Finding meaningful ways to spend family time can be a difficult task. Choosing a volunteer option as a family is a creative way to connect with your loved ones while making a positive impact in your community.
Animal Shelter Help
Your local animal shelter is an excellent place for the whole family to get involved. Find a shelter that needs extra assistance; adults and teens can help with cleaning and organizing, while kids may be able to assist with supervised socialization for the animals. Walking dogs and playing with cats may not sound like work, but giving the animals attention, exercise and social time can be beneficial and fun for the animals and family alike.
Join a Community Garden
A community garden project is an excellent way to foster a connection between your extended community and your family. Find a local garden project where your family can help plant, weed, and harvest vegetables for local food pantries. This is a great outdoor activity that kids and adults will enjoy; it is also a great way to learn more about gardening so you can tackle your own garden at home in the future.
Fundraising Run
Charity walks or runs are often held to raise funds for causes like cancer research, children’s charities, or other issues. This is a great way to support a cause that you and your family care about while reducing stress by getting everyone active and outside. Young children can participate in strollers or wagons when they get tired, and older kids can participate in short runs or walks for a cause. This is an excellent option for a family with a range of ages that want to volunteer together.
Nursing Home Support
Volunteering at your local nursing home can bring joy to residents and make their days a little brighter. Whether you opt to visit residents in a local nursing home or assisted living facility, decide to make greeting cards for holidays, or participate in a pen pal relationship, kids and adults alike can bring a lot of joy to residents who may not get the social interactions they need. Many elderly residents lack visitations from family or friends and can suffer from loneliness as a result. Make new friends as a family by contacting your local assisted living facility and checking in to see if the facility offers any activities that your family can participate in throughout the year.
