Places you can volunteer with children(as in bring mine along to help volunteering)

[-GoBengals-]

I think i amy have asked this before, couldnt find the thread though..

 

I have 8 &10 year old boys, I want to ensure they have a few life lessons and skills i could have used earlier in my life, an appreciation for helping others, an understanding of how different others are and how hard life can be, and an appreciation for how easy they have it and how lucky they are to have and do the things they get to do.

and no matter what, there is always a good feeling in helping other people, no matter how small, every interaction with another stranger or person is a life learning experience, even something as small as this website has helped me a ton, advice on life and technical issues, house issues, financial decisions, etc, and i made efforts to attempt to have positive impacts on others lives as well. 

My children have no idea what it took to get to where we are, we arent rich by any stretch of any imagination, being middle class is a mix of working until i cant take anymore and a part time jobs worth of time spent looking for deals, value, bargains, etc. 

they. have. no. idea. 

I want them to clean a park, help feed homeless, sort stuff at goodwill, whatever, just be helpful to someone elses benefit. 

issue is, the parks are clean as fuck, cant find anything kids can do at any local homeless shelter, goodwill seems to only want adults to life heavy things and sort whatever.

im coming up short on ideas..

any direction or ideas would be awesome.. 

i was thinking about having them work around the neighborhood to earn cash, and then go spend that cash on toys to donate or books to donate, whatever, but they are sort of on the young side to do anything like mow lawns or whatever..  I could do it myself, have them take the trash out for $1, or whatever, but doesnt seem like it sends quite the same message being my money, im glad to match whatever they earn, but i want them to get the money in their hands that they earned, and then they go spend it and then they go donate... etc..

 

any info or ideas would be awesome.

 

thanks!

-Ryan

[T-Dub]

I volunteer at this local food pantry from time to time & parents often bring kids around that age.  Depending on age/maturity we usually have them check the dates on donated food, stock shelves or fill shopping bags off a list for these bonus packages we do, like a bunch of snacks & breakfast cereals for "Back to School" or your traditional Thanksgiving items etc. It's so folks don't use up their allotment on that stuff instead of the "real" groceries they need.

[-GoBengals-]

I volunteer at this local food pantry from time to time & parents often bring kids around that age.  Depending on age/maturity we usually have them check the dates on donated food, stock shelves or fill shopping bags off a list for these bonus packages we do, like a bunch of snacks & breakfast cereals for "Back to School" or your traditional Thanksgiving items etc. It's so folks don't use up their allotment on that stuff instead of the "real" groceries they need.

i will have to check in a little more, most cite no children in volunteer info.. but it doesnt specify which age, may have to contact them to get insight.

[|Montana Bengal|]

You should check with the pastor at your church 

[T-Dub]

You should check with the pastor at your church 

Good show.

 

 

[T-Dub]

 

I've also seen younger kids doing clean-up or helping plant stuff at parks.  

[CincyInDC]

When I was in Salt Lake City last June we saw an impressive number of people volunteering to replant all the landscaping at Temple Square.  It was kind of a 1:1 relationship between volunteers and flowers.  I'd wager the not-so-famous temples around the country need volunteers, too.

 

[-GoBengals-]

will be doing some searches on parks again and planting trees or flowers, etc..

 

anything i have found so far for kids is religious bible this or worship camp that..

 

i prefer my good deeds be non religious.. and hope that my kids understand that being a good person and helping others is done because its what makes you a good person... and it helps others...

...and not because if you dont some imagined magician is going to damn a non existent part of your being to fire and hell.. 

i have done some work with the national parks groups.. would be great if it didnt almost kill me, kids would be not only useless but a safety risk..

gotta be an in between somewhere..

[CincyInDC]

Boulder and Louisville are full of hippies who are probably looking for volunteers to help with something -- not just baking marijuana cookies.  I'll ask some friends there if that's not too far from you.

[T-Dub]

Boulder and Louisville are full of hippies who are probably looking for volunteers to help with something -- not just baking marijuana cookies.  I'll ask some friends there if that's not too far from you.

 

 

And if they do need volunteers for baking cookies hit me up

 

 

[scharm]

Church good starting point.      Boy Scouts is another.   

[-GoBengals-]

Church good starting point.      Boy Scouts is another.   

i dont want to be or to take my children anywhere near a church... there are some scouts things i came across, didnt know what sort of involvement they were looking for, dont really want to joint or be a part of scouts but if they just generally run some volunteer stuff it could work out..