If you can define the word “sanguineous,” you could donate 20 grains of rice to hungry families.

It’s a simple way to make a difference. All you have to do is visit www.freerice.com, answer vocabulary questions and watch the rice donation accumulate. And it isn’t the only Web site that allows people to do good without opening their pocketbook; there are literally hundreds of them.

“For a minimal amount of effort, you might actually do some good,” says Penny Adams, co-director of St. Joseph AFL-CIO Community Service.

In addition to freerice.com, which donates grain through the United Nations World Food Program, you also can help end hunger by visiting thehungersite.com. One cup of food is donated for every click; Mercy Corps and America’s Second Harvest distribute the donations.

At thebiblesite.org, sponsors will donate one Bible per click. According to the site, only one click per day per person will be counted. So if you’d like more Bibles to be donated, visit this site daily.

The ecologyfund.com offers a variety of places to click. Through this site, various sponsors will donate land to the South American rainforest, plant trees and donate money to reduce pollution.

In Mexico’s Sierra Mountains, nearly 60,000 Tarahumara Indians live in caves without running water or electricity. Disease and parasites claim about 40 percent of their children before they reach their fifth birthdays. With each visit to www.giveaminute.org, sponsors will donate one minute of medical care to these children.

According to Jeanette James of the St. Joseph YMCA, there are a plethora of sites allow visitors to lobby congress with minimal effort. Groups, like the National Organization for Women, put together form letters for people to e-mail to their representatives. Ms. James regularly participates in e-mail campaigns from the Susan B. Komen Foundation.

“These are grassroots movements that you can be a part of,” she says. “It’s a way people can support a cause without donating.”

Lifestyles reporter Betsy Lee can be reached at betsylee@npgco.com.