The Power of Many Hands: Family Service Projects

Doing service in our communities alongside our husbands and children can be such a wonderful experience for everyone involved.  There's nothing like seeing the light in your children's eyes as they do something nice for someone else! 

Many of you are very involved in service and many of you would like to be more involved in service.  In the past, we've offered ideas for a yearly service challenge, but now we hope to offer a new section of the website full of great ideas for meaningful service projects that families can do together - weekly, monthly, yearly...whenever. 

Please consider telling us about the service that you enjoy doing with your family - service to neighbors, involvement with community organizations, service through your church or synagogue, service traditions (projects you do for certain holidays), etc.  

You can submit your ideas as an article, using our submission form (this allows you to include photos and explain it in a blog-like format), or you can simply email it to service@powerofmoms.com.   

I have my kids choose one toy to resell at a yard sale or online. The proceeds are then taken to the store for them to pick out a toy we take to a women's shelter.
My daughter made Christmas cards (or other times of year she just draws pictures). We then go to the "old folks home" to pass them out and chat with the residents.
We have several families in our neighborhood that are struggling financially, but would never want you to know that. Lately, I have been making and big pot of soup, and then calling at 4:30 and saying "Have you made dinner yet?"  The answer is almost always "No," because who has dinner ready by then?  Next, I say "I made way to much soup tonight, and we will never eat it all-let me bring it over in a half hour" It seems way less like they are accepting charity, but I know it is helpful to them. It has been a fun way for my kids to help our and see that service can be big or small.
Put together a little bag of things like an orange, toothbrush, soap, granola bar, candy cane, etc. and drive through an area with homeless people (stay safe, though).  Jump out of the car and pass out the bags (This would work with a family with older children).
Last year we started a wonderful new tradition that has helped our children really get excited about giving to others during the holidays.  
No one likes to deal with lice, but the fact is that many disadvantaged children get sent home from school each day for this reason.  Here is an idea to lend them a hand!
This may be one of the more common ideas for service, but it is a meaningful one the entire family can enjoy doing again and again.