How to Volunteer with the Kids in Tampa Bay: 10+ ways to give back
It’s November which means it’s time for us to share our annual guide on ways you can give back as a family in Tampa Bay. This year, more than ever, many people and places around Tampa Bay need extra support in the wake of back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Volunteering as a family is a great way to get everyone involved, not only during the holidays but year-round. Lucky for us, plenty of local organizations make it very easy for you and the kids to volunteer your time together.
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Help Sort Food at Feeding Tampa Bay
Help Feeding Tampa Bay reach its goal of a Hunger-Free Tampa Bay by 2025. Did you know kids as young as five years old can volunteer at Feeding Tampa Bay with their parents? It’s a wonderful way for kids to actively give back to those in our community while learning at the same time. Kids can help sort foods into bins—a great time to talk about different vegetables and foods while practicing their reading skills too.
This past May, Feeding Tampa Bay moved into a brand-new 215,000 square foot warehouse, which allows for four times as much cold and freezer storage space. There is also a new volunteer space, community pantry, 11,000 square foot kitchen, and more.
Family Night is a popular volunteering event that happen once a month and often book up fast. It’s geared for kids of all ages to volunteer with their parents in the warehouse while taking part in fun activities while they’re there.
Register for warehouse volunteering and learn more about all volunteer opportunities: feedingtampabay.org.
Volunteer with Metropolitan Ministries
The Holiday Tent is a popular volunteer spot for families with kids ages 8 and older. There is one tent in Tampa and two in Pasco County. Duties include helping to sort donations that come in and even helping families shop the tent.
Metropolitan Ministries anticipates serving more than 37,000 families this holiday season with meals and toys which means they need thousands of volunteers this holiday season alone. There are 15 volunteer sites throughout Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties including the Holliday Tents.
If your kids aren’t old enough to volunteer in the Holiday Tent, consider taking them on a shopping trip to pick up food and toys and then drop-off donations at the Tent closest to you. It’s a fun experience and the kids get to see all the volunteers in action to show they truly are making a difference.
Learn more about volunteering at Metropolitan Ministries: metromin.org/volunteer.
Ring the Bell with Salvation Army as a Family
Kettle Bells will sound in early November and will keep ringing through Dec. 24. The entire family can take part in the Red Kettle tradition that began back in 1895. Money raised goes to local families for help with food, shelter and emergency assistance. You can learn more about how to take part in Tampa’s Salvation Army Kettle Bell program by visiting salvationarmyflorida.org. There are more than 100 locations throughout Hillsborough that are perfect for you and your family to ring the bells and keep the tradition of giving going.
Help collect and sort toys for Toys for Tots
Toys for Tots is the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve program for helping families in need have the holiday season they deserve by collecting and distributing Christmas gifts.
Families with young children can set up toy drives to collect donations in October, November and December. Those with children over 16 can volunteer in the warehouse in the sorting process. To learn more about the Toys for Tots program, visit tampa-fl.toysfortots.org.
Volunteer with the kids at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay
The Paws for Literacy program allows children ages 5-12 to read to animals after school. Children under 16 can volunteer with a parent or guardian to walk dogs, play with cats and clean kennels. The Teen Program for ages 12-15 allows kids to earn 20 hours of volunteer work by working with animals and assisting with the Humane Education program. Volunteers in the Teen Program do not need to have a parent or guardian present.
Donations such as towels, pet food, and cleaning supplies are also always welcomed. Humane Society has a special Pet Pantry where those in need are able to come pick up food and supplies at no charge. It’s normally open twice a week though they sometimes have to open up on additional days due to natural disasters and during the holidays.
Volunteers can also collect items from the wish list to donate to the Humane Society. Register for a volunteer open house or learn more about volunteering opportunities at the Humane Society by visiting humanesocietytampa.org.
Volunteer with Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful
Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful hosts big clean-up events throughout the year including a post-Gasparilla Clean-Up and the Great American Clean-up. You can learn more about an upcoming clean-up event with Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful here. There are also opportunities to volunteer your time as a family with the Florida Learning Garden, a project of Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, at the Florida State Fairgrounds.
Deliver food with Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels provides hot, healthy meals to homebound and senior members of the community who live independently in their own homes. The Produce on Wheels (POW!) program delivers fresh, healthy produce free of charge on the third Saturday of every month. Meals on Wheels also provides hurricane preparedness packs, cards and baked goods on Thanksgiving morning between 9:30 am-11 am, and holiday gift bags of books, games, snacks, juice and toiletries the third Saturday in December.
Meals on Wheels has also partnered with The Humane Society of Tampa Bay to deliver free bags of pet food through their Animeals program. Although drivers must be 18 and older, children of any age can tag along to deliver meals, produce, pet food, and gifts.
Children can help make the day brighter for seniors by riding along with their parents for meal delivery or by making gifts for the seniors to keep them from being lonely. You can visit mowtampa.volunteerhub.com to sign up to deliver meals.
Participate with Kids Helping Kids Pasco County
This nonprofit was established in 2018 by local mom Michelle Patel and they’ve already made a big difference in Pasco County.
The goal is to encourage kids to give back to their community through small acts of kindness like preparing bags of food, packing and donating backpacks of school supplies, donating entire Thanksgiving meals and meeting Christmas Wish lists.
Drives are scheduled for Thanksgiving and Christmas. To learn more, visit their Facebook page: Facebook.com/KidsHelpingKidsPasco
Donate to and volunteer with Clothes to Kids
Young ones can learn about this charity’s mission to provide free new and quality used clothing to low-income or in crisis school-age children. Then, they can help by going through their closets and choosing items to donate items for local kids in need.
Your kids can even help you shop for brand new clothes to donate. To find out what Clothes To Kids needs right now and how to donate, visit clothestokids.org.
Contribute to Goodwill’s Bookworks program
Since 1999, this program has put books into the hands of 40,000 kids in our eight-county area each year. To volunteer, you and your kids can donate new or gently used books or even host a book drive of your own. Kids ages 10 and up can also volunteer by becoming a Story Reader in local classrooms or helping sort, clean and prepare books for donation. Learn more at goodwill-suncoast.org
Decorate snack bags for the Ronald McDonald House
The Roland McDonald House has many opportunities for the whole family to get involved.
Children under 14 can help by making and decorating snack bags for families in the hospital, collecting items for the wish list drive, and holding penny drives to support the families.
If you have children ages 14 and up, you can volunteer by preparing dinner for resident families at one of the four Tampa Bay Ronald McDonald Houses. To learn more about Ronald McDonald House and the volunteering opportunities available, visit rmhctampabay.org.
More ways to give back in Tampa Bay:
Don’t forget about your school, PTA, church, community organizations, local diaper banks and other non-profits your family supports.
While it’s hard to find organizations where very young kids can volunteer, you can get the philanthropy seed planted early by encouraging them to donate their gently used toys, books and clothing. They can also host fundraisers or food drives.
One of our favorite trends is asking for donations for a selected non-profit instead of birthday gifts!
Local hospitals often need donations for their Child Life Departments which helps support children and teens during their stay at the hospital. Wish list items include baby toys, board games, Play-Doh, Legos and more.
- St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital: https://www.give2stjoeskids.org/wishlist/
- Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital: https://www.hopkinsallchildrens.org/Giving
ORGANIZE A DRIVE WITH THE KIDS TO GIVE BACK
If the kids aren’t quite old enough to volunteer their time, encourage them to organize a drive to collect items like food for Feeding Tampa Bay and Metropolitan Ministries. You can also hosts a drive to collect much needed items like diapers and other baby supplies.
The Junior League of Tampa Diaper Bank
The only diaper bank in Hillsborough County is best served by organizing a diaper drive. Host a “diaper drop” location at home, at a school or daycare or even a community location like dance class, soccer or art class. JLT’s Diaper Bank works with community partners including Metropolitan Ministries, Champions for Children, Children’s Home Network, The Spring and many more. jltampa.org/diaperbank/diaper-bank-host-a-diaper-drive/
Babycycle
Pinellas County’s community diaper bank provides diapers, wipes, clean clothing and other necessities such as toiletries, bottles and diaper bags to agencies around the county who then distribute them to needy families. babycyclefl.org
Oasis Network
This grassroots, volunteer-driven organization serves underprivileged students in Hillsborough County, where more than 60 percent of students qualify for free and reduced lunches, and 4,700 students are identified as homeless. OASIS provides them with clothes, shoes and personal hygiene items. To find out how to collect and donate items, visit oasisopportunities.org.
Related: 12 Places to Donate Toys in Tampa Bay