Thanksgiving is a time for being thankful for all of our blessings. It can also be a lovely time to give back. Here are 10+ of the best family giving projects.
Dinner and a Movie
Invite an elderly couple into your home for a dinner and a great movie. The company is great, and so is the conversation. Simply involve the whole family in creating a simple meal, decorate a nice table and have them over for a night out.
Pie Baking
In November, pumpkin and apples are our favorites! Bake pies for shelters, neighbors, community members (librarians, firefighters, police officers, etc.) or family. Experience the joy of giving through food!
Volunteer at the Library
I’ve volunteered at the library before I received a short-time part-time job there, and I loved it so much! (I’m also a bookworm.)
Write Letters to Service Men
It can be a lonely time for service men as we approach the bigger holidays. Programs like Operation Gratitude allow you to write letters to service men.
Organize A Dinner of Thanks
In our house we love to cook and have others enjoy a meal with us. We ask members from our church to help support a dinner of thanks to our fireman and police officers. We certainly can not have a meal for each person so we have a drawing at the firehouse and police station for 10 individuals. Then we make a meal and have them come to different houses to show our support.
Visit a Nursing Home
Visit a nursing home, and spend the day with the elderly! It’s fun to see their faces light up with the youth in the room. Whether it be eating a meal with them or playing a game, they appreciate the company. Plus, they will more than likely be willing to share some of their life story!
Crafting with Children
See if you have a local hospital that has a Ronald McDonald House, where families stay while their children are in the hospital. During Christmas this can be a pretty difficult situation to be in. Volunteer to visit with the other children who are staying there and do a Christmas craft.
Operation Christmas Child
This is a project that can be done online with your family. We each design our own box of giving for another child. If you go online to Operation Christmas Child you may design a shoebox worth of gifts to be distributed to children around the USA. It is fun to go online and select your items to be put in the box and you get a number to track your delivery.
A Week of Paying it Forward
Budget each family member $20.00 for the Week of Paying it Forward. The rules are that the money may not be used to benefit you. If you are in the lunch line and someone forgot their money, use that money. If someone looks like they could use a hot cup of coffee, simply buy them one. Keep a journal for the week as to where our money was spent and review how you were blessed in helping others.
Donate a Thanksgiving Meal
Every year, entire meals for the local food bank are given out 1 day before Thanksgiving. Donate meal items to your local food bank as a way to serve the community.
Thankful For My Family
Often, our families bless us the most and we can thank them the least. Plan a big brunch on a Sunday after church to celebrate each other. Prepare a meal that we can eat in courses so you have more time to just enjoy each other, talk about the things you are grateful for, and how you’ve been blessed.
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