The jewel cases that most CDs come in are made of PVC, a plastic that can cause environmental and health problems.  To prevent these issues, you can donate your old jewel cases to your local library, use them for fun art projects, or give them to GreenDisk (www.greendisk.org), a company that will recycle them.

You can read books out loud right in your own home to provide audiobooks for the visually impaired.

One great organization that welcomes volunteers to record books is Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (www.rfbd.org).

You can plan a scavenger hunt in your local mall or grocery store and donate the items that you collect to charity!  This activity is fun for people of all ages and makes a fantastic party!

Donate food to the hungry in your community this Saturday through the National Association of Letter Carriers' food drive!  All you need to do is put a plastic bag full of non-perishable foods next to your mailbox before the mail is delivered on Saturday, May 10.

To sign up for a reminder email or send an email to your friends about this event, visit www.helpstampouthunger.com.

You can brighten someone else's day and enjoy the excitement of receiving letters yourself by becoming a pen friend!  Nowadays, it's easy to be a pen pal: you can correspond with your new friend online!

To find a pen pal in a nursing or assisted living home, visit www.bridgeofhopefoundation.org/pen_pal.htm.

At www.zambian.com/bethel/pen-pals-for-kids-bethel-children/html/write-pen-pal-child.html, you can become a pen friend of a child living in an orphanage in Zambia.

Through the In2Books organization, you can be a pen pal mentor and help an underprivileged elementary-schooler learn to read and write.  Visit www.in2books.com/school/penpals.html for more information.

Happy writing!