You can start small. Have your children go through their toys or clothes and pick out things that they no longer play with or that don’t fit them any more. They then can donate them to the local thrift shop or Goodwill.
In Southern New Hampshire some of the organizations are:
The Upper Room, Derry accepts donations of toys and clothes (during specific times only) which they give to needy families including teen parents with new babies.
The Salvation Army
Goodwill
Family Outfitters, Manchester
The Marion Gerrish Community Center, Derry, has a thrift shop downstairs
That is just a few, if you have a favorite, email me and I will add it to the list.
Another great idea that I just happened on, my daughter was invited to a birthday party for one of her classmates. The mother sent a letter with the invitation. It stated that the birthday girl found out about a family in need in the school and would like people to bring clothes for them instead of presents for her. I was so impressed by this! I know not all children will go for this but this girl is also in the kids care club at the school. It is a great lesson.
You can host a collection drive. Some organizations you might want to call would be:
Women's Shelter (toiletries, clothes, toys, even food)
Animal Shelters (pet food, blankets, toys)
Library (books)
Schools (backpacks and school supplies)
Churches (they may have information on a family in need if you wanted to help one family)
I highly recommend calling these places ahead of time. Sometimes organizations can only accept new items, some do take gently used and still others have specific needs. It would be no fun if you got to the women's shelter with shampoos that are scented if they only take unscented. The organization will appreciate you taking the extra step of asking what they need and when they accept donations.
These organizations are always looking for donations and I will bet that you can find many people who have things lying around that they have been meaning to donate but just haven't gotten around to it. The kids can help make signs to put up around your neighborhood and help sort things or pack boxes as donations come in. Then of course the trip to the organization can be a reward for all their hard work (and a trip to the ice cream shop wouldn't hurt either). This could be a great project over the summer school break, and you can tailor it to your child's interests. A drive can run for a few weeks or continuously delivering every month, whatever makes sense for your family.
There are some children's hospitals in our area, there is Boston and there is Children's Hospital at Dartmouth (CHAD). I can speak about CHAD, they had a ton of games in a play room. It was really nice to be able to go and get a game to play with my daughter when we were there for her surgery, and we were only there for 2 days. They also have an on site facility that is mostly run by volunteers called David's House. They have a wish list at David’s House Wish List. Families can stay there for a night or even extended stay. I didn't get the chance to visit there but I have heard amazing things about it. It may seem like a far drive (about 1 ½ hours from Derry), but there is a museum about 2 exits up from there that I would highly recommend, so make a day of it. The Montshire museum, indoor fun and a great outdoor section with some walks as well as lots of water fun so bring your suit.
And as the children get older, there are groups that look for blankets that are sewn, knitted or crocheted for donation to the Linus Project. I found 2 groups in New Hampshire, one based on the seacoast and one in the southwest section of the state. Check out the secoast’s website to see kids making blankets!
I found a website that is based in Boston The Volunteer Family which had some great ideas on how and where you can get started.
So, this is what I have come up with so far. Feel free to let me know what you think, what you have done that your family enjoyed, or what you mistakes may have been that you would hate to have someone else make.
