LITTLE HANDS, BIG HEARTS
BY ALLISON BAGLEY
This year, the Houston Independent School District’s Thanksgiving break lasts a full week. Which means there’s extra time off parents need to fill in their kids’ schedules.
Oneway to keep their boredom at bay is to show them the benefits of contributing or volunteering to at-risk Houstonians, because area nonprofits say volunteer needs are high during the holiday season.
The Houston Food Bank kicks off the Thanksgiving week on Monday with a special children’s volunteer shift at 6 p.m., followed by a screening of the classic Snoopy movie “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.” Volunteers age 6 and older, who should attend the event with their parents, will be treated to pretzels, popcorn and jelly beans after they learn the basics of sorting and packing food donations. They are encouraged to donate either $5, which Latasha Alsbrooks, volunteer experience manager at the Food Bank, says is equivalent to 15 meals for someone in need, or five canned items.
Alsbrooks says it’s important to instill volunteerism in kids when they’re young. The Food Bank accepts volunteers as young as 6 years old, seven days a week.
“A lot of kids don’t realize other kids don’t eat,” Alsbrooks says. “They have this awesome Thanksgiving and don’t know other kids don’t have that opportunity. Volunteering gives good awareness of what’s going on in our community.”
And kids won’t find themselves bored. With surround-sound playing music so kids can dance while they work, “we make it a party and make it fun to give back,” she says.
Alsbrooks says a favorite activity for kids is sorting rice. Two very large bags need to be redistributed to 2-pound portions.
Teenagers have the privilege of working the carousel, which circulates food donated by grocery store partners. They check the expiration dates, a task that “empowers” them, Alsbrooks says.
Another opportunity during Thanksgiving week is packing a Backpack Buddy. Children in fooddeprived homes who rely on free school meals during the week are given a backpack on the weekend that contains nutritious essentials. “That’s all the food they get for the weekend,” Alsbrooks says.
She’s met volunteers who are familiar with the backpacks and see them distributed to their friends and classmates, which makes the task of packing them extra important. “You had a part in packing a bag that kid might get.”
On Thanksgiving morning, Meals on Wheels needs Houstonians to deliver 4,000 meals to homebound seniors. It’s a great opportunity for families to volunteer in the morning and be finished in time to have lunch and watch football, says Maria Magee, chief development officer of Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, which operates Meals on Wheels.
“Thanksgiving is one of those days we don’t want them to go without food and, more importantly, without a visit,” Magee says.
For many of the recipients, the Meals on Wheels delivery is the only visit they get in a day. “When families come to deliver, they really love seeing the kids,” Magee says.
Volunteering to deliver meals shows children “that not everyone is as fortunate as they are and teaches them to take care of their elders,” she says.
Once that lesson sets in, it can have a lasting impact.