Learn where you can spend time together as a family while giving back to the community.
Volunteering is a powerful way for kids to learn empathy, understand different experiences, and feel connected to the world around them. It’s also a meaningful way for families to spend time together, all while making a difference in their communities.
We’ve put together a mix of volunteer ideas for Pennsylvania families, tailored to different interests and ways of giving back. For each activity, we also identified local organizations across the state where you can turn your good intentions into action.
Note that not all organizations offer volunteer opportunities for children; however, we have focused on identifying places that welcome young volunteers. And if you have a favorite nonprofit or volunteer group near you, give them a call to ask about volunteer opportunities for you and your kids—many organizations are delighted to involve families who want to lend a hand (or several!).
Help animals
If your kids love animals, they might be excited to volunteer at a local animal shelter or advocacy group. And volunteering with animals isn’t limited to your community’s most well-known shelter—there are also groups supporting exotic pets, wildlife, and even farm animals. Many animal shelters require that volunteers be at least 18 years old, but there are some opportunities that welcome kids and teens.
- In Pittsburgh, teens at least 16 years old can volunteer with their families at Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh, where volunteers walk dogs, care for cats, and support the shelter behind the scenes.
- Outside of Pittsburgh in Zelienople, Glade Run Adventures is recruiting volunteers to help with the therapeutic program’s horses. Volunteers assist with feeding and grooming horses as well as cleaning the stables, and there are opportunities for kids as young as 8.
- In Chester County, the Brandywine Valley SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) has a junior volunteer program for kids between the ages of 8 and 12, where kids can socialize puppies and kittens, help with grooming, walk dogs, and take care of animals with the supervision of a parent or guardian. (Kids who are 13 and older can help out without a chaperone.)
- Humane Pennsylvania, an animal shelter that operates in both Reading and Lancaster, has opportunities for kids ages 4 to 13 to be “Rescue Readers”—supporting socialization by reading aloud to cats! Families with kids 14 and older can volunteer to care for dogs and cats at either of the Humane Pennsylvania locations.
Protect the environment
Pennsylvania offers family-friendly environmental volunteering year-round, though many activities ramp up in spring, summer, and fall. Families can help maintain trails, care for public parks, and support educational programs.
- Pennsylvania State Parks regularly post volunteer opportunities to help keep the parks beautiful, and in some parks—like Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Ohiopyle State Park—volunteer days continue through the cold months. Many parks have opportunities suitable for all ages, from pulling invasive plants and cleaning up litter to helping out with educational programs.
- Keystone Trails Association sponsors volunteer camping weekends across the state to improve Pennsylvania trails. From March through November, volunteers work during the day and then socialize around a campfire before curling up in sleeping bags. Even if your family has no experience working on trails, you can help out with KTA. “If you can handle a pair of loppers or wield a paintbrush, then your volunteer efforts will be much appreciated by everyone in the hiking community,” KTA says on its website. Youth volunteers must be at least 14 years old.
- Many local conservation and watershed groups welcome families to help with river cleanups, tree planting, and habitat restorations. Some groups to check out include Central Pennsylvania’s ClearWater Conservancy, Pittsburgh’s UpstreamPgh, and Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Lackawanna River Conservation Association.
Fight hunger
Food banks and food pantries often offer family-friendly ways to support neighbors who are experiencing food insecurity. Straightforward tasks like sorting donations and assembling donation boxes or bags are especially great for families new to volunteering. You can also find anti-hunger volunteer opportunities where families help out on local farms or deliver food to people in need.
- Children 12 and older can pack boxes and sort produce at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, and they can also participate in “gleaning” projects—rescuing produce on local farms.
- Erie’s Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania welcomes volunteers as young as 10 years old, as long as they’re accompanied by an adult.
- In Philadelphia, the Mama-Tee Community Fridge Project supports communities without easy access to grocery stores by filling 18 fridges in neighborhoods throughout the city with free, healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables. The project needs volunteers to help pack boxes and then deliver them to the community fridges. Reach out to schedule a time for your family to contribute.
- Also, keep an eye out for family volunteer days where opportunities are specifically crafted with young helpers in mind. For example, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank welcomes volunteers as young as 6 years old during four annual family volunteer events.
Support other families and community members in need
It can be deeply rewarding to give back to others who are experiencing difficult circumstances, whether they live in your community or abroad.
- In Pittsburgh, the Salvation Army’s Family Caring Center provides shelter and meals to families experiencing homelessness. Volunteer groups can sign up to prepare and serve meals for as many as 20 unhoused women on cold winter nights. You and your family could prepare a meal at home and then bring it to the center, or you could cook together at the East Liberty facility’s commercial kitchen. Salvation Army staff told The Keystone that kids 12 and up can volunteer in the kitchen, and volunteers as young as 8 can help with serving.
- In Philadelphia, families with children as young as 5 can volunteer with Cradles to Crayons, a nonprofit that provides donations of basic necessities like clothes and hygiene products to kids and families in need. Volunteers can register online to sort donated items in the organization’s “Giving Factory.”
- You can also support families around the globe! Volunteers of all ages can pack personal hygiene kits for Pittsburgh’s Global Links, which shares surplus health care items with communities worldwide.
- Many nursing homes and senior centers welcome family volunteers to help with activities and provide warm conversation, which in turn grants families meaningful intergenerational experiences. You can reach out to a nursing home or senior center near you to learn about possible opportunities for your family. For example, volunteers at Scranton’s Marywood Heights Retirement Community host arts and crafts activities, read to residents, play bingo and other games, and much more.
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Related: How to support Pennsylvania’s rural communities through volunteering
