5 Easy Ways to Grow Children Who Serve

Share & Help Me Grow

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Unilever. The opinions and text are all mine.

As a child, I knew when money was too tight to pay for food because my mother would always fix her plate last. She never complained, and I never went to bed hungry. However, for many families the mothers are not the only ones without something to eat at dinner time. Right now, 1 in 5 American children do not know from where their next meal will come.

That means, a child in your neighborhood is hungry right now.

Because we are tremendously blessed to have come from the brink of poverty to a life where our needs are met, I want to train my children to be thankful for what we have by teaching them how to serve others.

Volunteer at a local food bank

A few months ago, we took about three hours from our morning to visit the local food bank. Children are welcomed to volunteer and while the older kids worked inside, sorting canned goods and checking expiration dates, the younger children headed outside to visit the community garden.

Before digging into the project, we received a short class about how the community garden works as well as information about composting. The children learned the difference between what should be reused, recycled, and composted as well as ways to set up a compost bin at home.

Then, it was time for the dirty work and the children weeded the garden beds, prepared a new bed with compost, and planted sunflower seeds far from the garden area in an effort to lure bugs away from the tomato plants, replacing the need for insecticide.

As we worked, the children learned how the food bank provides groceries for those in need, and I was so proud to see my children feeling heroic in their efforts to feed hungry kids.

4 more ways that children can serve

My children are passionate about helping others, especially when the “others” are children. Here are more service ideas we have enjoyed:

Collect canned goods – Pull a wagon around the neighborhood and ask friends to donate non-perishable food items. Then, drop the donations at your local food bank. (Find your area food bank.)
Make comfort bags for kids – Local law enforcement is often responsible for distracting or caring for children in traumatic situations. Create comfort bags for kids and donate them to a child advocacy center, police department, or fire station.
Pack a shoebox for missions – Samaritan’s Purse collects shoeboxes packed with toiletries and toys to distribute to needy children around the globe. Our children love participating and then tracking the boxes to see where they go.
Create homeless blessing bags – For years, our family has kept a stash of homeless blessing bags in our van. My children watch for homeless people along the side of the road and in parking lots to give away our bags as needed.

For more ideas, view these thirty-plus other service project ideas for kids.

How parents can help too

Sometimes, we can become so wrapped up in teaching our children to serve others that we forget to serve others ourselves. (Or is it just me?) That is why I am thankful for companies like Unilever. Despite their success, they have not forgotten to give to others.

In November 2013, they launched Unilever Project Sunlight in an effort to “motivate people to live sustainably by inspiring them to create a brighter future for children,” and now they are extending that focus to help end childhood hunger in America.

(A video is embedded. It you cannot view the video, please click HERE.)

By supporting Unilever, you are also supporting Feeding America, but your help can go beyond purchasing Unilever products. You can assist your children in volunteer projects, invite a family to dinner at your home, or create a virtual food drive, promoting it among your family and friends or even when you send out holiday cards.

Download the #ShareAMeal toolkit for more ideas and helpful links.

Each time you give a part of yourself to others, you are making a difference, and Unilever believes that over time those small acts of kindness – serving a meal to others, volunteering at your local food bank, giving items to needy families – will create a brighter future for children.