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As Thanksgiving approaches, families can integrate food-related community service into their schedules to honor the role that food plays in the holiday’s celebration. From community meals to food pantries to other food-related community resources, opportunities abound for families to engage in service or to participate in a community-building meal.
To learn more about how to offer community service or to find a community meal to attend, check out some of these community events on Thanksgiving Day…
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For some, Memorial Day is a deeply personal holiday, a day for remembering those who have served the people of our country. Participating in Memorial Day celebrations and ceremonies can also be a form of placemaking, strengthening ties to community spaces and encouraging social interaction between generations. Memorial Day is also an opportunity to express gratitude and kindness through acts of appreciation and volunteer opportunities. Here are a few ideas to support your learning and acts of generosity through the lens of the seasons this Memorial Day.
Veterans Day, a national holiday celebrated every year on November 11th, provides communities with the opportunity to learn about and offer appreciation for the service provided by military veterans. November 11th is the perfect chance to honor our Veterans, and there are many opportunities to do so.
Service-based learning at the Food Bank this summer.
Intergenerational volunteer work provides meaningful opportunities to give back to the community, and allows families to connect with elders while sharing their time and skills. Match your family’s interests and skills with local opportunities to start giving back!
Held for the first time this year, the Earth Day River Festival encourages communities to rally around the Housatonic! Including opportunities to explore, learn, and care for the environment, the event celebrates all that the Housatonic offers to the Berkshires and encourages responsible, conservation-minded treatment of the local environment.
In preparation for outdoor recreation and exploration season, public lands across the state need some TLC. Families can engage in service-based learning and explore their surroundings by supporting the Massachusetts DCR or Mass Audubon with upcoming volunteer clean-up and maintenance projects!
SNAP offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible individuals and families across the country, allowing them to put healthy food on their tables.
If your New Year’s resolution is to help strengthen our community by volunteering your time and talents, The Food Bank has a number of opportunities available for you throughout the year, including a series of Family Volunteer Days continuing this weekend in partnership with Hilltown Families!
Support Hilltown Families: Vote for Hilltown Families as “Best Blog” in the Valley Advocate’s Best of the Valley Readers’ Poll for 2016!
You have an opportunity to take action and support our community. In partnership with Hilltown Families, The Food Bank will be hosting our January Family Volunteer Day on Saturday, January 16 from 9 – 11 a.m. All ages are welcome, as families are invited to help prepare food to be distributed to our neighbors in need across Western Massachusetts. Reservations are required .
Making Giving about Giving This is the time of year to think about not just our families but also for our community. Living in such a small valley makes it easy to make connections that are meaningful and valuable. One easy activity that will help your children understand the value of giving and gratitude are donation bags! At my daycare we have teamed up with Lindsay Fogg-Willits, owner of Art Always in… Read More
You have an opportunity to take action and support our community. In partnership with Hilltown Families, The Food Bank will be hosting a special “Giving at Thanksgiving” Family Volunteer Day on Saturday, November 14 from 9 – 11 a.m. This will be a fun opportunity to learn about the issue of food insecurity in our region and the impact it has on the community. All ages are welcome, as families are invited to tour The Food Bank and help prepare food to be distributed to pantries and meal sites across Western Massachusetts.
In partnership with Hilltown Families, The Food Bank will be hosting a special Family Volunteer Day on Saturday, October 31 from 9 – 11:30am… join us!
There is more than enough food in America to feed every man, woman and child. Yet, here in Western Massachusetts, more than 235,000 people are at risk of hunger and health problems that come with not having enough nutritious food to eat. As individuals, charities, businesses and government, we all have a role to play in getting more food to people in need. Together, we can solve hunger and help keep our communities healthy and strong.
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.
In partnership with Hilltown Families, families are invited to attend a series of monthly volunteer sessions at The Food Bank of Western MA where they will help sort food, take part in educational activities, and learn how to take actions to help fight hunger. Our next Family Volunteer Day is Saturday, Sept 12!
You can take action to support our community during Hunger Action Month September is Hunger Action Month, a time when the Feeding America nationwide network of food banks unite and ask everyone to take action to fight hunger in their community. It is your opportunity to join a movement that has a real and lasting impact on our effort to feed more people than ever before. Hunger affects communities all across our… Read More
During the summer months of June, July and August, food pantries and meal sites across Western Mass. see a 45% increase in visits over the holiday season. Find out how your family can support The Food Bank this summer by volunteering together while learning about the issue of food insecurity in our region and the impact it has on the community.
Families have a unique opportunity to support The Food Bank this summer through our Family Volunteer Days! Through service-based learning, participants learn about nutrition and the importance of food security. Giving people access to fresh healthy food is an important objective we all should support. See how your family can help and how much impact you can make!
How do you teach empathy to teens? This winter, students of the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School of South Hadley, MA, took part in a three week interim course called “Pay It Forward” where teens were inspired to recognize community problems and collaborate to make a difference. The future is bright!
Your entire family can take the first steps towards supporting your community, and find out just how much fun volunteering can be. The Food Bank and Hilltown Families are holding a special Pot-Luck Breakfast Family Volunteer Day at our Hatfield facility on Saturday, May 9 from 9 – 11:30 a.m. Bring a favorite dish to share. You will have the opportunity to learn about hunger in our region, as well as helping to prepare food to be distributed to pantries and meal sites across Western Massachusetts. Pre-registration is required for this free community service event…
Families can take advantage of spring’s opportunities for service-based learning during the next month, as 16 opportunities exist for hands-on volunteer work all over western Massachusetts!
April is National Volunteer Month and there are countless GREAT reasons to volunteer with your family — meeting people, helping people, building community… The Food Bank of Western Mass & Hilltown Families Family Volunteer Day checks all those boxes and so much more. Read on and see how your family can help.
Currently, an estimated 50 million people across The United States are food insecure – a truly unsettling statistic. National Nutrition Month challenges us to take pause and consider the absolute fundamental importance of eating, and eating smartly. While wonderful organizations such as The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts have this issue on the front burner constantly, their very own Chris Wojcik outlines why we need to always be aware of food security and learn how we can do something to help. Hilltown Families is proud to partner with The Food Bank, hosting a very special community engaging volunteer day. Read on for more information.
The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts & Hilltown Families present Family Volunteer Days! 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… Read More
For the new year, make a family commitment to spreading kindness throughout your community! Rather than creating resolutions for self-transformation based on perceived flaws, celebrate your skills and share your love for those around you by engaging in acts of kindness all year long. It’s a powerful project!
Teaching kindness can happen naturally, but it takes dedication to create a family culture of constant kindness. Drawing inspiration from Random Acts of Kindness Week, families can share their love and appreciation for the people around them during the holiday season by participating in random acts of kindness – acts of varying size and shape that show your community that you care. Parents can even use resources offered in lesson plans to work on creating a family culture of kindness!
– Support Hilltown Families with your tax deductible donation during Valley Gives on Wednesday, December 10th so we can generate 1,500 more hours of service & kindness to our community!Help us generate 1,500 more hours of community service!
This past Saturday, November 22nd, was the third Hilltown Families’ Family Community Service Event, a one of a kind event for families to volunteer together in a morning of community service! From teens to tots to grandparents, over 200 folks were able to generate 600 hours of community service at this intergenerational event for different non-profit and community organizations in our region that support education, children’s welfare, and human services.
As Thanksgiving approaches, families can integrate food-related community service into their schedules in order to honor the role that food plays in the holiday’s celebration. From community meals to food pantries to other food-related community resources, opportunities abound for families to engage in service or to participate in a community-building meal.
Hilltown Families will host our 3rd Family Community Service Event on Saturday, November 22nd from 10am-1pm at Leeds Elementary School in Northampton, MA, with five hands-on volunteer stations for ALL AGES that support education, children’s welfare, and human service. Event is free and open to all, but space is limited and participating families must preregister. Join us to volunteer with your family, helping to generate 600 hours of community service in a single morning!
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