December 2021 - Twin Cities |
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Holiday Hope Sponsor a Family 2021
Community Thread
Location: Deliver to Community Thread, 2300 Orleans Street West, Stillwater
Ages: Everyone is welcome to participate.
Time Commitment: Varies
Community Thread’s Holiday Hope connects people in need to those willing to provide support during the holidays. Holiday Hope recipients will be matched with a community sponsor, who will purchase the gift cards and/or gifts requested by the recipient and deliver them to Community Thread. This year marks the 51st year of Community Thread's Holiday Hope program. Since 1970, we have offered hope to individuals and families throughout the Stillwater Area School District during the holiday sseason. In 2020, we expanded to include those who live in Landfall, Oakdale and Woodbury. There are also options if you are not able to sponsor a family or want to donate additional gift cards. Click here for the Holiday Hope Wishlist for gifts and cards needed and drop-off information. Learn more here.
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Family Volunteers for Peace Festival
Global Peace Women
Date/Time: Sunday, December 5, 10am PT, 12 pm CT, 1 pm ET
Location: Online
Ages: All ages! We welcome you to attend as a family!
Time Commitment: Two-hour program
On December 5, International Volunteer Day, join family volunteers from all over the world to celebrate the power of volunteerism!
Festivities include:
- Family Volunteers Story Telling
- Performances
- Story Contest winners!
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Brighten the Holidays for a Senior
Gifts for Seniors
Date/Time: Now through December
Ages: Everyone can participate
Time Commitment: Varies
Gifts for Seniors provides donated gifts and life-affirming personal contact during the winter holidays to isolated seniors in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. You and your family can help make the holiday season brighter for seniors by collecting and donating new, unwrapped gifts to them through Gifts for Seniors. You can either drop off your gifts at donation barrels located in the community or online through contactless shopping and shipping. Visit the Gifts for Seniors website for more detailed information on how to participate.
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No-Sew Tie Blankets
Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners (IOCP)
Date/Time: Ongoing project
Location: Drop off to IOCP,1605 County Road 101 N, Plymouth
Ages: Everyone can help
Time Commitment: Varies
Everyone who visits our birthday shelf receives a tie blanket to snuggle up with. Your family can make or purchase no-sew tie blankets to help stock the Interfaith Outreach Birthday Shelf and ensure all children have a happy birthday celebration.
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Deliver Groceries to Households
Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners (IOCP)
Date/Time: Tuesday afternoons
Location: Pick up groceries at IOCP,1605 County Road 101 N, Plymouth
Ages: All ages
Time Commitment: One and one-half hours
Pick up and deliver groceries to households struggling to get to the Interfaith Outreach food shelf. Volunteers are needed to help on Tuesday afternoons. They will deliver groceries to homes in the Twin Cities west metro area.
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Meal Delivery
Open Arms of Minnesota
Date/Time: Weekdays, 10:45am - 2pm
Location: 2500 Bloomington Ave S, Minneapolis
Ages: Families with children of all ages are welcome to volunteer
Time Commitment: One to two hours per shift. After you've attended a new volunteer orientation, you may sign up to volunteer when you are able. There is no minimum time commitment.
Volunteer to deliver meals to our clients and help Open Arms bring nourishment to those who need it most. This year, Open Arms’ network of more than 6,000 volunteers will help deliver more than 600,000 meals to people living with life-threatening illnesses in the Twin Cities. Pick the delivery route that suits you and your family best. Drivers must have a valid driver's license.
COVID CHANGES: Due to COVID, we are now doing drive-up contactless delivery. You drive up and we load your car. You do not need to exit your vehicle at all. When delivering to the client we are enforcing a DROP, WAIT and WAVE practice. We do not enter any homes; however, we do enter apartment buildings. Masks are required. We supply masks if needed and hand sanitizer for between routes. Click here for our current COVID-19 restrictions. Learn more about us at our website at: www.openarmsmn.org.
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Gift Cards & Fleece Tie Blankets
The Link
Date/Time: Please donate gift cards by December 13. Donation hours are Monday through Friday between 8am - 4pm.
Location: The Link, 1210 Glenwood Ave, Minneapolis, 55405
Ages: Everyone can help
Time Commitment: Varies
Help make the holiday season brighter for youth and families served by the Link. We hope to provide 300+ youth and families with a gift card and tie blanket this holiday season and your family can help! Collect and donate gift cards to help make the holidays bright for youth at The Link! We are also collecting new tie blankets for youth - instructions on how to make blankets can be found here.
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Saturday Food Shelf Distribution
Source Food Shelf
Date/Time: Saturdays, 9 – 11:30am
Location: 2609 Stevens Ave., Minneapolis
Ages: Everyone can help
Time Commitment: Two- and one-half-hour shifts
We are looking for volunteers to help regularly at our Saturday morning food distribution. We are looking for volunteers who can lift heavy boxes, move and organize things, and interact with clients who come to the food shelf. We are looking for individuals with positive attitudes along with a desire to help their community. We serve a diverse urban population where at least 5 different languages are represented. Come experience the joy of serving our neighbors. You will load carts, pack bags, and organize shelves. Come help us serve our neighborhood by giving groceries. We would love to have you join our team!
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Welcome Home Basket Provider
Simpson Housing Services (SHS)
Location: 2740 1st Ave S, Minneapolis
Ages: Everyone can help
Time Commitment: Varies
Create a memorable gift for a family moving into a new home. Families coming from shelter often only have some clothing and a few items from their previous home. When they move to a new place they need some basic items to get settled. SHS is seeking organizations and groups to sponsor "Welcome Home Baskets" for families as they enter the Family Housing program. Volunteers provide a $20 gift certificate to a discount store like Target and additional household items. Baskets items should total no more than $50. A list of possible items is below.
- Laundry soap
- Dish soap
- Toilet paper
- Paper Towels
- Toilet brush
- All-purpose cleaner
- Sponges or scrub brush
- Dishcloth and towel
- Shower curtain, liner, and rings
- Bathroom rug
- Broom and dustpan
- Mop and bucket
- Wall clock and batteries
- Thermometer
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Host a Winter Sock Drive
Touchstone Mental Health
Date/Time: Donations can be dropped off at our Administrative Office Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 4pm. Please contact Natalie in advance and give notice of your donation drop-off. Donors must fill out our in-kind donation form upon arrival.
Location: Touchstone Mental Health Administrative Office, 2312 Snelling Ave, Minneapolis
Ages: Everyone is welcome to participate
Time Commitment: Varies
Touchstone Mental Health provides residential treatment, assisted living, case management and care coordination with adults with mental illness in the Twin Cities. Touchstone Mental Health clients are often homeless or enter residential treatment programs with very few items. Your family can make an impact for people in need this season by hosting a sock drive! We need adult men's and women's warm winter socks (wool or a similar material is preferred). The individuals we serve have low incomes and need help meeting their everyday needs. As the weather gets colder, they need basic necessities, like socks, to keep them warm.
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Safe House or Life Haven Make a Meal
LSS Metro Homeless Youth
Date/Time: The preferred time for meal drop-off is between 5 and 6pm. All meals must be pre-scheduled. Meal scheduling in advance is needed; however, there is no expected requirement for how often you deliver, so the opportunity is very flexible.
Location: Both facilities are located in St. Paul
Ages: Everyone can participate
Time Commitment: Varies
Safe House is our emergency shelter providing services for youth (ages 16-21) experiencing homelessness. At Safe House, youth have a safe place to stay, nourishing meals, caring staff and active support from a case manager to help them secure long-term housing and meet basic needs. LifeHaven is a family-style home that provides housing and support to 16-17 year-old mothers and their children, who are experiencing homelessness. LifeHaven provides a friendly, safe space where young moms can move out of survival mode and begin to work on a plan that will lead them toward stability for themselves and their children. Dinners should include a main dish, a veggie or fruit, and juice or milk. Of course, desserts are fun for our youth to receive too! Meals can be delivered ready to eat or ready to heat.
Contact(s):
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Support Youth Experiencing Homelessness With Groceries
LSS Metro Homeless Youth
Location: Multiple St. Paul locations - In response to the COVID-19 public health crisis, we have instituted a no-contact drop off procedure.
Ages: Everyone can participate
Time Commitment: Varies
The LSS Homeless Youth Programs offer a continuum of holistic services to homeless and street-dependent youth in the Twin Cities Metro Area. There are five programs which make up that continuum: the Street Program, Safe House Shelter, LifeHaven Shelter, Rezek House, and the Transitional Living Project. Your family can help by donating groceries and other items for Lutheran Social Service (LSS) Metro Homeless Youth emergency shelter and transitional housing programs for youth experiencing homelessness. Find specific items needed at www.lssmn.org/get-involved/volunteer/opportunities/metro-youth-groceries. Some of the common items needed are currently things like:
- $10 Target Gift Cards
- Nonperishable foods (cans and dried items)
- Fresh fruits and veggies
- Household cleaning supplies
- Self-care items (nail polish, bath bombs, hair accessories)
- Diapers
Contact(s):
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Snow Angels- Adopt a Senior this Season!
DARTS
Date/Time: Through the winter snow season
Location: Dakota County Area
Ages: Family-friendly; all ages are welcome
Time Commitment: Duration of the winter snow season when there are two inches or more of snow within a 24-hour timeframe.
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.
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Be a hero! Remove Snow for a Senior
Senior Community Services
Date/Time: Within 24 hours whenever there is a snowfall of 2” or more.
Location: We serve Minneapolis and Suburban Hennepin County. We will match you with a senior that lives nearby.
Ages: Family teams are welcome! Recommended age for youth volunteers is 13 when volunteering with an adult. Volunteers must be 16 or older to volunteer independently and/or operate a snow blower.
Time Commitment: During the winter snow season when it snows more than two inches.
With the risks of COVID-19 to older adults, it's more important than ever to help keep seniors safe at home in our community. Make a difference in the life of a senior this winter by becoming a snow removal volunteer! Snow and ice are a huge threat to our seniors. Senior Community Services’ mission is to help seniors remain in their homes (often the most affordable option) safely and independently by providing assistance with chores they are unable to do on their own. By volunteering as a Snow Removal Volunteer, you aren't just shoveling snow, you are helping seniors in our community get to doctor's appointments and avoid social isolation during the winter. Volunteers commit to the season and we will match you with a senior that lives nearby. Get to know someone new!
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Meal Prep and Packaging (Kitchen and Bakery)
Open Arms of Minnesota
Date/Time(s): Monday - Saturday six days a week from 7:30am - 7pm
- Weekday shifts are: 7:30 - 9am, 9 -11am, 11:30am -1:30pm, 2 – 4pm, and 5 – 7pm
- Saturdays: 8 -10am, 10:30am - 12:30pm, and 1 – 3pm
Location: 2500 Bloomington Ave S, Minneapolis
Ages: Families with children ages eight years old and older are welcome to volunteer. Click here for more information on age requirements and adult to youth ratio.
Time Commitment: Two hours per shift.
Youth are welcome to help us in the kitchen scooping cookie dough, making Jell-O, and packaging cookies for our client’s weekly meal deliveries. Submit online applications for each adult and youth interested in volunteering. After attending orientation, you may sign up for kitchen shifts as often as you’d like.
COVID CHANGES: All volunteers are screened upon entry to the building. We require everyone to wear a mask. If you do not have a mask, we will supply a disposable mask for you. We also practice social distancing by reducing the number of people in our kitchen. Click here for our current COVID-19 restrictions. Learn more about us at our website at: www.openarmsmn.org.
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Meal Shipping & Packaging
Open Arms of Minnesota
Date/Time: Weekdays between 10am and 4pm
Location: 2500 Bloomington Ave S, Minneapolis
Ages: Families with children ages eight years old and older are welcome to volunteer. Click here for more information on age requirements and adult to youth ratio.
Time Commitment: Two hours per shift
To reach our greater MN clients we are now shipping meals throughout the state! Depending on which Shipping Project shift you sign up for, the tasks will look different. The first shift is focused on assembling, labeling, and adding liners to the shipping boxes. The second shift involves packing food items into boxes for same-day pick up by UPS.
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Help Brighten the Holidays for Others
Do you and your family want to find an opportunity to make the holidays brighter for others? Many local food shelves and other community organizations offer holiday food or toy programs to their clients. Here is a list of organizations you can contact to see if your family can help:
CEAP (Anoka & Hennepin County) – CEAP
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Greet Deliveries with Gratitude |
EXPLORE our growing list of at-home projects you can do whenever you're ready, each with conversation starters, book ideas, and more! Follow along on social media as other families tackle this month's project and share their stories! Simply join our Facebook group or find us on Instagram ( @doinggoodtogether and #sharekindness). |
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Add kindness to your holiday shopping experience. (And support a big-hearted nonprofit too!)
Our newly updated Shop Kind online store has gifts, games, books, apparel, kindness kits and more. Great for gift giving or for yourself! Visit often as we add items through Bookshop, the Amazon Associates program, and from independent vendors. The passive income we receive from sales, along with the small ad cost to DGT chosen vendors, helps our nonprofit as we in turn help busy browsers and buyers find goods that "do good" as well. (Disclaimer: we receive affiliate dollars and a small fee from the vendors to help support DGT.) Thank you! |
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Mailing Address:
755 Medina Rd.
Wayzata, MN 55391
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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.
© 2021 Doing Good Together™
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