‘Tis the season of giving, and the best way to teach your children to help others is by volunteering your time, energy and skills to local charities. Throughout the holidays, bring the entire family to serve others. Here is a list that we compiled of the best volunteer opportunities for families in Cincinnati:
United Way
There are hundreds of volunteer opportunities available via United Way Volunteer Connection. Whether it’s helping children achieve their highest potential, helping families build financial stability, or helping someone achieve maximum independence and better health. When you volunteer, you see first-hand how United Way is helping to improve lives and create lasting change in our community.
Warm Welcomes
Warm Welcomes Foster Care Outreach’s mission is to partner with community members of all ages to encourage, empower, and enrich the lives of youth in foster care. Furthermore, families can donate items for welcome bags or lend their support by participating in events.
Matthew 25: Ministries
Volunteers play an essential role in the work of Matthew 25: Ministries. Volunteers sort, count, package, and palletize the donations preparing them for shipment. There is a job for every member of your family; and come anytime — no appointment necessary. Your work will typically produce materials to help hundreds of people in need in the U.S. and around the world. Staff will place and train you on a specific work station, based on greatest need and availability. Tasks are simple and easy-to-learn, and many can be adapted to fit a variety of ability levels.
St. Vincent de Paul
The holiday season is often a time of joy, but for families struggling to make ends meet, it can be overwhelming and lonely. Through Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets, Christmas Together, and the Angel Toy program, you can help spread holiday cheer around Cincinnati. Have your kids sponsor a family and buy gifts to make the holidays extra special. You can become a Christmas Angel by donating toys or monetary gifts to purchase toys for children who would otherwise be forgotten during the holidays. For more information, please call 513-421-HOPE (4673).
Crossroads
The annual Thanksgiving Food Drive is great for groups, families and adults to help their community and beyond. Crossroads believes that helping those in need is a core part of their ministry; at Thanksgiving, they fill over 12,000 boxes each year. And this year, they’re aiming to fill 14,000 boxes! Both locally and nationally, Crossroads will be providing Thanksgiving meals to over 115,000 people in our communities. They’ll also be sending 90,000 pounds of food to their partners in South Africa.
A Child’s Hope International (Hands Against Hunger)
The mission of A Child’s Hope Int’l is to motivate and mobilize the church and the community to care for the orphans in their distress. This includes the children within U.S. foster care, the orphans of the world and vulnerable children suffering from hunger, thirst and poverty.
City Gospel Mission
Volunteers are critical to City Gospel Mission. There are many ways for you, your group, business, school or church to get involved. If you have a heart for helping men, women and children in poverty, they invite you to peruse the list of volunteer needs during this holiday season.
Ronald McDonald House
Gather a group and spend time helping make our “home away from home” clean, welcoming and safe for all who come to live! These opportunities are available weekly for all ages.
Freestore Foodbank
The Freestore Foodbank is the largest emergency food and services provider to children and families in Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana. The organization distributes 27 million meals annually to low-income individuals and families. The Freestore Foodbank supports 450 community partners in 20 counties, including food kitchens, homeless shelters, emergency food pantries, social service centers and program sites. There are volunteer opportunities for everyone at this worthy nonprofit.
Caring Partners International (CPI)
Volunteers are critical for the success of the Caring Partners ministries. CPI has a continuing need for numerous volunteer activities, including: Office Activities, Landscaping/Outdoor Maintenance, Care Package Assembly, Medical Product Evaluation/Sorting, Non-Medical Product Sorting, Receiving/Sorting/Boxing Products and Warehouse/Office/Building Maintenance. Due to the nature of the materials handled, open volunteering is limited to individuals 12 years of age or older. If you are interested in bringing children under the age of 12, please email [email protected] to discuss age-appropriate opportunities.
Vineyard Cincinnati Church: The Healing Center
Join the Healing Center in the mission of helping those in need. This awesome place encourages volunteers to use their gifts, skills, and talents to serve others. For holiday volunteer opportunities, click here.
Give Back Cincinnati
Give Back Cincinnati offers more than two dozen free volunteer opportunities annually. Additionally, they are always free of charge and meticulously planned with members and the community in mind. From the moment a volunteer shows up until they leave, Give Back Cincinnati provides a well-planned, well-executed, engaging experience. Moreover, the organization believes in having fun! To celebrate hard work and the friendships formed, a social event follows each service opportunity.