October 2016 - Twin Cities 

 
Thank you to our sponsors



 
Family Volunteer Day at The Food Group
The Food Group
 
Date/Time: Saturday, November 5, 10 - 11:30am
 
Location: The Food Group, 8501 54th Ave N, New Hope

Come together with your family to make a difference for those struggling with food insecurity in our community. This event is designed for children five and older and their families. Volunteers will learn about the issue of hunger; participate in service activities like repacking, sorting, and labeling food; and find out easy ways they can continue to assist people in need. Space is limited and volunteers must sign-up in advance using this link.

Ages: Families with children five and older are welcome to volunteer
 
Time Commitment: One and one-half hours
 
Contact:  Nicole Smalley, [email protected]
www.thefoodgroupmn.org
 
 
2016 Stillwater Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes
American Diabetes Association - MN Area
 
Date/Time: Event runs from 8:30am - 1pm on Saturday, October 1. Various volunteer shifts are available.
 
Location: Pioneer Park, 515 2nd St. N., Stillwater

Want to help push back against diabetes as a family? Join us at the 2016 Stillwater Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes in Stillwater on October 1. This community event brings participants together for a non-competitive walk/run (choose the 1 mile or 5K route) as a team or individual to help raise awareness and funds for diabetes research, programs, advocacy, and information. You and your family can either participate as a team, individual walker, or set-up/day-of-event volunteer(s).
 
Ages:
  • Walk participants: Everyone can participate; adults must accompany children.
  • Volunteers: Minimum age of 16 for unaccompanied volunteers. Some positions can be family friendly, such as cheering on the route, set up/take down and the Youth Zone.
Time Commitment: Two to five hours, depending on shift
 
Contact:  Jennifer Williams, [email protected] or 763.593.5333 ext. 6728.
Race registration is available online. To sign up to volunteer, please contact event manager Jackie Reding at [email protected] or 763.593.5333 ext. 6598
www.diabetes.org/minnesota
 
 
Help Us Clean and Refurbish Bikes
Free Bikes 4 Kidz
 
Date/Time:
  • Bike Collection Day: Saturday, October 8, 9am - 6pm. Shifts are 9am - noon, 11:30am - 3:30pm, 3 - 6pm and 5 - 8pm.
  • Bike repair and cleaning shifts: October 10 - December 2, shifts are scheduled 9am - noon, noon - 3pm, 3 - 6pm and 6 - 9pm.
Location: Health hospitals and clinics on Saturday, October 10, from 9am - 4pm. Exact Mall of America location for Bike Repair volunteers will be sent via email with map and directions.
 
Volunteers are needed to haul, move and organize over 5,000 FB4K bikes! Bikes will be transported to the FB4K warehouse at the Mall of America to be staged for cleaning and fixing. Join the Cleaners, Preppers, or Mechanics for a shift to repair bikes. We love folks with mad bike repair skills, but if you and your family members are handy with rags, we'd be happy to put you to work. We need volunteers of all skill levels to help us move and clean bikes. This is a fun activity for a family to do together! 
 
Ages: Children ages eight or older with adult supervision are welcome to volunteer. Youth groups with ages older than 12 are welcome, but we ask for a 1:5 child to adult ratio.
 
Time Commitment: Three hours
 
Contact: Tia, FB4K Volunteer Coordinator at [email protected]. Volunteers can register online for Bike Collection Day and Bike Repair and Cleaning Shifts.
www.fb4k.org

 
National Wildlife Refuge Restoration
Great River Greening
 
Date/Time: Saturday, October 8, 8:30am - 12:30pm
 
Location:  Old Cedar Avenue Bridge, 9450 Old Cedar Ave S, Bloomington

Join Great River Greening where the road ends and nature begins! This 12-acre site, located where Old Cedar Avenue once crossed the Minnesota River, is a part of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Volunteers at this event will enhance native wildlife and biodiversity by planting native vegetation and eradicating invasive plant species. This work will fit into plans to increase accessibility and recreational use of this future community and refuge resource.

Ages: Families with children are welcome to volunteer
 
Time Commitment: Four hours
 
Contact: Katie, [email protected], 651.272.3989. Registration is available online
www.greatrivergreening.org
 
 
Minneapolis Farmers Market Produce Rescue
The Food Group
 
Date/Time: Sundays, 12-2:30pm, now through October
 
Location: Minneapolis Farmer's Market

The Food Group, formerly Emergency Foodshelf Network, is partnering with Hunger Solutions Minnesota to collect surplus produce from farmers, vendors and customers at the Minneapolis Farmers Market to distribute to food shelves and meal programs in the Twin Cities metro area. Produce Rescue Team Volunteers distribute boxes and flyers to market vendors and collect boxes of surplus produce at the close of the Minneapolis Farmer's Market. All rescued produce will be donated to local food shelves and meal programs. In previous years, Produce Rescuers have collected thousands of pounds of high quality produce each week for our neighbors in need.

Ages: Volunteers of all ages are welcome. Multilingual skills are a great plus!
 
Time Commitment: Two and one-half hours
 
Contact: Jared Walhowe, 763.450.3870 or [email protected]. Registration is available online.
www.thefoodgroupmn.org
 
 
Farmer's Market Pick-Ups
Neighborhood House
 
Date/Time: Every Sunday from now until October 23, 12:30 - 2:30pm
 
Location: St. Paul's Farmer's Market (Lowertown St. Paul)/Neighborhood House - The Wellstone Center campus, 179 Robie Street, St. Paul

Come help collect and sort produce donated by vendors at the Farmer's Market, load our van, then help unload the collection at Neighborhood House. The produce is distributed through our Food Markets, which provide food support to families in need.
 
Ages: This is a family-friendly volunteer opportunity; all ages are welcome.
 
Time Commitment: Two hours
 
Contact: Vanessa Edwards, Volunteer Coordinator, 651.789.2524, [email protected]. Registration is available online
www.neighb.org

 
 
Dine Out/Give Back Mondays
Doing Good Together + The Lowbrow
 
Date/Time: Monday, October 24, 4 - 10pm
 
Location: The Lowbrow, 4244 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis

On Dine Out/Give Back Mondays, the Lowbrow, a Minneapolis eatery, donates 10% of their sales for the entire evening to a local nonprofit. On Monday, October 24, the donation will be to Doing Good Together. They donate 10% of ALL sales, regardless of whether the guests are supporters or not. Please come (and bring family and friends!) to enjoy a great meal while spreading kindness and mingling with other DGT supporters. You can make reservations for tables of 6 or more. We'd love to see you there!
 
Ages: Everyone can participate
 
Time Commitment: Any amount of time between 4 and 10pm
 
 
 
Rake a Difference Day
Community Thread
 
Date/Time: Saturday, October 29, 9am - noon. Groups are encouraged to rake yards between 9am - noon, but group leaders are welcome to work with homeowners to schedule another raking time prior to or following the event. The inclement weather date for the event is Saturday, November 5.
 
Location: Seniors' yards around Washington County

Make a difference in your community by helping seniors remain independently in their homes. Volunteer with Community Thread for Rake a Difference Day on Saturday, October 29 (around Make a Difference Day nationwide!) to rake the yard of a fellow community member. This is a great family-friendly opportunity to connect with local seniors and enjoy a morning outdoors. Locations are available throughout Washington County. Volunteers should bring their own rakes and gloves; homeowners will provide leaf bags.
 
Ages: Open to all ages, volunteers 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult (one adult per every five children age 12 and under).
 
Time Commitment: Three hours or until yards are finished.
 
Contact:  Sara Pennebecker at 651.439.7434 or [email protected]. Sign up by Wednesday, October 12 to secure your participation!
www.CommunityThreadMN.org

 
 
Fall Yard Clean Up
DARTS
 
Date/Time: Pick your own date and time between October 24 through November 7
 
Location: Seniors' homes in West St. Paul/South St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, Mendota Heights, Eagan, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Lakeville, Farmington or Rosemount

Families can play a crucial role in helping older homeowners in Dakota County area by raking and bagging up leaves this fall. This is a great way for families of all ages to spend time together and connect with a senior. Please bring rakes and gloves.
 
Ages: Families with children ages five and older are welcome to participate.
 
Time Commitment: Two to three hours per yard.

Contact:
Barb Tiggemann, [email protected]
 
 
Mentor a Child
Kids 'n Kinship
 
Date/Time: Ongoing opportunity
 
Location: Your home or the community.

Kids 'n Kinship matches volunteer mentor families, couples, and 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 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 two-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 three 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)
 
Contact: Rita Younger, Kinship Coordinator at [email protected] or 651.686.0990
 
 
Paint 3 Classrooms In Our School
Arete Academy
 
Date/Time: Any day or time now through November 3
 
Location: Barry Family Campus, 4330 Cedar Lake Road, St. Louis Park

Arete Academy of Exceptional Education is committed to partnering with parents to educate and support twice-exceptional students - gifted students who also have learning disabilities - so they can learn the academic, social and emotional skills needed to overcome their disabilities, reach their full potential, and apply their gifts to make lasting contributions to the world. Located in a western suburb of the Minneapolis, Arete Academy of Exceptional Education is the only school solely dedicated to educating and supporting twice-exceptional students in the Midwest. You can help give the Arete Academy classrooms a fresh coat of paint. Kids can help put blue painters tape around the edges and paint the corners and around cabinets and edges with smaller brushes .

Ages: Families with children age ten and older are welcome to volunteer.
 
Time Commitment: Between one and eight hours, depending on how much time you're able to volunteer.
 
Contact: Leah Brzezinski, [email protected], 952.261.9921
www.2a2e.org
 
 
Volunteer Meal Teams
The Family Place
 
Date/Time: Lunch is served at 11:30am on Saturday and 12:30pm on Sunday. Dinner is served at 4:30pm on Saturday and Sunday.
 
Location: The Family Place, 244 Tenth Street East, St. Paul

The Family Place is a day center for families living without permanent housing. The Family Place provides a safe place for families with children during the daytime hours. School-age children have access to stable bus service to their schools, parents are involved in an extensive 16-week life skills training course with the expected outcome of ending repeated and generational bouts of homelessness. Every Saturday and Sunday teams of volunteers prepare and serve lunch and dinner for the families at The Family Place. Each team creates a menu, provides the food, prepares the meal and cleans up afterwards. Meals are served family-style with team members joining families and staff at the table. Click here for more specific meal preparation information.

Ages: Adults with supervised school aged children
 
Time Commitment: Approximately three hours (includes food prep, serving and clean up)
 
Contact: Mary Walde, Volunteer Coordinator, [email protected], 651.699.5318 or 651.470.4287
 
 
Rake The Leaves Fall Yard Cleanup
HOME Program of Senior Community Services
 
Date/Time: Pick your own date and time, starting in mid-October (depending upon the weather).
 
Location: Yard cleanup at a senior's house in any of the following communities: Bloomington, Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Deephaven, Eden Prairie, Edina, Excelsior, Golden Valley, Greenwood, Hopkins, Long Lake, Maple Grove, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Minnetonka Beach, Mound, New Hope, Orono, Osseo, Plymouth, Richfield, Robbinsdale, Shorewood, Spring Park, St. Louis Park, Tonka Bay, Wayzata, and Woodland.

Leaves do fall. Improve your health while helping a senior citizen remain independent in their home! Volunteer tasks include yard work, leaf raking, window washing, weeding, garage sweeping and cleanup. The Household & Outside Maintenance for Elderly (HOME) Program of Senior Community Services provides affordable home maintenance and chore services to help seniors age 60+ continue to live independently in their own homes in 29 Hennepin County communities.
 
Ages: Families with children age seven and older are welcome to volunteer.
 
Time Commitment: Varies, feel free to volunteer once or multiple times.
 
Contact: Jeanne, [email protected] or call 952.767.7894 www.seniorcommunity.org
 
 
Senior Chore Program Fall Clean Up
Northeast Youth & Family Services (NYFS)
 
Date/Time: Arrange a time between October 23 and November 13 that works for you.
 
Location: Seniors' home in Shoreview and White Bear Lake

Northeast Youth & Family Services Senior Chore Program is having their annual Fall Cleanup for seniors in need. Volunteers are needed to spend a few hours improving the lives of area seniors, and help them live independently for as long as possible. Rake and bag leaves, pick up debris, sweep sidewalks, and bring in lawn furniture for seniors who are no longer able to complete these tasks themselves. If possible, bring a rake and work gloves! Please dress for the weather.

Ages: Families with children of all ages can participate.
 
Time Commitment: Up to four hours
 
Contact: 
Debbie, 651.757.4061 or [email protected]. Please register by Monday, October 15.
www.nyfs.org  

 
Trick or Treat for UNICEF
UNICEF
 
Date/Time: The 2016 UNICEF campaign runs from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017
 

Location:
Check the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF website for donation instructions

Add a giving component to your child's trick or treat experience! When children Trick or Treat for UNICEF, the donations they collect help add up to lifesaving change for children. UNICEF helps improve the health and wellness of children in over 150 countries and territories. You can help your children learn about issues facing other kids around the world including education, health care, nutrition, clean water, and sanitation. Visit the Doing Good Together Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF project page for more ideas and reflection questions.
 
Ages: Everyone can participate
 
Time Commitment: Varies
 
 
 
New from DGT:
In order to provide our listing service of monthly volunteering opportunities free of charge, we now have quarterly and yearly sponsorship opportunities available! Special thanks to the Minneapolis branch of Jones Day law firm and Zinnia Folk Arts for being the first to sign up! Want to add your company or organization? Please contact our Marketing Director for details.

 

 

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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™