Holiday Charity and Volunteering with Kids in New York City

This holiday season, many New York City families may still find it difficult to open up their wallets to those in need, as we struggle through the continuing recession. 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 volunteering opportunities around the city, we've rounded up resources and websites to get you started so you don't feel overwhelmed. No matter where you live, how old your children are, or what your family is interested in, there is sure to be a program to fit your holiday volunteering desires.

Places to Volunteer

New York Cares
One of the largest volunteering organizations in the city, New York Cares leads many different initiatives including its well known annual coat drive. Around the holidays, volunteers are needed to sort the coats that come in. It's hard work and not really the best for children, although kids can certainly donate coats.

New York Cares also operates a Winter Wishes program to fulfill the holiday dreams of more than 32,000 local children. This is great opportunity to get little ones involved by taking them shopping to buy a present for kids who may only receive the gifts you buy.

Other family volunteering opportunities through New York Cares include delivering holiday meals, wrapping gifts, caroling, playing bingo with seniors and more. You can search the project calendar to find volunteer opportunities near you, and click the family-friendly box for ones that are good to do with kids.

Marble Church
This church has many year-round volunteering opportunities and also special holiday activities like wrapping and delivering gifts, serving food to the homeless on Thanksgiving and Christmas morning. Some that sound particular good for children are visiting nursing homes and recreation with the disabled, as well as delivering presents.

generationOn
Formerly known as Children for Children, this national volunteering organization actually caters to kids and their specific interests. They have lots of projects sorted by interest and age, and there are even options that are good for children under 5. generationOn's goal is to instill a life-long commitment to service.

Operation Santa Claus
Operation Santa Claus is the program run by the New York Post Office to answer the letters from local kids who've written to Santa asking for presents. New York City’s program is the largest in the country, with tens of thousands of people adopting letters each year. Just sharing these stories with your children is a great lesson, as they realize that other kids don’t really have as much as they do. When I was young, my parents did this every year. To get me involved, they would have me donate $2 out of my weekly allowance to go toward 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, especially during the holidays.

This year, Operation Santa Claus kicks off on Thursday, December 1 and runs until Christmas Eve. You can adopt letters from the main post office at 421 Eighth Avenue at 33rd Street Monday through Saturday 9am-4pm, and until 7pm on Thursday. You'll be asked to provide valid identification and sign a form before accessing the letters. Ten letters maximum per person.

City Harvest
City Harvest feeds hungry New Yorkers, and has tons of volunteer opportunities throughout the year. One that is particularly good for children is the Food Drives. You and your kids can organize a food drive at your office, their school, or your place of worship with the tools 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, too.

What You Can Do at Home
In addition to volunteering, children can easily get involved in giving and helping others without even leaving the house.

Clean Up and Give
With new toys rolling in, take this opportunity to clean out the kids’ 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 gently used toys and games (read: haven’t been played with in over a year) to charity.

Where to Donate

Room to Grow
Room to Grow is a unique organization that provides essentials for babies to families living in poverty, and works with mothers to monitor their infant's development every three months to make sure all 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 the Chelsea location or organization offers free pickups once a month in Manhattan.

Housing Works
Housing Works has several locations where you can donate and will take toys (the Salvation Army doesn't). Money made from the organization's thrift stores goes to help people living with HIV.

Toys for Tots
This U.S. Marine Corps Reserve program collects new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December, and then distributes them as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community. SSgt Ivan Lebron is the Toys for Tots NYC Coordinator, and the office is located in Brooklyn. Please contact the Brooklyn office for more information.

Find other holiday charity ideas in our Holiday Guide, and gift ideas in our NYC Shopping Local Gift Guide.