Ways to Give Back in Charlotte this Holiday Season

I know many of us are looking for ways to give back to those in need this holiday season and for most families we want to teach our children that there is more to the season than just receiving gifts. With that in mind I’ve put together a list of 10 organizations in Charlotte that have volunteer opportunities for families this season. A majority of organizations begin holiday preparations in November and have the greatest need during that time or early December.

I’ve tried to find some options that offer hands-on volunteer opportunities and something tangible to do together as a family but there are also some that can be done at home. Many organization require volunteers to be 13-18 years of ago so opportunities for children to volunteer onsite within organizations are very limited. Please visit each of these organization’s websites via the links to learn more and sign up to volunteer.

The list:

Operation Christmas Child delivers shoeboxes with toys, school supplies, and personal care items to children in need all over the world. You can pack a shoebox as a family and drop off at many locations around Charlotte. See a list of drop off locations here.

The Salvation Army has a wide range of family volunteer needs including Christmas Center Volunteers, Angel Trees, Magical Toy Drive, You Give Goods Drives, Bell Ringing, and more. You can also serve a meal at the Center of Hope which is their women and children’s shelter. We’ve done an angel tree each year and purchased the gifts together as a family. I try to select kids in the same age range as mine so they know the types of items to purchase.

Bright Blessings supports homeless and impoverished children in our community and partners with over 30 local agencies and school districts. Join them on December 9th for an immersive Christmas shopping and volunteer experience. Pack Christmas stockings to be sent to children they serve in the shelters while also enjoying some fun family activities like photos with Santa, shopping vendors, food trucks, bounce houses and more! Another opportunity to help is through their Blessing Trees where they provide the ornaments with wish list items for volunteers to take to share with friends, family, and co-workers.

Congregations for Kids supports children in foster care and has a yearly Merry Market where social workers get to shop to Christmas gifts for kids on their caseloads. Generous toy donations from churches, businesses and community members make it possible for these gifts to be given at no cost to the social workers and families. Individuals ages 13 and up are able to volunteer to assist with Merry Market Dec. 6th-8th. There are many other ongoing volunteer needs as well.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Charlotte invites their guest families and other families with children receiving treatment at their partner hospitals to select holiday gifts for their family members – at no cost! The Holiday Shop is run 100% on donations, so they are in need of new, unwrapped items that would make great gifts for moms, dads, and children of all ages (infant to teens) so that not only children receive gifts, but children can also give gifts to their parents and spouses to each other. They also offer opportunities to volunteer to serve meals and offsite opportunities like assembling busy boxes, host a wish list drive, and more.

Thompson Child and Family Focus acts as a Secret Santa to nearly 800 children in the Carolinas each year. You can sign up to buy toys off of their wish lists or volunteer to collect, label, and sort gifts.

A Roof Above helps the homeless community in our area. During the holidays you can support them through doing a collection drive and donating items or purchasing directly from their Amazon Wishlist. They also offer group volunteer opportunities to sponsor or bring food to one of their shelter locations.

Charlotte Family Housing provides housing to working families that are experiencing homelessness. 96% of the families they serve are single mothers and their children. They have ongoing needs for welcome basket collection and assembly and they also offer the options for families to host Family pizza/movie nights or storytime/craft nights for their families to participate in. View all volunteer opportunities here.

The Harvest Center of Charlotte helps mens, women, and families rise above homelessness through a variety of programs. They invite families to assist with meal prep and serving and encourage volunteers to sit down and eat with the families that they serve. They also need volunteers to help with move-in prep and campus beautification.

Just Serve and Share Charlotte are both organizations that help people find volunteer opportunities through partnering with a wide range of organizations. Visit their websites and you can search and filter through a large number of needs in our area.

The Giving Machine gives citizens the opportunity to purchase items for both local and global charities from their mobile vending machines. They will be located at the Promenade on Providence from Dec. 14th – Jan. 1st.

Another way to give back this holiday season and get your children involved is planning a special outing to bless strangers together as as a family. Buy a gift card for your cashier at Target, make bags to pass out to homeless people you see on the road, or pay for someone’s meal in the drive through. These are a simple ways to give back and you don’t need a big budget to do it.

Do you know of any opportunities we should add to the list? Please add them in the comments below.