back daily for a click-through. When I found this website, I made sure to get a full list of green checks.