Hellobee Boards

We go to the store (any really: Target, WalMart, Petco, etc.) and buy food to donate to the animal shelter. We talk about what we are doing and why we are doing it and LO gets to pick out the food and treats she wants to get for the homeless dogs/cats. Then we take it to the shelter and she gets to hand it to the shelter people to donate. (of course she hands like 1 can and I hand the big old heavy bag of food!)

I also sew pillows/beds for cats and small dogs for the shelter and LO comes with me to the fabric store and she knows what we’re doing and she gets to pick out the fabric. She also helps stuff the fluffy-fill into the pillows before I sew them closed. She is very particular about what fabric cats like for beds!

We also adopted 2 kids through DHS for the holidays and LO went shopping with me to buy then Christmas gifts. We talked about how some kids do not have as many toys and clothes and things as LO does and how it feels good to help others. Daniel Tiger has an episode on empathy and thinking about other people’s feelings, and how we need to always think of our friends and others, and their feelings.

We’ve done the same for a Thanksgiving food drive at work (and will be going shopping soon for the Christmas food drive): we go to the grocery store and I tell her about how some people don’t have as much food as we do, and so we should help them to get food they need too. She picks the items off the shelf for me and puts them in the cart. If we’re buying something like bread mix, I tell her that she can pick whichever one she wants to give to the family/whichever mix she thinks the family will like most – involve her that way.

You could easily do the food drive for any food rescue/homeless shelter/food pantry/etc. - doesn't have to be a seasonal thing, although it's very easy to get involved this time of year.

We also go through her old clothes and toys and books and donate things to a local women's and children's shelter. LO is really into babies and *really* likes picking out baby clothes that don't fit her and giving them to babies who need more clothes. She gets really excited when we go to the shelter and wants to help and carry items in to "give to babies".

When we do these things, and talk about volunteering and helping others at home, I just try to focus on things she can understand: that we have a lot (of toys, food, house, etc.) and that others don’t have as much as we do; that it feels good to help people and that anyone can be a helper, no matter how small you are. I also talk about how important “helpers” are – that can be the police/fire/rescue, or someone who helps others who need some assistance.

ETA: wow, that's a novel!