April is National Volunteer Month so we are featuring some of our favorite Phoenix Non-Profits to help you start a tradition of volunteering and giving back! Volunteering can be such a great activity to bond with your kids, with a group of other mamas and friends, or even with partner for a day date! This is also a great place to start if you have children that need to complete volunteer hours for school or extracurricular endeavors. Is your favorite on the list? We’d love to hear about where you volunteer your time and talents!
*Arizona Humane Society: Of all the Phoenix non-profits, this one came up the most among my mama friends. While the actual volunteer positions are for those 16 and older, they have a wonderful packet of service activities from making toys to baking dog biscuits that can be done at home and then dropped off at a Humane Society location. For more information, check out their webpage HERE.
*The Foster Alliance (Previously Arizona Helping Hands): There are so many kids in the foster care system in Arizona and, according to their website, “The Foster Alliance is the largest provider of essential needs to the 14,000+ children in foster care in Arizona” but they need your help to keep providing that kind of care! While this Phoenix non-profit requires in person volunteers to be 14 and older and meet certain background requirements, they also have several remote volunteer options, including making birthday bags or hygiene kits. This is the kind of activity young kids can easily participate in and can help them connect that these may be for kids the same age living in the very same state as them. You can check out their volunteer information HERE.
*Feed My Starving Children: A huge reason Feed My Starving Children is on our list of favorite Phoenix non-profits, even though it can be a bit of a drive to reach their location in the East Valley, is how age inclusive they are. Packing food boxes at Feed My Starving Children can be done by kids as young as kindergarteners. This non-profit may sound familiar, as one of our fellow writers suggested it for some Spring Break Fun. It is never too young to teach the value of giving back! For information on how to volunteer for a food packing session, check out their site HERE.
*Herberger Theater: One of the best Phoenix non-profits to consider, if you or your kid are into the arts, is volunteering at the Herberger Theater as an usher! Kids as young as 12 can be ushers if they are accompanied by a legal guardian or mentor. One of the best things about volunteering here is that you get to see shows for free! The Herberger hosts a number of companies and performances, so there are all kinds of shows in one location. (This is also a great option if you want to volunteer with a friend or partner for a cost effective night out.) There is a minimum number of hours to commit to, so check out all the details HERE.
*St Mary’s Food Bank:
St. Mary’s Food Bank works to end hunger in Arizona. This food bank soon of the most established Phoenix non-profits and has been around for over 50 years. They do incredible work reaching people who need basic food help, including working with homeless shelters and the Kids Cafe programs around the valley. There are many opportunities to pack or distribute food boxes and other overnight kits. Their calendar and more information can be found HERE. Please note that volunteers should be 12 years old if volunteering with an adult, and 16 years old without one. You can also host your own food drive for them- I have an amazing friend who does a Turkey Drive for St. Mary’s each year around Thanksgiving. Which leads us to our last suggestion…
*Other Phoenix non-profits and ideas: A great way to learn about additional opportunities from some non-profits listed above and additional non-profits is the website Hands On Greater Phoenix. They have opportunities available on their site in calendar form and you may find your new favorite way to give back. There are also lots of local ways to other nonprofits that may not have direct volunteer opportunities through things like charity runs or hosting a fundraising event to give money to your charity of choice.
We hope you and your family or friends find ways to create meaningful memories while giving back. We have so many amazing Phoenix non-profits, and seeing how we can all help each other is such a great way to start conversations with your littles (or not so littles as the case may be!).
