Today my family and I are volunteering at our “All Church Work Day”.  Our church hosts events like this throughout the year to provide an opportunity for us as members to get involved.  There can be a multitude of different tasks involved: painting and building maintenance work, cleaning and dusting, cleaning of children’s classrooms, organizing and preparing for upcoming events and so much more. 

I am writing this post to encourage you to get involved in your local church or other community organizations.  Whether you have five minutes or five hours giving back as a family not only makes a difference in the world we live in but strengthens your family unit.  Volunteering as a family helps teach your children kindness, compassion and the importance of community involvement. 

I am so grateful for the many opportunities I have had through volunteering at my church.  Not only have I learned a variety of different skills by volunteering, but you get to meet people in a new way.  When you are working on a project next to someone, you not only discuss the task at hand but learn about each other’s families, occupations and life stories.  During these volunteering opportunities I have learned parenting tips, marriage advice and so much more.  The same is true for your children, what better way for them to learn a new skill or meet new friends then by giving back.

With Autumn in the air and the holidays fast approaching start discussing and preparing your family now to get involved in your local church, community soup kitchen or Christmas toy drive. 

The months and days seem to be shorter and go by faster as winter approaches.  I’ve heard family and friends who have had a desire to volunteer with their children at a local soup kitchen or some other charitable organization, to only realize in January that they didn’t accomplish that goal. 

With school aged children, Christmas plays, family holiday gatherings, and  irregular schedules that these upcoming months have in store for us the time will go by faster than ever.  Start the conversation today, get the entire family involved. 

My boys are young but have participated in giving to others in a multitude of ways.  Last Christmas we participated with Operation Christmas Child with Samaritans Purse.  You put together a shoe box filled with toys, school supplies and hygiene items.  The shoe boxes are collected by November 24th in order to distribute across the world in time for Christmas.  That is why it’s important to start the conversation with your family now.  My boys really enjoyed shopping for the items and packing the shoe boxes.

When you plan ahead to give back, you can prepare properly and it’s more enjoyable when you don’t feel rushed and unprepared.  You can start looking for toys and games to give to a local toy drive, and get your kids involved in shopping or making a list of what they would like to give back.  You can plan to donate a Thanksgiving Turkey and food to local food banks.  You can get involved in local community clean-ups and so much more.

Having these discussions as a family helps foster a giving attitude in your children.  We all are so very blessed.  It’s a great feeling to be able to give to others in need and train up your children to have the desire to give to others.  It will remind your children of the many things they have to be grateful for.  By volunteering as a family you are raising up the next generation of generosity. 

Here is a link to read more about Operation Christmas Child:
www.samaritanspurse.org

Here is a link to give involved with Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services:
www.sacramentofoodbank.org

Here is a link to my local church which is involved in giving back in a multitude of ways:  You can donate your time, money or resources:
www.familycc.org

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