As we teach kids to be engaged community members, volunteering and donating to others is an essential opportunity. Serving your neighbors is a rewarding and fun experience. United Way states that volunteering “stimulates empathy” and “helps children learn about responsibility to others.” Choose some activities as a family to help support those in need and improve your community.
VOLUNTEERING AND PHILANTHROPY WITH YOUR KIDS:
- Staff a water stop, expo booth or cheer stop for a local charity race, perhaps through the Big Sur Marathon Foundation. Your kids can make inspiring signs, dress up (second round for the Halloween costume?) or take along musical instruments to inspire the athletes.
- Foster a dog, cat or other animal for one of the various local organizations supporting animal welfare, such as the Animal Friends Rescue Project. Be sure to ensure a good match between your kids’ skill level, availability, and the animal’s needs and temperament.
ONE MOM’S STORY:
“After reading ‘Being Mortal’ a few years ago, I felt really pulled toward serving our elderly, mostly homebound community. I kept thinking if my kids and I can add even a few minutes of warmth or connection to someone’s day, that matters,” shares mother of three Kirsten Redding. For nearly three years, Redding has done a Meals on Wheels route with her sons Ollie (11 years old), Owen (9 years old), and Colin (7 years old). “These aren’t just deliveries anymore, they’re deep relationships. Many of the people we visit wait right by the door, ask about school and light up when they see them…My kids have learned that compassion isn’t just a concept: it’s something you can physically go do as part of your normal week.”
- Join beach and neighborhood cleanups at varying locations with the Surfrider Foundation or Save our Shores. Other recurring options include the Carmel “Pickup Posse”—every third Saturday 9:30 am-12 pm from March through October at Carmel City beach next to the Del Mar parking lot at the end of Ocean Avenue—or the City of Pacific Grove clean ups, every second Saturday in the spring and summer from 10 am-12 pm or at Perkins Park every Wednesday from 10 am-12 pm. Contact acolony@cityofpacificgrove.org for similar family-friendly options around Pacific Grove.
- Sign up to bell ring with the Red Kettle for Salvation Army in December to help raise funds that support their year-round human services programs: various locations and dates are available.
- Volunteer to support garden maintenance in Monterey with the Historic Garden League (9:30-11 am most Wednesdays), at the Pacific Grove Community Garden or at the Marina Library. Many parents find weeding to be a great family activity.
- Hidden Hills Ranch accepts volunteers for various tasks to support their work with rescued farm animals.
- Consider adopting a regular or substitute food delivery route for Meal on Wheels.
- Organize a food or toy drive or find one to contribute to: check out the Food Bank for Monterey County or Toys for Tots. Have your kids help tackle the shopping list, delivery or the promotion! If you would like to host a food drive, choose the dates and locations and the food bank will drop off and pick up—Contact Programs Coordinator Myriam Aguilera: maguilera@food4hungry.org.
- Donate some books from your household to a local little free library or a local library that accepts donations for fundraising.
- Donate diapers (maybe the ones your kid has grown out of? Open packs are okay.) to the Food Bank for Monterey County, which redistributes diapers to community members in need as a member of the National Diaper Bank Network.
- Visit local nursing homes, for example for Halloween events to share the joy of little ones in cute costumes or to drop off cheerful cards with kids’ artwork. Check ahead of time for time preferences, events or other details.
- Enlist your kids to help sort toys, clothes or household items with some fun music and then take donation-worthy items to local charity resale stores.
- For those with military base access only: Join the Birthday Wishes Facebook group to help deliver birthday surprises (cakes, favorite snacks, balloons or other happy items) to service members that are living far from their families. Families reimburse you for related costs while you provide support, delivery and enthusiasm.
- Adopt a senior for the Alliance on Aging’s Angel Tree project or an Angel child through Salvation Army for the winter holidays. Wish lists are provided.
HAVE A TEEN? MONTEREY COUNTY VOLUNTEER OPTIONS FOR TEENAGERS:
- For ages 15 and up, MEarth offers diverse year-round youth and adult volunteer opportunities around place-based learning and environmental stewardship. Hilton Bialek Habitat, near Carmel Middle School, is an 10-acre habitat with a LEED-certified culinary classroom and a 1-acre organic garden.
- Monterey Recreation accepts summer volunteers ages 13 to 17 to support preschools or community center needs.
- For those over 16 who like baking, look into Cake 4 Kids.
- Teens can serve as reading buddies for younger kids, on the teen advisory board or do teen book reviews at the Monterey Public Library. For more information, contact Andrea Osejo at osejo@monterey.org or 831-646-2094.
- Consider joining service groups such as the National Charity League of Monterey Bay (mother-daughter pairs join starting in sixth grade).
PARENTS, HAVE ADDITIONAL TIME TO VOLUNTEER WHEN YOUR KIDS ARE OTHERWISE ENGAGED?
- Consider coaching for Girls on the Run or another youth sports team.
- Look into the Bright Beginnings Early Childhood Development Initiative or the Maternal Mental Health Task force.
- Share your professional gifts and training with nonprofits in need via Taproot.
- Check out additional volunteer options at Idealist.org: you can filter for virtual, specific cities or “family” options.
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