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January 2017 - Twin Cities |
Thank you to our sponsors
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Eighth Annual Feeding the Dream - Community Food Drive
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB)
Date/Time: Now through January 16
Location: Drop off non-perishable food items at your local
Minneapolis Parks Recreation Center
The need for food donations does not end with the holidays. Help out your community and those in need by dropping off non-perishable food items at participating Minneapolis Park and Recreation Centers for the Eighth Annual Feeding the Dream Food Drive. This community service project was initiated in the Fall of 2009 and since then more than 10,000 pounds of donations have been collected and donated to families in need throughout Minneapolis. The 2017 "Feeding the Dream" Food Drive will benefit The Aliveness Project and Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative (Nicollet Square)
Ages: Everyone is welcome to participate
Time Commitment: Time to collect and deliver your food donations
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Meal Service Volunteers
Loaves & Fishes
Date/Time: Most Loaves & Fishes dinner volunteer shifts start between 2 and 3pm and end by 7pm, depending on the day and location.
Click for current volunteer shift needs.
Location: Loaves & Fishes volunteers prepare and serve meals on weekday evenings at our
dining sites located throughout the metro area.
Loaves and Fishes is a nonprofit meal program in Minnesota, serving a hot meal to those in need. In 2016, we served over half a million nutritious meals, which is more meals than ever before. Loaves & Fishes volunteers help prepare and serve free meals to those in need. Over 6,500 volunteers serve at dining sites in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bloomington, Richfield, Eagan, Inver Grove Heights, Shakopee, Coon Rapids, Brooklyn Center, Hopkins, Crystal and Marshall, and with their help we serve over 1,900 meals every night. Volunteers who help with meal service assist with assembling trays or plates of food and delivering them to dining site guests. Volunteers also help with cleanup associated with the meal service and dining area maintenance. Please read through the
Loaves & Fishes Volunteer Handbook for more specific information.
Ages: Volunteers must be eight or older. Children ages 12 and under need to have direct one-to-one supervision. Youth age 13 to 15 must have 1 adult to every five youth for supervision purposes. It is suggested that children under the age of 8 do not attend. Because each dining site is different and has individual needs, the Site Coordinator may also implement additional youth serving restrictions as they deem appropriate.
Time Commitment: Typically two hours, depends on exact shift
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Food Packing
Feed My Starving Children (FMSC)
Date/Time: Multiple dates and times, see
website for details
Location: FMSC has MN packing locations in Chanhassen, Coon Rapids and Eagan
Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) is a Christian nonprofit that provides nutritionally complete meals that are specifically formulated for malnourished children. FMSC offers volunteers a one-of-a-kind experience. You'll hand-pack rice, soy, dried vegetables and a nutritionally complete blend of vitamins and minerals into bags which are then sealed, boxed, placed on pallets and shipped to our incredible partners working hard to reach the neediest children around the world. Through volunteering at FMSC, you'll get the chance to impact hundreds of kids in just two hours per packing shift. You'll experience what it's like to make a tangible difference - today.
Ages: The minimum age to volunteer at FMSC is five years old. Additional FMSC age requirements can be found
online.
Time Commitment: Up to two hours
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Mentor a Child
Kids 'n Kinship
Date/Time: Ongoing opportunity
Location: Your home or the community.
Kids 'n Kinship matches volunteer mentor families, couples, & individuals with youth ages 5-16 in need of additional positive role models for fun and enriching weekly activities. Mentoring works! Please consider stepping forward today to mentor a child with your family. We are based in Dakota County and have served families in Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Farmington, Lakeville & Rosemount for 44 years. Matches are made based on compatible personalities, ages and interests as well as preferences of both the volunteer family and the youth and parent/guardian. Our families say that mentoring together ensures they have weekly family time and that it's easy to include another child with the family activity, whether it's a board game, sledding, a trip to a park, or going to the zoo or a museum. We offer discounted passes to area attractions to make activities more affordable, a 45-minute information session, a 2-hour training session, as well as ongoing training and support. We ask mentors and mentees to commit to a year's time together in order to build their relationship; however, many of our matches become lifelong friendships and our average match is about 3 years. Please consider being a mentor to a child - it is one of the most challenging and rewarding ways to volunteer!
Ages: Mentors are families, couples, or individuals over 21
Time Commitment: One to four hours per week, on your own time (very flexible scheduling: can be weekends, evenings or after school)
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Learn and Deliver Meals With Your Family!
Meals on Wheels
Date/Time: Volunteer one hour during lunchtime, Monday through Friday. Your family can volunteer weekly, monthly, or on a schedule that works for you.
Location: With over thirty neighborhood sites throughout the Twin Cities, you can easily be connected with a delivery site near your home!
Delivering Meals on Wheels with your children or grandchildren is a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time as a family and pass on the values of kindness, compassion, and civic responsibility by helping seniors and individuals with disabilities in your community. Whether you have infants or teenagers, you can make a contribution together to improve your community. Delivering meals involves driving to the program site, picking up, and delivering eight to ten meals. It takes about an hour, and you can choose a program site near your home. The amount you socialize with the clients is dependent on the volunteer and the client.
Ages: Families are welcomed and encouraged to volunteer
Time Commitment: About an hour at lunchtime
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Prepare and Share a Shelter Meal
St. Stephen's Human Services
Date/Time: Daily, 6:30 - 8pm. Check
calendar for available dates.
Location: St. Stephen's Emergency Shelter, 2211 Clinton Avenue South, Minneapolis
Meal groups are in charge of planning, purchasing, preparing, and serving a meal for approximately 55 people, usually on a fixed day of the month (i.e. 2nd Thursday or 3rd Saturday). This is a fantastic opportunity for small groups and families. Kids are welcome! The ideal group size is three to six individuals.
Ages: Families with children ages 10 and older are welcome to volunteer.
Time Commitment: Dinner is served nightly at 7pm. Most groups prepare the meal off-site and then arrive around 6:15 or 6:30pm for additional prep time or to reheat dishes.
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Thrift Store Helpers
Arc's Value Village Thrift Stores
Date/Time: Volunteer shifts are available days, evenings & weekends
Location: Arc's Value Village has
locations in Bloomington, Brooklyn Center, New Hope, Richfield & St. Paul
Volunteers help unpack, sort, tag/sticker donations; hang & tag clothing; and stock the sales floor. Every year, our stores provide over a million dollars for The Arc Greater Twin Cities' programs that help adults and children with disabilities and our community.
Ages: Families with children 10 and older are welcome to volunteer.
Time Commitment: Volunteer shifts are two or three hours. You can volunteer one-time or on an ongoing basis
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Toss the Snow
Senior Community Services
Date/Time: Throughout the winter snow season
Location: Residents homes in Minneapolis and suburban Hennepin County
Develop strong muscles by shoveling the snow off a grateful senior citizen's walkways and driveway. Volunteers will shovel after each two-inch or more snowfall, and sand or salt the homeowners walkways after ice storms. You'll need to bring your own shovel or snow blower but the resident will provide the warm smile.
Ages: Family teams are welcome; youth must be age seven or older and supervised by an adult.
Time Commitment: During the winter snow season when it snows more than two inches
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Snow Angels - Adopt a Senior this Season
DARTS
Date/Time: Throughout the winter snow season
Location: Dakota County Area- the biggest need is in the West and South St Paul areas
When it snows two inches or more within a 24-hour timeframe, volunteers help clear off the snow for an older homeowner's driveway and sidewalk. Most assignments take less than an hour. Volunteers make it a little brighter and safer for seniors.
Ages: Family friendly - all ages are welcome to participate
Time Commitment: During the winter snow season whenever it snows two inches or more within a 24-hour time frame
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DIY Kindness Journal
Doing Good Together
Date/Time: This is a great project to begin in the New Year, but you can start anytime.
Location: Your home
Keeping a compassion-themed journal is a wonderful way to build kindness into busy weeks and shine a spotlight on acts of kindness. Plus, you'll have a place to record family volunteering memories! Decorate a composition notebook with duct tape. Scatter compassion-themed prompts and quotes throughout it. Then make time periodically to discuss, draw, and write about those kindness prompts as a family. Visit the
Doing Good Together DIY Kindness Journal page to find printable Family Service Memory Sheets, Kindness Journal Prompts, and ideas for keeping your kindness journal.
Ages: Everyone in the family can participate
Time Commitment: We suggest scheduling at least fifteen to thirty minutes each week to discuss the journal prompts and write or draw together.
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New Year's Resolution Idea: Join Our Membership Circle for just $24.99!
Whether you're new to family volunteering and want to stay focused on your service goals, or you've gotten started but want expert help on how to expand your family's kindness practice, DGT's Big-Hearted Families™ Membership Circle is a great way to make 2017 a year of kindness and service! Learn more today, and sign up any time throughout the year.
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| This list was compiled by Doing Good Together™ (www.doinggoodtogether.org)
When calling to volunteer for any of the opportunities listed above, please let the coordinator know you found it through this listing. You are encouraged to ask any questions you may have of the sponsoring organization before committing to a project.
Disclaimer: This list is provided as a service to families. Inclusion of organizations in this listing does not imply affiliation, endorsement or quality assurance on the part of Doing Good Together.™ Doing Good Together™ bears no responsibility whatsoever for the activities and actions of the listed organizations.
© 2016 Doing Good Together™
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