Youth Volunteering

Catching up on a story which ran Wednesday about youth volunteering: I mentioned that many groups want volunteers ages 15 and older. Shelby Beck, volunteer coordinator for the Rappahannock United Way, suggested younger volunteers do projects from home: hold drives, assemble kits or lunches, etc. Here are a few ideas–they come from a list Beck gave me and information I picked up while interviewing area charity directors:

• Collect stuff: Involve your friends, family, neighbors, church or school in a drive to gather items needed by local charities. Some ideas: peanut butter for your church food pantry or for SERVE in Stafford County; cereal for Thurman Brisben Center in Fredericksburg; canned goods for The Fredericksburg Area Food Bank; new white tube socks for Micah Hospitality Center; diapers for Project Link at the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board.
•  Work on a family friendly project: at Downtown Greens Community Garden; picking up litter with the Friends of the Rappahannock; with the youth teams through the American Red Cross Rappahannock Chapter or the Greater Fredericksburg Habitat for Humanity.
• Help senior citizens at area nursing homes.

I included links, but here are the phone numbers for agencies listed above:

SERVE: 540/288-9603

Thurman Brisben: 540/899-9853

The Fredericksburg Area Food Bank: 540/371-7666

Micah Ecumenical Ministries: 540/479-4116 

Project Link: 540/891-3132

Downtown Greens:  540/371-7315

Friends of the Rappahannock: 540/373-3448 

American Red Cross, Rappahannock Chapter: 540/735-0500

Greater Fredericksburg Habitat for Humanity: 540/891-5009

 Want more ideas? Try the Rappahannock United Way at 540/373-0041.

Permalink: http://news.fredericksburg.com/doinggood/2009/07/17/1247858393/