6 Ways to Help Animals Without Leaving Home
Being cruelty-free is a cornerstone of Kinder Beauty, so it’s no surprise that helping animals is always on our minds—even during these unprecedented times.
While doing your part to flatten the curve and stay safe inside, it’s easy to start feeling bored or like you’re lacking a sense of purpose. So why not use this newly defined time to help animals?
Whether you’ve stopped working entirely or simply have found yourself with more free time on evenings and weekends, there are a variety of things you can do from the safety of your own home that make a big impact for animals in need. We’ve compiled a list of our favorite ways to help animals ... without even leaving home.
1. Sanitize with compassion
Most of us are spending more time cleaning and sanitizing our homes and belongings nowadays, but not all cleaning products are created equal when it comes to ingredients and ethics. Unfortunately, animals are still harmed in cruel experiments for some brands, but the good news is that you don’t have to contribute to animal testing to clean your home. Check out our list of household cleaners that are 100-percent cruelty-free and vegan, which means that no animals were harmed in their making of your clean house. To save even more animals, share the list with your friends and family to spread the word about how easy it is to clean with compassion, too.
2. Foster or adopt a companion
If you’ve been thinking about inviting a new four-legged friend into your family, now’s the perfect time. Shelters all over the country have been reporting increased numbers of fosters and adoptions during the stay-at-home order, but there are still plenty of animals in need of homes. Call your local shelter to ask about its foster program. Fostering a pet allows the animal to experience life inside a loving home while he or she waits for a permanent family, and it frees up space in the shelter for incoming animals. Having an animal in your home also does wonders for your mental health and stress levels. And if you’re ready for the commitment, permanently adopting an animal during quarantine is the perfect time to do so because you’ll likely have more time on your hands to devote to your new friend and stay home to help him or her adjust to new surroundings.
3. Donate supplies to your local shelter
If fostering or adoption isn’t right for you, check out your local animal shelter’s website to see if they have a wish list. Oftentimes, shelters are in need of treats, blankets, toys, and other items. This is the perfect excuse to get rid of towels or blankets you don’t use anymore or to have fun shopping online retailers for pets in need. You could also have a craft night and make DIY toys for the animals, and then make an appointment with your local shelter to drop them off safely.
4. Experiment with plant-based cooking
Kinder Beauty co-founders Daniella Monet and Evanna Lynch are proud animal advocates and they’ve found that not only is a vegan diet one of the most effective ways to help animals, but it also helps them feel their best! If you’re not ready to make the switch yet, don’t worry—you don’t have to go full vegan in one day to make a difference in the lives of animals. On your way to veganism, why not start with Meatless Mondays, or simply experiment by swapping out the meat and dairy in your favorite go-to recipe with a vegan substitute, like making a super easy tofu scramble recipe instead of eggs! Cooking can be a relaxing form of self-care and it’s always fun to try the yummy new vegan products on the market.
5. Get involved with slacktivism
It’s true—slacktivism (or being an activist from your couch) actually works! There are countless animal charities out there that offer non-traditional volunteer opportunities (such as writing letters-to-the-editor or editing brochures), and you help save lives without even getting off of your butt. Tons of animal protection organizations have online action teams or groups that enlist the help of volunteers by asking them to do simple online tasks like signing petitions, sharing social media posts, or contacting their lawmakers via phone or email. These small actions make a huge impact for animals, and we’re sure you’ll find a charity or two with a pro-animal message that you'll want to get behind.
6. Make your beauty routine Kinder
Much like the cleaning products we use, our beauty and skincare products run the risk of harming animals through cruel and deadly animal testing. While many incredible brands choose to put compassion over profits and refuse to test on animals or sell in countries where animal testing is required, some brands unfortunately still pay for these awful experiments. You can do a wonderful thing for animals by taking the time to check which personal care products are cruelty-free by using online databases such as Cruelty-Free Kitty, Beauty Without Bunnies, or Leaping Bunny—or by checking out which companies Kinder Beauty has partnered with in the past. To make things even easier, subscribe to Kinder Beauty, and for an affordable price, we’ll ship you a carefully curated box with the best cruelty-free and vegan skincare and beauty products each month (between $75-$165 value!). Through a subscription, you’ll get to try out new products and learn which brands are good for animals, your skin, and the environment. It’s a win-win-win.
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These are just a few tips to help you help animals while you’re stuck at home. Are we missing something? We’d love to hear all about how you show love for animals while social distancing. Let us know what you’ve been up to by joining the Kinder Beauty Facebook group and leaving comments there.
Kim Johnson is a writer and social media strategist with 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector working for animal protection organizations.Restore Your Self-Care Routine with KND
