Ten Ways for Families to Share Their Blessings All Year Long

Its easy to feel like our childrens values can get skewed, especially at this time of year when they are so often on the receiving end of goodies. Yet at a time in our world when so many people are struggling just to pay their bills or are looking for work, there are many ways we can encourage our kids to give of themselves and do for others.  By helping others, we are not only giving a gift to those in need, but also to our children, who can experience the joy of making a positive impact on the lives of others. Below are a few simple suggestions for ways to get your children involved in giving, not just in December, but year-round. In fact, many charities enjoy a surge of volunteers around the holidays but would love to have more helping hands during the other eleven months of the year. (Be sure to call the organizations first to make sure kids are welcome and to sign up for a shift.) 1.    Shovel snow or rake leaves for neighbors to raise money for charity or just to help elderly neighbors. 2.    Prepare a meal and deliver it to a homeless shelter, or sign up to serve a meal at a shelter.  The Baked Ziti recipe below is an easy one for kids to help to prepare and deliver. 3.    Spend an afternoon playing cards, board games, etc. with residents at a nursing home or group home. 4.    Volunteer at an animal shelter or donate used blankets and towels to animal shelters. (One of Celias friends asks for toys for animals at shelters rather than gifts for her birthday each year.) 5.    Sort food, clothing or furniture at a food bank or homeless organization. If you can, go to Costco or another big box store and fill up your trunk with nonperishable food to donate. 6.    Go for a walk in a public park or near a stream and pick up trash. (Make sure to bring work gloves and separate bags for recycling and trash.) 7.    Before new gifts come into the house, clean, sort and donate gently used clothes and toys to charity.  (This has the added benefit of keeping your house clutter-free.) 8.    Invite your friends and neighbors to a holiday gift-giving party, with the gifts going to families in need. 9.    Send letters and/or care packages to military stationed overseas (our neighbor, whose son is in Afghanistan, says baby wipes and candy are highly valued, and the USO website is a good resource). 10.    Finally, here are a few of my favorite nonprofit organizations where kids can get involved in choosing the donations and/or beneficiaries: Give a farm animal to rural families around the world through www.Heifer.org, fulfill the wish lists of teachers at low income schools at Donors Choose, or give a microloan to a small business in a third world country through Kiva. Id love to hear how you and your family get involved in giving back to your community. Please share your ideas and experiences in the comments below.