Celebrate the Season with Some Soulful Activities

I’m as guilty as the next girl of wanting to recreate the Thanksgiving and Christmas scenes featured in the Pottery Barn kids catalog for my kids, but this is a nice time of year to show your families the true meaning of the holiday season by giving of yourselves. Kudos to those of you who volunteer the whole year through but this is good season for many of us to find some bite-sized volunteer opportunities.

Here are some ideas you may want to explore.

• Head to the Park. Volunteer a half day at your local parks. Enjoy the fresh air, bundle your kids up and get outside to clean up and support their natural play spaces. In NYC, the Central Park Conservancy uses volunteers to rake, gather litter and volunteer at park-sponsored events.
• ‘Quietly’ ask your librarian about volunteering needs at your branch. Our local library lets community members help to restack library books. Let the kids practice their ABCs and teach them the basics of the Dewey Decimal system. If you have special computer skills, many libraries also use volunteers to work with seniors computing classes.
• Feed your neighbors. Unfortunately with high unemployment numbers this year, the demands on local food pantries are growing. Many food pantries need donations, as well as help sorting food. All pantries have lists of their most needed items. Think about picking up a list to use as a guide when you food shop. Make a game of it with your kids by finding coupons or sale items so you can really stretch your donation investment.
• Play Santa Clause with the Marines. The Marine Corp Toys for Tots is a national toy drive for the needy program with local chapters in communities across the country. Head over to www.toysfortots.org and submit your zip code for local details. Many chapters use volunteers for pickups, sorting, and wrapping.

– Jill

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