Quote:”It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”  – Mother Teresa

Commentary:

We wanted to share this quote from Mother Teresa because we know that volunteering is so much more than the act of giving.  For some, giving is  donating money, donating some items, or giving up some time to pack beans and rice for those in need.  These are all great ways to give.  To make the most impact for those receiving the gift and the ones giving, we should ask ourselves “why” we give to find out if we are “putting our love into giving.”

Maybe we’ve never really thought about this – why do we give and why do we give to certain places and not to others – either of our time, money or things?  We know it might make us feel better from time to time.  We know the person receiving probably feels good about the gifts.  But, how can we truly “put our love” into giving by making the connection with our hearts.

Let’s brainstorm for a minute.  Think about the places or people your heart just breaks when you hear their stories.  Does your heart break when you hear about children with cancer because you have known children with cancer and seen what the families really go through?  Do you empathize with hurricane victims because you know first-hand how difficult it was to lose so much and become dependent on the help of others?  Do you have a passion for feeding children in your own community because you have known families who have had difficulty making ends meet even though they are doing everything they can?  Do you care about Christmas gifts for children in third-world countries because you care deeply about the meaning of Christmas?  As adults, it can be very difficult to narrow down places to give, but you get the idea; we give out of love when our heart is truly connected to the place or person receiving the gift.

What better time than this – the month of November – the “Thanksgiving” month – to have this valuable discussion with our kids.  Even though their interests might be different than ours, we can help them through the same process – to find the best place to give because we can see in their hearts that they truly care. We can discuss local, national, and international (or just one depending on their age and understanding) giving opportunities.  Since there are so many places to give, we created the list below (just some of the places to help you get started) to assist families with this conversation.  Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Giving!

Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples – Teenagers 15 years and older are eligible to volunteer.

Blue Zones of SWFL – Some volunteer opportunities are open to families.

Keep Collier Beautiful
 Join a coastal cleanup at local beaches; implement a litter-control program in your community.

Naples Botanical Garden
High school freshmen and older are eligible to volunteer.

Naples Zoo
Teenagers 16 years and older are eligible.
1590 Goodlette-Frank Road, Naples | 239-262-5409

Humane Society Naples
Must be at least 12 years old with adult supervision
Must be at least 17 years old without adult supervision

Conservancy of Southwest Florida
Volunteers must be a minimum age of 16 and have outstanding people skills and a love for nature.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Youth volunteers (17 or under) must be accompanied by an adult, or alternatively, may be able to participate in specific one-day event volunteer opportunities, which are supervised.

Harry Chapin Food Bank

Weekday opportunities at HCFB warehouses have a minimum age requirement of 16. Saturday volunteering at HCFB locations have a minimum age requirement of 14, and 14-year-olds must be accompanied by an adult.

Hope for Haiti Next Generation
Next Event: 8th Annual Emergency Relief Food Packing Party (Naples, FL) on December 1, 2018

Meals of Hope
Meals of Hope has given hundreds of volunteer-minded individuals a way to make a positive impact by bringing Food Packing Events to their local churches, schools, associations and other clubs and service organizations.

Food Angels

All ages are welcome, and young people can receive service hours if they bring the form from their school.
Dara Albert @ 719-304-9961

Hurricane Michael Toy Drive

Drop off toys for Christmas at any of the locations below.

Dave Wainscott Designs
3825 Beck Blvd #702
Naples, Fl

US LAWNS
1800 Santa Barbara Blvd
Naples FL 34116

Twinkle Twinkle Little Store
4172 Tamiami Trail N
Naples, FL 34103

Lowbrow Pizza
3148 US-41, Naples, FL

Samaritan’s Purse Shoebox
Drop off locations in Naples – https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/drop-off-locations/

St. Matthew’s House

Children ages 14 and under are allowed to volunteer when accompanied by an adult.

Salvation Army – Naples

SWFL Families Giving Back

Every month, families can participate in a service project.  Next project: November 18 at Vineyards Park to collect gently used clothing and toys for Abused Women’s Shelter.  Check Facebook page for more information.