Looking for a meaningful way to spend time with your family this holiday season? Volunteer together at Family Volunteer Day on Nov. 22!
Sponsored by VCRI, the HandsOn Network and the Walt Disney Company, Family Volunteer Day is a national day of service that encourages families to spend quality time together while working in their communities. Nonprofits across the state of Rhode Island will be sponsoring special opportunities for families on Saturday, Nov., 22, and a few others will be sponsoring activities that weekend in the spirit of Family Volunteer Day.
From arts and crafts to working with animals, something will be available for everyone!
Family volunteers are needed on Saturday, Nov. 22, for:
Providence
• Sort and distribute food for Food Distribution Day at Our Lady of the Rosary in Providence; contact Matilda Amaral at (401) 453-0174 or e-mail OLRFoodPantry@aol.com. Click here for more information.
• Organize holiday toy and food donations at Project Outreach in Providence; contact Zuleika Vidal at (401) 941-2212 or e-mail zuleika@opentableofchrist.org. Click here for more information.
• Help local senior centers and hospitals celebrate the season by creating decorations for them with Providence CityArts for Youth; contact Barbara Wong at (401) 941-0795 or e-mail Barbara@providencecityarts.org. Click here for more information.
• Assist with the beginning phases of construction on a family’s home with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Providence; family members must all be 16 years old or older; contact Herman deKoe at (401) 831-5424 or e-mail info@habitatprov.org. Click here for more information.
East Providence
• Support local foster families by organizing donated items for them with the R.I. Foster Parent Association’s Cribs, Beds and Clothes program in East Providence; contact Emily Buckbee at (401) 438-3900 ext. 103. Click here for more information.
Cranston/Warwick
• Bring your upbeat personality for a friendly visitation with the West Warwick Jaycees of Kent County to the Group Home in Cranston; contact Jack Lancellotta at 401-828-9191 or e-mail wwjayceeskc@aol.com. Click here for more information.
Bristol
• Socialize and enjoy a game of bingo with the residents at Saint Elizabeth Manor - East Bay in Bristol; contact Rev. David Proctor at (401) 253-2300 ext. 137 or e-mail dproctor@stelizabethcommunity.com. Click here for more information.
• Brighten the holidays by creating festive crafts for the Audubon Society of R.I.; contact Cathy Corey at (401) 245-7500 ext. 3119 or e-mail ccorey@asri.org. Click here for more information.
North Kingstown
• Spend quality time with rescued dogs, horses and potbelly pigs at Smith and Agli’s Potbelly Manor in North Kingstown; contact Audrey Agli at (401) 295-4241. Click here for more information.
Wakefield
• Prepare holiday food baskets for the less fortunate at A Place to Grow Childcare in Wakefield; contact Melissa Sposato at (401) 782-6100 or e-mail melissasposato@verizon.net
Across the state
• Find animals a good home by working with Hope for Animals’ Foster Program at local PetSmarts across Rhode Island; contact Ann Sepe at (401) 996-4129 or e-mail AJM3S@aol.com. Click here for more information.
In the spirit of Family Volunteer Day, families are also invited to:
• Participate in holiday activities at Westerly Adult Day Services in Westerly on Friday, Nov. 21; contact Maria Atwood at (401) 596-1336 or e-mail administrator@wadsinc.com.
• Collect coats to help keep others safe from the cold at Temple Emmanuel in Providence on Sunday, Nov. 23; contact David Berman at (401) 331-1616 or e-mail dberman@uno.edu.
• Sort food for Thanksgiving at the Salvation Army of Providence on Nov. 24 and 25. Contact Sandra Guzman at (401) 831-8626 or e-mail sanguz2001@yahoo.com. Click here for more information.
Call Lindsay Wilkes-Edrington at (401) 421-6547 or e-mail at lwedrington@vcri.org for more information, or contact the agencies above directly to sign up and find out times and directions.
Help your family grow closer by making a difference in the community! Mark your calendars now!
Participating families may receive a copy of the “Incredibles” DVD, stickers, window clings and other items in recognition of their efforts.
Visit the National Family Volunteer Day website to read how the individual talents of the Incredible family work together and highlight the power of family volunteering! There are also games for the kids and information for nonprofit organizations interested in supporting family friendly projects.
What defines a “family?”
A "family" is "any group of two or more people who consider themselves a family." With one-parent households, grand-parents raising their grandchildren, blended faiths and races and even same sex parents, the picture of today's "family" doesn't always show the dictionary picture of mom, dad, the 2.5 kids, a golden retriever and the mini-van!Family volunteering can be done by the whole family together, by one parent and one child or teen, by siblings together or by extended family such as grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. And, no matter what the combination as long as they are working together in and for the community, that Family Matters!
What are the benefits of volunteering as a family?
Family volunteering is a hands-on way to teach children the values of kindness, compassion, tolerance, community responsibility and good citizenship. Other benefits to your family include:
Strengthens family communication and bonds
Allows family members to be role models
Increases commitment to volunteering and community
Provides quality family time
For more information on volunteering together as a family in RI, appropriate project ideas and more, visit the Family Volunteer Program pages on our website.
To learn about all the family friendly volunteer opportunties available in RI on any given day click here or on our "Family Friendly" button on our home page.
Food and toys for distribution to shelter families were collected by children and families from a childcare agency during a National Family Volunteer Day event.
