Volunteering cultivates strong values and empathy. By giving back, kiddos learn about the needs in our community with a positive lens that tells them, “We can help.” Though it’s harder to find opportunities for kids under 15, your young family has options. Bring your kindergartner to place stickers on meals at 15 local pantries through Meals of Hope, and get the gang together to cook for families battling illness through Fort Myers’ Ronald McDonald House Charities‘ Family Meal Program. Through their Family Meal Program, your clan cooks a meal for visiting families with sick children (your littlest ones can crack eggs, sort, stir and taste-test). Starting at at 9, kids can host school drives and assemble bags of PJs, socks and underwear for underserved children through Naples’ Beverly’s Angels.
There are more opportunities for tweens and teens. At Fort Myers’ Gulf Coast Humane Society, 13-year-olds get hands-on socializing puppies and kittens. Fourteen is a magic number for volunteering: At that age, teens can sort donations at Harry Chapin Food Bank, craft beds for Humane Society of Naples rescues, help with the equine therapy at Naples Therapeutic Riding Center and mentor children through Project Access in Naples. Similarly, 14-year-olds interested in healthcare can deliver flowers and transport wheelchair patients for Lee Health (their volunteer program is robust) or help in the office at a Hope Hospice location near your home.
Community Cooperative food pantry in Fort Myers invites kiddos 16 and older to pitch in at the pantry or brighten a senior’s day by tagging along on Meals on Wheels deliveries (at 14, they can help in the community garden to grow fresh food for underserved families). Volunteering parents at Naples’ St. Matthew’s House can bring kids 15 and older to help sort donations, pack pantry bags and distribute food. Or, your teen can give back to places that filled their lives with wonder, volunteering at Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples or IMAG History & Science Center.
Have a tyke under 5? Start building a charitable foundation by bringing your strollered toddler to your next 5K, or taking your preschooler on a trash pick-up expedition. However your family chooses to give, drive home the message by talking about the why, what and who behind your efforts. The world changes one little helping hand at a time.