Seasonal Volunteering

Volunteering With Your Children

Many moms make the excuse that they do not have the time to volunteer because they are busy with children. However, there are so many ways that kids can be involved in volunteering with the children. Not only does it teach them about giving and compassion, it also teaches a sense of responsibility. Volunteering with your children can give them a memory of how your family values others and helping others.

The holidays are full of opportunity for you to be involved with your children in a volunteer setting. Many local churches have trees set up with names of children in need of gifts. Schools also may have an opportunity to pick a child to help during this season. Take your child shopping with you and let them pick out the items that you are going to donate. Tell them who the items are for and why it is important to share with others in this season. Visit your local soup kitchen or food pantry and ask how you can be of assistance at this time as well. Although children may not be able to serve food, they can help stack utensils, clean up, and prepare water and beverages.

Once the holidays are over, there are still plenty of opportunities to volunteer with your children. The food pantry will always need help stocking and organizing foods. The soup kitchens may have year round opportunity has well. Even simple things, like gathering old clothing and shoes to take them to goodwill, or helping at church can be a great way to have your children help your community.

Make sure that whatever opportunity you choose for your family to serve, it is one that the family can learn from, enjoy, and commit to. Volunteering can teach your children a lesson and you may be surprised at the lessons you can learn too.

Filed Under: Seasonal Volunteering Tagged With: Child, Family, Food, Food bank, Philanthropy, Soup kitchen, Thanksgiving, volunteers

One Warm Coat: A Quest to Keep Everyone Warm This Winter

According to 2008 statistics, one in five children in the United States are living in poverty. One Warm Coat seeks to provide warm winter coats for children and families who cannot afford to stay warm this winter.

One Warm Coat organizes coat drives across the United States to collect coats for people in need. For many people, donating a coat costs nothing and they can go to a local coat collection to drop off old coats. For people without a local coat collection, One Warm Coat can collect coats through the mail. Simply pack up your coat and ship it off to them. Information on donating coats in available at their website: http://www.onewarmcoat.org.

One Warm Coat also provides resources for groups or individuals looking to host a coat drive. Information, again is available at their website and there is a way that anyone can help.

Many children outgrow coats each year and old coats stay in the closet and arenâ€™t used for years. Families can create a shared experience by involving young children in the process of sorting their winter coats. Everyone understands what it must be like to be cold on a winter day. Through this learning experience, young children can learn about why we clean out our closets and help people in need.

This is an easy way to involve children in volunteer work and instill in them a lifelong desire to help others. Children whose parents helped them to volunteer from a young age will take that understanding of community with them throughout their life. In the case of One Warm Coat, children love the idea that they are helping other children by sharing their things with them.

A coat is an essential winter item that everyone should be able to have this winter. One Warm Coat makes it possible to share old coats with others and help them to keep everyone warm throughout the colder months.

Filed Under: Seasonal Volunteering Tagged With: Jacket, Non-profit organization, Philanthropy, PR Newswire, United States, Volunteering, Winter-Coats, Wool

NCADV Collects Cell Phones

: Image via Wikipedia

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, based in Washington, DC, works to eliminate domestic violence. Domestic violence is one of the most unreported crimes in this country and many families suffer in silence for years without getting help.

The sad truth is that many women stay in abusive situations out of economic necessity. That is where domestic violence centers can help women to find the resources to get help and, in many cases, to get their family to safety. One of the simplest ways to get involved in the fight against domestic violence is to donate used cell phones.

Many people get a new cell phone every year or every two years. With new technology constantly being unrolled, many households have entire boxes of old cell phones just sitting around. These cell phones can make a big difference in the life of a woman who is a victim of domestic violence.

Women and families leaving domestic violence situations often have nothing. Having a cell phone provides them with a link to resources, a way to secure a job, and a way to call for help in an emergency. Deactivated cell phones are in constant demand at the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and at domestic violence centers across the country.

This year, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence joined forces with ReCellular, Inc. to collect used cell phones. ReCellular, Inc. works to re-purpose or recycle all used cell phones to ensure that they are not ending up in landfills.

People who are interested in sending their used cell phone to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence can find all of the necessary forms and information on their website: http://www.ncadv.org/files/NCADV%20Donate%20a%20Phone%20web%20label%202010.pdf.

Information is also available for families or individuals interested in hosting a community or school event to collect used phones. Every single phone is put to good use and serves as a way for women and families to find safety as they escape domestic violence.

Filed Under: Seasonal Volunteering, Volunteering Tagged With: Domestic violence, Mobile phone, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Starting a Family Volunteer Night

: Image via Wikipedia

Many families spend time volunteering at Thanksgiving. During the holidays, there are many remindersâ€”ads, public service announcements, and people outside the mallâ€”to help us remember to help those in need.

Volunteering at the holidays is a wonderful tradition, but what will happen for the rest of the year? The same people who face poverty and hunger in the holiday season still have the rest of the year ahead of them and non-profit organizations that serve them still need help.

One of the best things parents can do is to start a tradition of volunteering as a family once a week. It can be for one cause or local organization that really matters to themâ€”like a local soup kitchen that always needs help preparing or serving dinnersâ€”or a different organization each week to allow each member of the family to select a place where they would like to donate their time.

For most families, giving the gift of their time adds up to more than they would be able to donate in money. Non-profits are understaffed, particularly in bad economic times, and can almost always find a place for additional help.

Many websites, like Volunteer Match at http:www.volunteermatch.com can help you to identify the right opportunities and the right contact information for places near your home. They also have categories of age appropriateness to help choose tasks where even small children can begin to participate.

Putting volunteer time on your weekly calendar will help it happen all year long. When itâ€™s a set day of the week and a set time, people will be less tempted to forget or to postpone for other obligations. They can begin to plan on it and schedule around the evening that they know they will be volunteering. Volunteering as a group can also be a great way to spend time with your family and bond with your kids while helping others in your community.

Filed Under: Seasonal Volunteering Tagged With: Christmas and holiday season, Family, Meal, Non-profit organization, Philanthropy, Soup kitchen, Thanksgiving, volunteer

Volunteering With Your Children

One Warm Coat: A Quest to Keep Everyone Warm This Winter

NCADV Collects Cell Phones

Starting a Family Volunteer Night

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