Here is a list of ideas that I used and that people gave to me about how to help others during times of illness, death or just plain hard times. Sometime it is nice just to do something for someone who you think could use a pick me up. Sometimes you just want to do something for a friend. Hope you enjoy and please add any of your suggestion in the comments!
1. When something totally unexpected happens, help rearrange their life of what was on their calendar…. reschedule doctor appointments, find rides for kids to soccer and piano lessons.
2. Take care of their pets… feed, walk, tend…
3. Always have some extra coins or dollars on hand to help with the person in front of you in the check-out that is short.
4. TALK to them filled with faith.
5. Bring a magazine and lunch when someone sprains an ankle.
6. Help rearrange/refinish bedrooms when a new family member comes back home.
7. Be the driver… help cart people and things from here to there
8. Often when planning/working on a funeral, there is often not time for a formal meal (and there are too many people and lack of appetites), supply healthy munchies that can just be snacked on all day long.
9. Take their kids for a couple of hours to the park so they can regroup/clean/pack/mourn.
10. If you can’t muster the courage to be there in person (sometimes the pain to too hard), send a card… it truly, truly, truly means a lot!
11. Kids love cupcakes when mom and dad are down and out.
12. A friend dropped of a quote which made my sister’s day for many many days. See attached pictures and quote “Keep Trying, Be Believing, Be Happy, Don’t get discouraged, Things will work out” Gordon B. Hinkley.
13. I had a friend whose father and brother were killed in an accident. Someone wrote her mom once each month after her dad/brother were killed for over a year. It took that long for her Mom to be able to thank them. I used this 15 years later with a friend whose son was killed at the age of 8.
14. Socks – when you are in the hospital or sick it is always fun to have new socks (esp since you aren’t wearing shoes)
15. Notes of just saying hi
16. Candy bar is always welcomed. Except those on diets – then little lemonade or drink packets are great. That also works well for someone was dehydrated and is supposed to drink lots.
17. Sheryl Newton came and sang songs with Brett for an hour after his surgery when he was couch/bedridden.
18. Shine shoes for a funeral.
19. We had friends who invited us to their house for dinner weekly when Owen had moved to Seattle and we were waiting for our home to sell (over 3 months). Dinner was nice but adult conversation with great friends was invaluable.
20. Text saying hi and thinking of you
21. My brother was deployed in Iraq. Someone did the 12 days til Jeff came home the 12 days preceding his return after a year. You can do this for any reason – not just Christmas.
22. Taking out garbage and bringing it back in.
23. Humor is needed – find a way to bring it to those you are helping
24. Sitting by/talking with someone who is new.
25. A friend is moving on Saturday and I can’t be here so I dropped off a moving kit – cleaning bucket, garage bags, Clorox wipes, paper towels, packing tape and a gift card for pizza.
26. Magazine’s of something they like – photography, cooking, etc. Drop off for them to read.
27. A good friend had read on my blog about an item for my house that I said I had been looking for. She sent me an email to a link of a similar item. It was so nice to know she was thinking about me.
28. Some one gave me a bottle of water/Gatorade when I ran a race with a note of encouragement
29. Hershey bar with HERO wrapper.
30. Any item you can find on Pinterest.
31. Just going to talk with them at home or on a walk.
32. Doing yard work for them.
33. Offering to give them a massage. (guess that one would only work if you knew how)
34. PRAY FOR THEM.
35. Have your teenagers help younger teenagers to know how to put on makeup.
36. LOVE LOVE LOVE them and tell them you are thinking of them.
KrisRunner 
When I had moved and was having a hard time my friends from Vegas got together and made a box of stuff, “mix” Cd’s, a pillow case, some other stuff that was simple, but it meant a ton.
thanks for sharing these awesome ideas.
Wow – you are amazing! Thanks for good advice. Love ya!