Volunteering as a family has many worthwhile benefits. Children watch everything you do. By giving back to the community, you show firsthand how volunteering makes a difference and how good it feels to help others and enact change. It’s also a valuable way for you to get to know organizations in the community and find resources and activities for your children and family.
Below are some family fun ideas that you can do with your family to help. Fill the days with some fun activities while giving back to your community.
Homemade Pencil Bags: With our School Supply Distribution just 10 weeks away, we are starting to collect supplies. DIY Pencil Bags make a great summer time craft project for creative teens and adults! There are numerous online tutorials including this video! Our School Supply Distribution will reach over 5,000 Jeffco youth this coming August!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj7o3adW_Uk
Teen Clothing Drive: Recruit your scout group, sports team, classmates, church group or club to gather as many articles of teen clothing as possible. Ask if you can get extra credit at school for your project. Compete against other groups to see who can collect the most! We distribute more than 15,000 articles of clothing from our Clothing Bank every single month and our Teen Clothing section is consistently under-stocked.
Street Week Drive: What would it take to survive on the streets for a week? Pose this question to your kids and brainstorm a detailed list of essentials: What kinds of sleeping/camping gear, warm/ water proof clothing, and food that does not require cooking or refrigeration would you need? Then find the items on your list that you can donate from home, and/or take a trip to the store together to pick up essentials.
T-Shirt Bags: Recycle your old T-Shirts by transforming them into fabric bags. We use T-Shirt bags in Clothing and Grocery so that folks who are walking or bussing have an easier time carrying their items home. Directions: Cut off the sleeves and cut out the collar. Sew across the bottom of the T-shirt to close it up. Viola! If you are inspired, organize a drive for old T-Shirts and host a sewing party. Here's a tutorial from our Pinterest page "ReuseIT, RepurposeIT, Make IT COOL!". DIY T-Shirt Tote
All items can be dropped off at The Action Center donations dock located behind the building at:
8755 W 14th Ave
Lakewood, CO 80215.
Donation Dock Hours: Mon - Fri: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm and Sat: 9 am – Noon.
Looking for more Volunteer Opportunities? Below are some great options that you can do together as a family!
School Supply Pre-Pack and Distribution: July 29 through August 15!
School Supplies is our most popular volunteer opportunity and our most family friendly event of the year. All shifts will take place at Stevens Elementary this year, located off of 38th, east of Wadsworth. Please sign up soon, as shifts are starting to fill up!
Most Needed School Supplies:
- Backpacks Markers (Thin & Thick)
- Scissors (Sharp & Blunt)
- 2-Pocket Folders & Bradded Folders
- Loose Leaf Paper
- Spiral Notebooks
- Scientific Calculators
- Flash Drives
- Glue Bottles
Pre-Pack: Jul 29 – Aug 6, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Help pack the thousands of bags of school supplies that are needed for distribution to over 5000 local youth. We need 40 people for each shift and kids are welcome if accompanied by an adult!
- Wednesday, July 29
- Thursday, July 30
- Monday, August 3
- Tuesday, August 4
- Wednesday, August 5
- Thursday, August 6
Distribution: Aug 10 – Aug 15, 9 am to 12:45 pm & 12 pm to 3:45 pm
Assist families through all aspects of the distribution process. We need 55 volunteers plus 8 HMIS savvy volunteers for each shift. Kids, 12 and older, are more than welcome if accompanied by an adult!
- Monday, August 10
- Tuesday, August 11
- Wednesday, August 12
- Thursday, August 13
- Friday, August 14
- Saturday, August 15
Sign-up for School Supplies online:
- Individual volunteers: Click here and follow the instructions! Under the “School Supplies” heading, select the shift type you are interested in and then pick your specific shifts.
- Groups: Please email me at nirad@theactioncenterco.org to sign up. Include the shift(s) you would like, the approximate number of people in your group, as well as ages of any kids.
Interested in running a School Supply Drive? Please email for more information!
