Sharing is Caring

Sometimes it can be a challenge to show our young families that the holidays are as much about giving as they are about receiving. It’s easy to pull out the credit card and donate online, but sometimes it can be a good idea to do something a little bit more.

Begin by kick-starting a conversation around the dinner table:

“What do we have that we can give to those who need it most?”

The Youville Centre helps single mothers provide a brighter future for their children and themselves. They accept donations of gently-used baby and toddler clothing, toys, and household items. Enlist little helpers to sort toys into ‘keep’ and ‘give’ piles and go from there. The kids might be more supportive of the exercise if they understand that children less fortunate than them will love the toys that are being given away.

“How can we help make sure that families have food on the table this holiday season?”

Did you know that nearly 40,000 people in the National Capital Region receive emergency food assistance through programs supplied by The Ottawa Food Bank each month, and nearly 40% of those in need are children? The Food Bank has some great information on their website about how to host a food drive, which is an activity that kids of any age can take on. The Food Bank provides boxes, posters and containers for cash donations, and you provide the elbow grease. It can be as simple as bringing the wagon around the neighbourhood and knocking on doors. On the operational side, families can also help out at the warehouse with the food sorting.

There are lots of opportunities to volunteer in Ottawa. Keep your eye on the ‘family friendly’ category of the Volunteer Ottawa website. It changes often, and you might be surprised at what you find, and how good it feels to give back.

For something fun and festive, this great idea shared by of one of our readers will raise everyone’s spirit, bring fun for the holidays while still being a great way to help those in need. Love. It.

The gift of giving is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Open your kids up to this little secret sooner than later.

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