It is always important to teach children to be compassionate and concerned for people in need, which can be a real challenge today as many suburban children rarely see people who are homeless, hungry, or without adequate warm clothing. The holiday season is a great time for children to learn about the spirit of giving. There are many local causes that provide families a chance to volunteer together and allow children to get first hand experience in the spirit of giving. Many organizations have been down in donations over the past year, so local support would be needed and appreciated.
Here are some ways to involve your children to make the “Spirit of Giving” more real to your child.
- Talk to your child about children and families who do not have money to buy coats, food or toys this year. Help them to understand what it would be like for a kid their age to be part of a family who does not have a home, a roof over their heads, heat in their house, or to be hungry all the time.
- Watch the Bay Area Rescue Mission’s video showing the people they helped in 2011. Children are inquisitive and often need to put a face to who they are helping to make it real. Let your child know that together you and your family can do something that will make a difference in a child’s life this Holiday Season. The Bay Area Rescue Mission is a great charity to support with your children. This charity has been working to help the homeless get off the streets since 1965. They do not simply handout food and clothes for the needy, but they also provide job skills training in a variety of different occupations. They provide food and shelter, and actually help people get back on their feet.
- Donate Food. Many families struggle to put enough food on the table. The holiday season can be extra difficult ensuring there is food to eat, and the Contra Costa Food Bank offers several ways for families to jump in and help. Families can create and host their own classic food drive, plant a special row in their gardens and harvest the surplus to give to the food bank, volunteer in their distribution centers, or find other opportunities to give back here. Put all your child’s favorite foods in a bag and together bring it to one of the many drop off locations, such as our office or any local grocery store.
- Donate Clothing. Have your child go through their closet to find gently used coats and winter gear that he/she no longer wears or has outgrown to donate. Put all the clothing in a bag and together bring it to our office or the nearest One Warm Coat collection station. Be sure to remind your child that the coats will help another child stay warm this winter!
- Donate Toys. Ask everyone in the family if they would like to contribute to purchase a new toy for a child who otherwise would not receive a gift for Christmas. Talk about how old the child might be and what are ideas for a gift for this child. Find a time to take your child to the toy store to purchase a gift. Give yourself enough time to let your child browse and select the “right” gift for this other less fortunate child. Remind your child that you are finding a toy for someone else, so he/she does not get distracted and lose track of the mission. Once you have the toy, bring it by our office or to the nearest Toys for Tots collection station.
- Volunteer. The more opportunities children are given to give back to their communities as children, the more likely they are to continue to do so through adulthood. Volunteering can become a family tradition as much as giving gifts or cooking a big meal. Traditions are what children often look forward to the most, and it would be easy to incorporate volunteering. In San Francisco, the Glide Memorial has been serving individuals and families who are less fortunate and providing food, meals, service, and safe haven since 1929. You and your family can be part of Glide Memorial’s mission through volunteering to serve a meal, make a donation, or help at one of their giving events, such as toy giveaways and grocery bag donation giveaways. For more information, see their website: http://www.glide.org/home.
- Create your own donation campaign. Find a cause that your child is interested in. Does your child have a passion for animals? Many animal shelters will accept old towels to use for animal bedding. Do you know someone in the military? Collect small gifts, treats, books, and toiletries to send to troops overseas with a handmade card from your child. Does your family have a specific cause they would like to support? We have seen the impact our coat and toy drive has had on families the Bay Area Rescue Mission and Toys for Tots serves and we encourage your family to participate in an act of giving this year. The point is to let your child think about who they can help, what they can do to help, and then allow them to assist in collecting and delivering these items with you, so they have a sense of being involved and of actually giving. Several years ago, our 5th/6th grade girls group decided that they wanted to do a service project to raise $500 in coins for CARE, a humanitarian organization dedicated to fighting global poverty, with a special focus on empowering women and their families. They made flyers and a paper chain to help remind campers of their project, and by end of camp, they had raised $514! This past summer, our CILT group raised money for Camp Sizanani, a camp in South Africa dedicated to education, HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, and life skills. They raised about $500, which will allow many children in South Africa to go to camp next summer! We are so proud of all of our campers for initiating these projects all on their own and for working hard to help those in need.
Allowing the Spirit of Giving to be a part of children’s lives both during and beyond the holidays helps them to be better citizens of the world and keepers of kindness.
Happy Holidays and Happy Giving Tuesday!
Ann Woods, Director, Roughing It Day Camp
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Join us in the Spirit of Giving! Roughing It is collecting donations for these causes this holiday season: One Warm Coat, Contra Costa Food Bank, and Toys for Tots Drop off items at our camp office 1010 Oak Hill Road in Lafayette between now and Dec 18th ( M-F,9am-5pm) Give the Gift of Camp! Make a donation and help send a child to camp. Here are a few organizations you may want to consider supporting: |
