Here at Martha’s Village and Kitchen we encourage youth to come experience what an impact they can have by lending a helping hand. Children look up to their parents, teachers and even older siblings. By volunteering with them, you show them firsthand how volunteering makes a difference and how good it feels to help others. Volunteering with your family and friends is the perfect time to bond. Most people consider quality time with their family to be top priority. Spending time volunteering in the community as a family can bring you closer together. Here are 10 ways the youth in our community can help out!
1.) Host a Donation Drive 
Children and young adults can host a donation drive to help with food, school supplies, summer and/or winter needs, even for the items on our Wish List Wednesdays. Consider hosting a drive with friends and family, a youth group at church, a boy/girl scout troop or you can ask your school to host the donation drive for Martha’s Village and Kitchen. To find out more about how to host a food drive please visit our website by clicking HERE.
2.) Collect Donations for MVK at Your Next Birthday Party
Invite all your friends and family over to celebrate your birthday and ask that they donate money, gift-cards, food, toys or food for MVK in lieu of gifts. Donations stay in our very own community and go directly to the clients at Martha’s Village and Kitchen.
3.) Hold a Bake Sale at a Local Shopping Center
• Find a Location
• Ask Management for Approval
• Check the Weather
• Get a Table
• Make Some Flyers or Spread by Word of Mouth
• Bake your Treats
• Donate proceeds to Martha’s Village and Kitchen
4.) Hold a Car Wash and Donate Proceeds to MVK
Round up all your friends, grab some soap and towels, check the weather and start washing cars. Donate all proceeds to MVK.
5.) Have a Candy Gram Sale
Contact your school or church and set up a Candy Gram Sale. Let everyone know all the proceeds are helping fight hunger in our community!
6.) Collect Recyclables 
Whether you collect recyclables at home on a smaller scale, or get your friends, family and/or the community involved to help recycle, donate your proceeds to MVK. Every dollar donated will help our neighbors in need.
7.) Host a Movie Night and Sell Raffle Tickets
Gather everyone together for a movie night with games, snacks and raffles. Enjoy a nice movie with your loved ones as you raise money for a great cause! You can even have a separate jar for direct donations if you wanted. Always let people know, the money you are raising, stays in our community and helps the homeless and working poor!
8.) Volunteer at Our Monthly Birthday Parties
Come join us in celebrating the children residents at MVK every month. Bring a game to play, donate food, decorations or candy bags or just join us in celebrating!
9.) Donate Homemade Blankets for Winter Needs
Do you like sewing or knitting? Make blankets or socks for winter needs and donate them to the homeless clients at MVK.
10.) Sign Up To Run/Walk/Ride/Volunteer for the 5k 
• Sign up to help with registration.
• Cheer on runners/walkers at water stops.
• Support Martha’s team with setup/clean up.
• Sign up to help with administrative tasks before the event.
Click HERE to find out more!
For busy parents who want to spend time with their children while still contributing to their community, volunteering as a family is an ideal activity. The benefits are enormous. Volunteering teaches youth about compassion, empathy, tolerance, gratitude, and community responsibility. At Martha’s Village and Kitchen, we welcome all volunteers to volunteer in one of our many departments and even suggest other volunteer opportunities they might think of! To find out more how you can volunteer click HERE . You can also call our Community Outreach Coordinator Erica, at 760-347-4741 ext 128 or email her at esiqueiros@marthasvillage.org