Holiday Charity and Volunteering with Kids in New York City
This holiday season, New York families might find it more difficult than ever before to open up their wallets to those in need, as they struggle to stretch even their own dollars. As we all know, volunteering is a wonderful way to give back by donating your time, and it can be truly extra-special when the kids join in. Since there are an abundance of opportunities around the city, here are some resources and websites to get you started before you start feeling overwhelmed. No matter where you live, how old your children are, or what your family is interested in, there is bound to be a program to fit your holiday volunteering desires.
Places to volunteer:
NY Cares is an organization (one of the largest in the city) that leads many different initiatives to help those in need. Specifically during the winter, more volunteers are needed to sort the coats that are donated to their coat drive. It's hard work and not really the best for children, though kids can indeed donate coats.
NY Cares also operates a Winter Wishes program to fulfill the Holiday dreams of more than 32,000 New York children. This is great opportunity to get the little ones involved by taking them shopping with you to buy a present for one or more children that may only receive the gifts you bought for them.
Marble Church has many regular opportunities for occasional volunteers and special Holiday activities like wrapping and delivering gifts, serving food to the homeless on Christmas morning and serving Thanksgiving dinner. Some that sound particular good for children are visiting nursing homes and recreation with the disabled, as well as delivering presents.
Children for Children actually caters to children in volunteering, as it matches kids with opportunities that match their interests. You can search by location, interest and age, including volunteer opportunities that are good for children under 5. Their goal is for children to discover their power and potential to solve real world problems through volunteer opportunities and service-learning programs that instill a life-long commitment to service.
Operation Santa Claus is the program offered by the New York Post Office to answer the 500,000 letters of children who have written Santa asking for presents. Just sharing these stories with your children is a great lesson, as they see that some other children don’t really have as much as they do. When I was younger, my parents did this every year. To get me involved, they would have me donate two dollars out of my weekly allowance to go towards the gifts, and we would sit down and read the letters together to make it even more personal. I can actually still remember some of those letters they were so touching. Even beyond that, making a child in need’s wish come true by providing something your kids may be taking for granted, is a rewarding and extraordinary experience for any child to have, especially during the holidays.
Operation Santa Claus runs until Christmas Eve. Letters can be selected in person at the main post office, 421 8th Ave. at 33rd St. The hours are:
City Harvest feeds those in need here in New York, and has tons of various volunteer opportunities throughout the year. One that is particularly good for children is their Food Drives. You and your kids can organize a food drive at your office, their school, or your place of worship with the supplies provided to you by City Harvest. The organization picks up nonperishable food items donated at these locations, and kids can help spread the word and get their friends to donate while helping City Harvest stock food pantries across the city.
What You Can Do at Home:
With new toys rolling in, take this opportunity to clean out the kids’ toy cache. Since most kids won’t be thrilled with this idea, get them excited about it by making it an opportunity to help other children by giving those gently used toys and games (read: haven’t been played with in over a year) to charity. Or bring them to our Holiday Toy Swap Events and trade them in for some new gently used treasures.
Where to Donate:
Room to Grow
Room to Grow is a unique organization, since it provides the essentials needed for babies to families in poverty and works with mothers to monitor their child's development every three months to make sure all the baby's needs are being met. Room to Grow accepts donations of baby gear, clothing, toys and other essentials for children up to age 4. Donations can be dropped off at their Chelsea location or they offer free pick-ups once a month.
Housing Works
Housing Works is a convenient place to donate because they have several locations and will take toys (which the Salvation Army will not). Money made from their thrift stores goes to help people with HIV.
Toys for Tots
Toys for Tots is a U.S. Marine Corps Reserve program that collects new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December and distributes them as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community. Their goal is to get us donators to play an active role kids’ lives, unite members of local communities and to contribute to better communities in the future. SSgt Henry Kelcinski is the Toys for Tots NYC Coordinator, and the office is located in Brooklyn. Please contact the Brooklyn office for more information.
I love the idea of kids
I love the idea of kids getting out of their insulated worlds and doing something constructive to help people, but taking my kids to wrap gifts or do anything toy related seems to undermine what I am trying to teach them about "stuff" (stuff doesn't make you happy) and people in need (some people don't have food or homes). Is a 5 yo too young to work in a soup kitchen?
Hello, I am looking for an
Hello,
I am looking for an organization that will help me get clothes and gifts for my children this holiday season, I just don't want another Christmas to pass by without them not having anything. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Amy
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