Hilltown Families 
The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts & Hilltown Families present Family Volunteer Days!
The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts &
Hilltown Families present Family Volunteer Days!
Volunteering together teaches children positive values, like kindness, empathy and tolerance, and opens up channels of communication between parent and child. Engaging children in community service can increase their participation as future volunteers, helping to create more resilient and sustainable communities.
Over the years, Hilltown Families has partnered with The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts in several ways, offering families in the region opportunities to engage in service-based learning while volunteering together as a family in support of food security in our region. We’ve organized a field trip and a couple of virtual food drives and told you how you could organize your own field trips and food drives too. We’ve given you a heads-up on youth volunteer opportunities, services for families during summer months, and resources to support child(ren)/student’s learning of hunger and food security, including Children’s Books on Food Security/Scarcity and Youth Against Hunger Education Curriculum.
One of the issues participants learned during our field trip was how difficult it can be for some families to have access to fresh organic fruits and vegetables. In response, we organized a station at our Family Community Service Event to empowered families to learn how to grow an extra row of vegetables in their home gardens to harvest and donate to their local food pantries, and collaborated with local business and farms to offer gleaning opportunities for families.
The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts &
Hilltown Families present Family Volunteer Days!
Families continue to seek out new ways to spend time together that supports values and learning, and volunteering as a family at The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts is great way to do just that! In partnership with Hilltown Families, families are invited to attend a series of monthly volunteer sessions where they will help sort food, take part in educational activities, and learn how to take actions to help fight hunger. Volunteering together as a family encourages quality time, increases communication, and provides opportunities for family members to be role models.
By partnering with Hilltown Families, The Food Bank seeks to promote Family Volunteer Day’s and increase attendance at monthly events. A partnership with The Food Bank offers Hilltown Families new opportunities for our participating families to volunteer together with their community, engaged in service-based learning while supporting an important local cause! Together, both The Food Bank & Hilltown Families encourage families to volunteer together, discovering that they can truly make a difference!
Upcoming Family Volunteer Days in partnership with Hilltown Families:
2016
- Saturday, January 16th 9-11am New Year’s Resolution: Volunteer!
- Sunday, February 14th 1-3pm Valentine’s: volunteer with your sweetie
- Saturday, March 26th 9-11am Nutrition Month
- Saturday, April 9th 1-3pm National Volunteer Month
- Sunday, May 8th 9-11am Spring into action!
- Friday, June 17th 9-11am (Food Bank) – CANCELED
- Wednesday, June 22nd 2-4pm On the Farm (Mountain View Farm)
- Wednesday, July 13th 1-3pm On the Farm
- Friday, July 22nd 9-11am (Food Bank)
- Thursday, August 4th 2-4pm On the Farm
- Friday, August 26th 9-11am (Food Bank) – CANCELED
- Saturday, September 10th 9-11am Hunger Action Month
- Sunday, October 30th 1-3pm Halloween!
- Saturday, November 12th 9-11am Giving at Thanksgiving
- Sunday, December 4th 1-3pm Holidays
2015
- Sunday, January 25th, 9-11:30am: New Year’s Resolution: Volunteer! in Hatfield, MA.
- Tuesday, February 17th, 6-8pm: Share the Love (Valentine’s Day theme) in Hatfield, MA.
- Saturday, March 21st, 9-11:30am: Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle (Nutrition Month) in Hatfield, MA.
- Saturday, April 18th, 9:30-11am: Celebrate National Volunteer Month in Hatfield, MA.
- Saturday, May 9th, 9-11:30am: Potluck and Volunteer (Bring your favorite dish to share.) in Hatfield, MA.
- Saturday, June 27th, 10am-12noon: Farming with Friends (Food Bank Farm volunteer day.) at Mountain View Farm.
- Wednesday, July 15th, 1-3pm: Farming with Friends (Food Bank Farm volunteer day.) at Mountain View Farm.
- Thursday, August 6th, 2-4pm: Volunteer on the Farm! At Mountain View Farm in Easthampton MA
- Saturday, September 12th, 9-11:30: Hunger Action Month In Hatfield
- Saturday, October 31st, 9-11: Halloween Fun In Hatfield
- Saturday, November 14th: 9-11: Giving at Thanksgiving In Hatfield
- Saturday, December 5th: 9-11: Holidays In Hatfield
*Family Volunteer Days will be held approximately once a month on various days and times. Participation is free. Families may stay for all or some of the event. Days, times, and themes may be subject to change. Pre-registration is available for each month after the previous month’s Family Volunteer Day has concluded. Space is limited and pre-registration is required.
Sign up!
Questions? Please contact Molly at mollys@foodbankwma.org or by calling 413-247-9738 x135.
Event sponsorship opportunities available. Contact Sienna at swildfield@hilltownfamilies.org for more information.
