12 Tips for Family Volunteering During the Holidays from the experts at Doing Good Together™

12 Tips for Family Volunteering During the Winter Holidays

Give back, help other, and spread joy!

Between batches of holiday treats and marching through your gift list, slip in a few hours for a family volunteer project. These simple ideas will help connect your family with the needs in your community and provide a chance for your adults and children alike to give as well as receive this holiday season.

Sponsor a family
Many families have a tradition of sponsoring or “adopting” a local family for gift giving. Social service agencies can match you with a family in need and suggest what gifts they would appreciate – usually basics like hats, mittens, socks, underwear, and blankets. And, of course, toys! If you need additional help finding a family, visit the VolunteerMatch database to locate an agency in your area with an “adopt-a-family” holiday program.
Decorate holiday cards
Homemade holiday cards are sure-fire day brighteners. Donate your creations to a local nursing home, Meals on Wheels program or veteran’s hospital. Or send them to a service member or a child with a life-threatening illness.
Pack up parcels
Organize a family assembly line to bag up supplies for low-income families. Buy cost-effective bulk quantities of pinto beans or rice, then put family-size portions into two-quart resealable plastic bags. Your local food shelf will distribute them for you, but contact them first to be sure you have a recipient.
Tie no-sew blankets
A popular cold-weather project is making blankets by tying the ends – no sewing required! Even youngsters can pitch in. Find simple instructions for a no-sew fleece blankets or order a blanket kit to get started.
Create a giving box
It’s easy to get into the habit of giving when you make a fun container to collect your loose change. Start with a coffee can, shoebox or jar. Decorate it together, then place it in a prominent spot in your home. When the box is full, decide together where to donate the money. Start with charities whose goals match your family’s interests.
Make a calendar of giving
Sit down together and choose one simple service project per month from the ideas listed on our Pick-a-Project page. Other great projects are listed in Doing Good Together: 101 Easy, Meaningful Service Projects for Families, Schools, and Communities (Free Spirit Publishing, 2010).
Visit the elderly
Each holiday, over 3 million people are confined to places like hospitals and care facilities, and 60 percent of those receive no visitors. Your family can help them feel less lonely by simply sharing your time. Before going, call to find out the best time for a visit. Take along small gifts or homemade treats to share.
Join a toy drive
Pick out a toy for a child in need, then deposit your gift (unwrapped) at a convenient Toys for Tots location. It’s simple, doesn’t cost much and helps spark the spirit of giving in your brood.
Party heart-y
For your holiday party, ask guests to bring a nonperishable food item, new or gently used book or toy, pair of socks or mittens, or other essential you can donate to a local charity. String up a clothesline so guests can hang the socks or mittens they bring, or create a “sculpture” from the canned foods they bring. Discover more ideas here.
Make and bake
Bake some treats to donate to a lonely neighbor, a food shelf, our troops or a group that serves the homeless or elderly. For ideas and inspiration, check out Spread the Bread, a great organization that encourages everyone to “bake a difference.”
Load a shoebox
Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, invites folks to pack a shoebox full of goodies (toys, school supplies, hygiene items) for children in developing countries. Have your children add a note and a photo of your family. Looking for a longer-term commitment? Join The Box Project to enrich the lives of a family living in poverty in rural America by establishing a meaningful relationship and providing needed supplies.
Give back with gifts
Give gifts that give back by benefiting charities or nonprofit organizations. Discover some wonderful gift ideas in our Shop Kind store and our book collection for the winter holidays!