Introducing your child to volunteer work can be a great way to teach them about giving back to their community. Check out these age-appropriate volunteer opportunities for kids in the Twin Cities area.
Volunteering with kids–whether it’s with my kids only or we include their friends–is one of the best things that grows me as a person. I love learning alongside them and showing people that we care. I love seeing them navigate through trying situations and coming out the other side with a different perspective. And it gives me ample opportunity to practice my patience.
If you are ready to introduce your kids to serving outside your home, we have determined the Top 5 Volunteering with Kids opportunities here in the metro. We also have some great outside-of-the-box ideas to start teaching your kids as well as yourself.
Know of a kid-friendly volunteer opportunity that families can do together?
Top 5 Opportunities for Volunteering with Kids in the Twin Cities
Here our are our five favorite ways to volunteer with kids. They are timeless opportunities to serve and make a give impact. Some of these opportunities will work best with tweens and teens, but many can be done as a family – even with the smallest kids.
1. Fight hunger in our own community
Every Meal
Location: Roseville
Age Requirement: Ages 8+ with adult.
How to Volunteer: In order to reserve volunteer spots for youth volunteers, you must create a team and reserve blank spots for them. Volunteer Here.
Website: EveryMeal.Org
Volunteer Description: Volunteers are needed to pack meals at Packing Events (Public and Private), distribute Meal Packs into backpacks at school, hold a food drive, and other duties that are more suitable for adults (like administrative and warehouse duties). Another way to participate is by attending some of their community events to raise awareness and funding.
"Every Meal began by providing one bag of non-perishable food to 27 kindergarteners each weekend in 2010. Over the next two years, the program was gradually opened to all students at Sheridan School, reaching more than 300 students in 2012. The spring of 2013 brought their first expansion into another school, Delano Elementary, increasing their impact to some 350 children.
Manna Market
Location: Fridley, Wyoming, Anoka, Spring Lake Park, Blaine, St. Francis
Age Requirement: Families of all ages encouraged to volunteer.
Website: MannaMarketMN.Org
Volunteer Description: Volunteers are needed to sort groceries and pack donated food at the markets that will go to the food banks.
How to Volunteer: Call 763-205-1035 or email Forrest (bmurphy@youthwayministries.org) or Bianca (bmurphy@youthwayministries.org) to learn more.
"Manna Market collaborates with Second Harvest Heartland to pick up surplus foods from area grocery stores and distribute them through local churches. It has grown to seven locations, which distribute more than 100,000 pounds of food each month. At Manna Market we feel it is of the highest importance to be good stewards of the abundance this society produces and wastes. We feel passionate about recovering these resources and distributing them to people who could use extra help during these hard economic times."
2. Feeding the World
Feed My Starving Children
Location: Chanhassen, Coon Rapids, Eagan
Age Requirement: Ages 5+ with adults (very limited jobs for the youngest volunteers due to height issues)
How to Volunteer: Register online here.
Website: FMSC.org
Volunteer Description: Food packers are needed six days a week throughout the year and are vital to this global outreach ministry. Kids are able to help scoop ingredients, measure and weight food packs, and seal. The atmosphere is encouraging and uplifting and FUN!
This is one of the favorite places to serve for Gianna’s Family. Read about their first experience here.
Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) believes hope starts with food. As a Christian nonprofit, FMSC is dedicated to seeing every child whole in body and spirit. FMSC works with food distribution partners that stay with communities for the long haul, empowering them to move from relief to development.
3. Volunteering from Home with Kids
Habitat for Humanity
Location: Chanhassen, Coon Rapids, Eagan
Age Requirement: All ages
How to Volunteer: Sign up on their email list, and they will let you know when a project is in need of encouragement.
Website: TCHabitat.org
Volunteer Description: Cookie bakers provide freshly baked treats for the construction volunteers at each site. Then, at home, kids can help make a batch of cookies and deliver 2-4 dozen to their office.
Millard and Linda Fuller developed the concept of “partnership housing.” The concept centered on those in need of adequate shelter working side by side with volunteers to build decent, affordable houses. The houses would be built at no profit. New homeowners’ house payments would be combined with no-interest loans provided by supporters and money earned by fundraising to create “The Fund for Humanity,” which would then be used to build more homes.
4. Doing Good Together
Doing Good Together is one of our favorite volunteer programs. They gather volunteer opportunities in the Twin Cities (and all over the country) that families can choose among. Sign up for their emails or just peruse their current list of kid-friendly volunteer opportunities. Look for family service projects that fight poverty and homelessness, care for animals, heal the earth, share an act of kindness and more.
5. Rescue Readers at the Animal Humane Society
Homeless pets at the animal shelter benefit from having kids read to them. The program also raises money for the AHS. Read About Our Experience Here.
Seasonal Volunteer Opportunities for Kids
Volunteering at Christmas Time
Salvation Army bell ringers
Age requirement: All ages – kids especially!
Website: SalvationArmyNorth.org
How to Volunteer: Find Information Here.
Volunteer Description: Bring a group of any size and get ready to entertain and encourage others to give to the Salvation Army. It is a true fact that the red kettles collect more when someone is there. Read a story, sing a Christmas carol, cheer for every penny. Have fun and make donating an experience!
In 1891, Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee was distraught because so many poor individuals in San Francisco were going hungry. During the holiday season, he resolved to provide a free Christmas dinner for the destitute and poverty-stricken. He only had one major hurdle to overcome -- funding the project. The next day Captain McFee placed a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing at the foot of Market Street. Beside the pot, he placed a sign that read, "Keep the Pot Boiling." He soon had the money to see that the needy people were properly fed at Christmas.
Earth Day Clean Up Opportunities
Park Clean Ups
Age requirement: All ages – Fun with Kids!
Volunteer Description: Each year, parks need a little TLC after the long winter. Families can put on some gloves, grab a garbage bag and pick up trash around the park and neighborhood. Find an Earth Day Park Clean Up Near You.
Opportunities to Teach Kids About Service & Compassion
While there are educational, cultural, and fun opportunities all around town to volunteer with your kids, here are some ways to give back as a family staying closer to home. Great to start with younger kids, even toddlers can can start to develop a giving spirit with these ideas.
1. Learn about a different culture whether here or far away
- Read lots of books
- “She Knows” Website Recommendations
- Doing Good Together Recommendations
- We Highly Recommend Green Card Youth Voices – Written by Area High School Students
- Watch documentaries
- Learn the stories of our neighbors
2. Sacrifice for Someone Else
- Give Food
- Food shelves
- Homeless shelters
- Neighbors in crisis
- Donate Clothes
- Goodwill
- Salvation Army
- Any thrift store. One of our favorites is Hidden Treasures in St. Anthony Village.
- Contribute Toys
- Show Kindness to Someone who Doesn’t Look Like Me
- Defend others from bullies
- Praise effort
- Smile
3. Share Your Home and Foster Flourishing
- Animal Shelters
- Children
4. Pray for Others
Faith is a huge part of our family. If something is on our hearts, we take time to pray together.
5. Start to Care About More Than Myself
If someone doesn’t care, things don’t change
- Think of others’ needs
- Slow down and notice
- Ask questions like, how can empower my child to be part of the solution to real-world problems? (from Doing Good Together)
7. Intentionally Buy Ethically-Made Products–Start with One
Consider what you are buy and where your money is going. Think Fair Trade and not just in coffee, but in garments and jewelry. Buy local or from a company who sells ethically produced products.
- Some Retailers that are making a difference
- Feed My Starving Children Marketplace
- Moss Envy
- Ten Thousand Villages
- Eastside Food Co-op (or other local co-ops)
More Ideas for Giving Back with Kids
Giving Back in the Community
- Visit a nursing home together. Make some new friends with the seniors living in there.
- Participate in community fundraisers. Even if its just a meal out once a month to support a favorite school.
- Support businesses that donate to organizations you want to support.
- Be a family advocate for something you strongly support.
Giving Back to Teachers
Whatever our situation, whether our kids are in elementary schools or high schools, our children’s lives are fuller because another adult has chosen to enhance their lives. We don’t have to wait for a significant time for giving to teachers. These suggestions are just the tip of the iceberg, and some don’t take very much time.
- Ask your child to be mail carrier & write an encouraging note.
- Bring a snack to parent/teacher conference.
- Volunteer in classroom.
- Be the teacher’s advocate.
- Practice listening to teacher with child.
Giving back to teachers will benefit your child, your teacher, and your role as the parent. And it’s fun to do together as a family.
Giving Back to Neighbors
Here are some simple ways we have used or want to use to serve our neighbors and give back to them.
- Bake Cookies and deliver personally.
- Rake Leaves or help with other chores.
- Have kids draw pictures for those who are stuck inside.
- Write a song and sing it to them outside their houses.
- Invite a neighbor over for coffee/tea or bring it to them.
-Doing something for your neighbors builds a strong bond in your neighborhood.
This is wonderful blog. A great read. I want to add, my daughter uses the “Just serve” app to find age-appropriate opportunities. You can filter by the type of experience you are look for and by age.
Thank you, Blanche. I did a quick internet search and found Just Serve .Org. I filtered by “Suitable for all ages” and found a ton of family-friendly opportunities. This is a good find!
Thanks for these great ideas, we will try some with our grandchildren! It is so good to teach our youngsters to think of others before themselves.
We’re glad you find it useful, Mark. Let us know where you go and how your grandchildren enjoyed the experience. We love to hear real-life reader feedback.
My son and I, would love to volunteer our holiday time with you all. Please add us to the list in the areas of Saint Paul and or Minneapolis. Thank you!
Hi Victoria. We are not affiliated with any of these great organizations, but we do highly recommend signing up with Doing Good Together: https://www.doinggoodtogether.org/. You can get information on Family Volunteering Opportunities by email every week.