Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Ways to Give as a Family

Practicing the Corporal Works of Mercy is important for us all. Setting an example of service and showing your kids that service is rewarding spiritually, is a lifelong gift and an important life lesson. Below is a list of ways you can serve as a family as well as a list of organizations that are ready to accept help.

Serve those in need within your 

community and beyond

Give Alms to the Poor
Collect alms from the neighbors you know and send money to an international agency like
Catholic Relief Services (click here) - Rice for Life - Create a rice bowl for those in need.

Burying the Dead 
Attend a funeral mass.   You don't have to know the deceased in order to attend and pray for the repose of his/her soul.  Pray for the departed. 


Visit the Sick

Make cards for people in a local Alzheimer home or for children in the local children's hospital. 


Feed the Hungry & Give Water to the Thirsty

Feed My Starving Children (ages 5+)
This Christian non-profit offers the opportunities for families and groups to work in 2 hour food packing sessions. Children and adults work to pack food boxes which are then shipped to distribution centers and ultimately to families in need throughout the world.  Click here to register.

Paz de Cristo (ages 12+)
A faith-based non-profit which provides food, clothing and other assistance to those in need.  Their evening meal service and food boxes provide over 50, 000 meals monthly to people in or near poverty.  Volunteers are welcome to come assist in the evening food preparation and service to those visiting for meals. See website (click here) for additional information and to register to volunteer. 

Tempe Community Action Agency (click here for listing)
Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program (I-HELP) (all ages)
-IHELP provides meals and lodging on an emergency basis at various churches in the valley.  Families can help prepare and serve meals on location, or help with providing snack bags for the participants.  Additional help with bedding and laundering towels is also needed.  For more information, contact Marcus Ziegler, I-HELP Program Manager at 480-350-5892.
Home Meal Delivery (all ages)
-Families pick up food at the senior center in the morning and deliver the meals to a number of locations.  Some additional training and certifications are generally required and a commitment of 6 + hours a month is requested.

Community Gardens (all ages)
Do you have a family with green thumbs? Do you have kids who love to dig and need to be outside? Contact Leilia Woodard (480-882-8324 ) to see how you can help with the community Garden at Paz. Opportunities are seasonal.

St. Vincent de Paul (click here for a variety of opportunities) 
Feeding the Hungry (ages 8+) 
- Nightly opportunities to feed the hungry at their main campus 420 W Watkins St.
Hearts and Hands (all ages)
- Children do a variety of things including making centerpieces or cards, filling shampoo or soap bottles, and decoration the facility for the guest who come to receive services.
Dream Center Kids 
- volunteers act as tutors or lead children's activities during the dinner hours.

Maggie's Place (all ages)
Maggie's Place is a Catholic non-profit that provides food, shelter, and training to pregnant and parenting mothers in need.  They currently have six houses in the Phoenix and Cleveland areas and are exploring expansion opportunities in Dallas as well.  Each house has monthly "Serve Saturday" when volunteers come to the home ready to work in a variety of capacities.  In additional to the Saturday help, volunteers are needed to make meals, babysit during group meetings, teach moms a new skill set, clean house, wash cars - really do what ever needs to be done at the time.  Please contact the home nearest you to find out what is needed and to schedule a time for your family to come serve (link provided here).

Salvation Army's (shelter dependent)
This faith based organization provides a variety of services including hunger and housing relief as well as other  programs such as their prison ministry and veteran outreach.   With opportunities to serve worldwide see their website (click here)  to find the closest shelter and best opportunity to serve.

UMOM (all ages)
This faith-based organization provides a number of resources to individuals and families in need.  Operating the largest shelter in phoenix, their resources are vast as are their needs for volunteers.  Volunteers must attend at training session and be pre-approved before serving within the program.  Their Read to Me program welcome volunteers of all ages. For more information on their needs, as well as the age requirements for the different areas to serve, see their web-site (click here). 

Families Giving Back
Maintains an online calendar of volunteer opportunities for children.  See their up to date volunteer opportunities(click here), including both regular opportunities as well as individual one-time events.

Thanks for stopping by!


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