Christmas Give Back in New Orleans this Holiday Season : It’s hard to believe, but the holidays will be here before you know it. It can be difficult to avoid getting caught up in the holidays’ excess because there are opportunities to spend money and buy things around every corner. There are a lot of questions about how to get kids involved in community service in New Orleans and how to adopt a family during the holidays in New Orleans.
Both of these topics are popular here. We all agree that it is necessary to show gratitude to others, particularly during the holiday season, and that our children need to observe the results of their volunteer work. The reality is that the holidays are whatever we make of them; if we start buying our children 20 presents when they are very young, then that is what they anticipate receiving for the holidays.
If we make the minimum requirement closer to three gifts, that will be more than sufficient. It is always possible to include acts of generosity and community service as part of your holiday customs. If you are looking for ideas to kick off the season, here are some ways to give back in New Orleans this holiday season.
Several organizations in New Orleans do community service projects throughout the holidays. The city has many ways to help others during the New Orleans holidays. For example, there is a Christmas tree lighting ceremony at City Park. One of the most favorite activities is Mardi Gras, but there are several volunteer events throughout the year for people who want to get involved in helping others.
Organizations Give Back in New Orleans this Christmas Holiday Season
St. Tammany Project
Another wonderful way to give back during the holiday is by donating toys or gift cards to St. Tammany Project. St. Tammany Project provides essential clothing, household items, and hygiene products for children and any other members of the household that are in need.
Volunteering at a nursing home is a great way to spend time with your children and help others. Every child should know about the elderly population and how we can care for them around the holidays in New Orleans. A nursing home is a great place to start, but you can also volunteer at a retirement home or help out the elderly in other ways. Other great ideas that give back include:
- Adopting a family.
- Hosting a holiday party with your friends and neighbors.
- Donating gifts to families in need through your church.
They want your children to understand that there are many ways to give back in New Orleans during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. St. Tammany Project Christmas was established in 2002 to give underprivileged children in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, a Christmas dinner and presents.
Children are allowed to participate in the program only if their families meet the criteria established by the federal government regarding poverty, and the organization consults with other local charities to ensure that no services are duplicated. One of our favorite aspects of this initiative is centered on the upkeep of the dignity of the participating families.
Project Christmas grants less fortunate families the opportunity to celebrate Christmas together as a unit. Several days in advance, families go shopping for their Christmas presents and food baskets to surprise their children on Christmas morning. That is truly incredible.
In addition, to participate, applicants must provide documentation that demonstrates a need, which means they can have peace of mind knowing that the family they adopt is in actual need. There are many different ways to get involved with Project Christmas.
If you want to teach your kids about the true spirit of the holiday season, there is no better way to do so than by getting them involved. As more children are introduced to the program and have a glimpse of the true meaning of Christmas, chances are that they will be inspired to follow in your footsteps. You can find out how to get involved by visiting their website.
You can help others in New Orleans during the holidays in many fun ways. One of the most popular options for people of all ages is to adopt a family for the holidays.
Angels’ Place
If you feel this would be a good way for your children to learn a little about the elderly and their needs, the Christmas Angels’ Place is a great place to start. Angels’ Place provides necessities to some of the community’s most vulnerable members during Christmas.
Winter apparel, necessities, housewares, and gifts are important to this program. The organization has been running in New Orleans since 2006 and serves over 250 families on any given day throughout 2017. You can find more information on their website.
A nursing home is a great place to start, but you can also volunteer at a retirement home or help the elderly in other ways. Providing a respite service for children is at the heart of Angels’ Place’s mission. Angels’ Place children treated in the hospital are cared for by well-trained volunteers from the respite program who provide the family in need with free assistance around the house.
Angels’ Place, much like the many other organizations in New Orleans that offer assistance to local families, is always in need of financial donations and volunteers. On Christmas morning in the year 2022, there are eighty families with a total of over two hundred children looking for assistance so that their parents and other primary caregivers can relax and enjoy the holiday.
The message for the children visiting Santa Claus on Christmas morning and their families is clear: “Help is here.” In return, the volunteers create memories that last a lifetime. Donations to Angels’ Place go directly to families in need.
They want your children to understand that there are many ways to give back in New Orleans during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. Angels’ Place Christmas was established in 2004 to assist families in need during the holidays, and this is a wonderful way to get involved if you want your kids to learn about giving back.
Angels’ Place’s approach to its clients is similar to Project Christmas’s, with a few notable differences. Since 2006, the organization has organized various initiatives, including Christmas Angel’s Place and Halloween Angels’ Place.
Volunteers from all over St. Tammany Parish turn out in huge numbers to help the families of the elderly with cleaning, cooking, and more. For example, over one hundred children spent their holiday doing chores in the retirement home: vacuuming, dusting, washing windows, and painting. The volunteers also cook a meal and offer snacks to the residents every day.
Northshore Food Bank
The Northshore Food Bank is part of the Greater New Orleans network, collaborating with local charitable groups and foundations. They are dedicated to providing food and financial assistance to needy families in christmas throughout the New Orleans area.
The organization focuses on three main areas: emergency food assistance, working with children in need and supporting agriculture-based agriculture projects. In addition, they provide resources for relief efforts during times of disaster. The Northshore Food Bank also distributes food to local food pantries, such as Plaquemine High School.
It helps over 70,000 people a year in need of food assistance. The organization delivers fresh produce from farmers around the region and the state. These donations are distributed to over sixty-five different agencies in Louisiana.
One of the best features of this organization is its Green Box program, which collects healthy items such as fresh fruits and vegetables during the summer months and provides them to local schools and families in need.
The parishes of St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington are among the communities that the Northshore Food Bank serves. The need for food is also very real in these parishes since an average of twenty percent of the population lives below the federal poverty line. Like Second Harvest, you can contribute to this worthy cause by donating your time, money, or food.
At the Northshore Food Bank, there is a genuine opportunity for everyone to volunteer, and as a result, we strongly encourage our readers who live on the Northshore to get in touch with us and lend a helping hand.
Poydras Home And Christwood Retirement Community
Both Poydras Home and Christwood Retirement Community require some time commitment before you receive any tangible benefits, but both organizations offer opportunities to give back and make a difference.
The Poydras Home is a New Orleans charity that provides temporary housing for young adult men with severe emotional problems. Nothing brightens a space like children and infants, and this adage is especially true in retirement communities. Before COVID, it was common practice to welcome volunteers and their families, but this policy has been modified for obvious reasons. Greeting cards sent through the mail and care packages delivered personally are preferable to visits.
Some needed items include toiletries, diapers, baby food, individual snacks, favorite candy, crayons, coloring books, toys, stuffed animals, videos, and DVDs to pass the time during downtime. If you are interested in volunteering at Poydras Home, visit their website to learn more about Poydras Home and how to get involved in their programs.
Second Harvest Food Bank
Did you know that one out of every five households in the state of Louisiana faces issues related to hunger? Unfortunately, many households in South Louisiana struggle with hunger regularly. The good news is that for every dollar donated to Second Harvest, they can provide the equivalent of four meals for those in need.
The United States Department of Agriculture receives $0.97 of every $1 donated to fund feeding programs directly. It is not difficult to contribute to this cause even if you are pressed for time; however, we recommend that you ask your children to each save towards this goal or be intentional in some other way so that they are aware of the cause that your family has chosen and the rationale behind it.
A trip to the store for some shopping with the kids, followed by a visit to one of their warehouses to hand deliver the merchandise, is another option that is not difficult to implement. Second Harvest also has many volunteer shifts available, which could be an excellent way to get your older children involved in this crucial cause.
Second Harvest Food Bank also has an extensive list of ways you can contribute by visiting their website. If your children are interested in learning about the city’s history and how to get involved, your first stop should be The Louisiana Children’s Museum.
Opened in 2015, The Louisiana Children’s Museum is a new addition to the city. This museum tells the story of New Orleans through a very comprehensive interactive experience for children in all age groups. Second Harvest Food Bank’s main aim is to collect and distribute food to needy children.
You can help others in New Orleans during the holidays in many fun ways. One of the most popular options for people of all ages is to adopt a family for the holidays.
Donations are always welcome and appreciated, but financially it may not be feasible for you to make your entire contribution through monetary support. In that case, consider supplementing your donation with some of your time by volunteering at a shelter or food bank.
Samaritan’s Purse
Samaritan’s Purse is a Christian organization that deals with all kinds of assistance programs in over twenty-six countries, including the United States. Samaritan’s Purse, which uses the acronym SP on its website, was founded in 1976 by Franklin Graham.
The organization has branches all over the world. It has partnered with several other charities, such as World Vision and Compassion International, to assist people suffering from poverty and hunger worldwide. Samaritan’s Purse has been active in New Orleans since 1984, assisting during the holidays and throughout the year. They have a variety of programs that allow volunteers to help out those in need, especially during the holiday season.
Samaritan’s Purse is not limited to assisting people with their physical needs; they also provide survivors with emotional support. The organization is on the verge of opening an outreach centre for disabled children. Although it is not a local endeavor, this project is simple and offers children real-world benefits.
With the help of Operation Christmas Child, you and your young children can go shopping together to fill a shoebox with fun toys and useful items such as soap and toothbrushes for a young boy or girl who falls within a particular age range.
The next step is to include the nine-dollar cost of mailing it and delivering it during collection week to one of the receiving locations in and around the New Orleans area. According to the words of one local mother, “Our family was drawn to Operation Christmas Child because it seemed like a way to get both wanted and needed items to children who were struggling financially.”
Because we want Jack to think of the holiday season as a time for giving rather than receiving, we wanted to give him as much responsibility as possible in this undertaking. I printed out pictures of both boys and girls as a means of giving it a more personal touch for him.
Jack had a wonderful time assisting us in determining what these children may want or require at Target. When we were at home with the things, we spread the pictures out on the ground and then divided the items based on what he thought each person would enjoy having.
Both of us had a good time, and I believe the message was received because Jack returned later and added his fire helmet to one of the piles, saying that “that boy might need a fire helmet.”
We are thankful for Samaritan’s Purse and appreciate their efforts to get the word out about how important it is to take action on behalf of the less fortunate. If you want to volunteer in any of these programs, visit the website at www.samaritanspurse.org and click “Volunteer.” This will take you directly to the information you need concerning each project in your area, whether during the traditional Christmas season or throughout the year.
Ronald McDonald House
The Ronald McDonald House is a benefit to families of critically ill children and their families who need extended accommodation, care, and support during their frequent trips to various hospitals across the country.
Volunteers are needed to provide assistance in many areas, including organizing gift baskets, helping with parties and games, creating crafts, preparing meals, and more. Since only a few families are accepted each year at the McDonald House program, they involve established community volunteers such as parents of sick children.
Families traveling to the New Orleans area in search of specialized medical care can stay at the Ronald McDonald House, which serves as a “home away from home.” Ronald McDonald House | New Orleans Moms Blog Children and their families have relocated to this home from parishes located all over the state of Louisiana and many states and countries outside of the United States.
There are many different ways that people can help out, and one idea is to take your kids shopping for things on the nursing home’s “wish list” and then make a surprise delivery of those items. Consider coloring greeting cards with your family and then sending them out in the mail or delivering them in person for other families to enjoy.
In addition, the Ronald McDonald House is happy to accept gift baskets or bags filled with snacks for the families staying there. These snacks are convenient to bring to the hospital. Or, there is a program for collecting pop tabs, the small tops found on cans.
This program makes it simple for families to participate; they have to collect the tabs and deliver them to the home; the home will then send the tabs to the recycling centre and receive payment in exchange. They collect up to $2.00 per pound, which is a nice donation for the price of the metal that they receive.
New Orleans Mission
The New Orleans Mission is an organization that seeks to educate, rehabilitate and empower men to change their lives through a 12-step program of recovery. The New Orleans Mission has a number of programs, including a Men’s Shelter; Women’s Shelter; Prevention and Treatment Program; Educational Program; After-School Program; and an Area of Hope.
The Men’s Shelter provides temporary housing for homeless men who need assistance. The New Orleans Mission was established in 1989 to assist an increasing number of homeless men living on our city’s streets by providing them with food, shelter, and spiritual guidance. During the upcoming holiday season in New Orleans, you can help those in need by donating money or volunteering to provide them with a meal.
Volunteers are needed to help prepare, serve and distribute food on Saturday and Sunday (specific days can be determined). Each volunteer receives an orientation and training session regarding safety issues. Also, each person assigned a task is responsible for maintaining it safely.
Amy’s Art Cart
Amy’s Art Cart is an organization that delivers art for the community, mainly for children at risk. The organization brings art activities and packages them with care packages for children hospitalized for illnesses such as cancer. Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of art supplies are sold each year to make this organization possible. With your help, you can make a contribution to the work that young children do through Amy’s Art Cart.
It is a non-profit organization that collects food donations, then distributes them to those in need through a network of agencies around the city. Many specialized programs offer free food to poor or needy people. Examples include the school breakfast program and the assistance program for pregnant women. Some assistance programs require that you be part of a family unit; others are open to single people and couples.
At Children’s Hospital in New Orleans, a mobile art cart called Amy’s Art Cart serves pediatric patients. Since its inception in 2014, Amy’s Art Cart has raised more than sixty thousand dollars for the Children’s Hospital Art Cart Program.
They have high hopes that the cart will be available to each child so that they can alleviate some of the discomfort and boredom associated with being in the hospital and having undergone treatments. During the holiday season, it can be especially tangible for children to shop for NEW art supplies and donate NEW (and unopened) art supplies to the Art Cart.
Children should shop for NEW art supplies during the holiday season. They can do this simply by shopping at their local art store, but it is also possible to stock up on NEW art supplies locally at various businesses and service locations as well. Alternatively, you can create a list of NEW art materials that you would like to contribute to the Art Cart. Remember to check out Get FREE Christmas Gifts and Food near New Orleans!
Random Acts of Kindness
Because of its mission of putting random acts of kindness together, Random Acts of Kindness has made a huge difference in the lives of young people in New Orleans. RAK was founded in 1999, and they now provide over 1,600 free haircuts each year to young people who cannot afford them.
They give out free haircuts to both boys and girls ages 7–15 as part of RAK’s ‘Hairstyling for Hope’ program. The children’s hair is cut without regard for gender or race.
When getting kids involved in community service in New Orleans, it is important to remember that how they serve can be creatively interpreted. During this time of year, it is important to remember that even the smallest acts of love and kindness can go a long way. Consider baking cookies to give to your mail carrier, the UPS driver, the men who collect your garbage, or even the local firefighters (these are a particular favourite of Courtney’s son Jack!).
Put granola bars in your car’s centre console and make it a routine to give one to a homeless person whenever you and your family come across someone in need while you are out and about in your vehicle. Enjoy this opportunity to clean your drawers, closets, and garages while listening to holiday music. There is no better time of year to collect donations and deliver them to those in need.
The Children’s Charity
The Children’s Charity is a non-profit organization that works towards making a difference in the lives of ill children. They are the oldest and largest children’s charity in the United States.
This organization was founded in 1899 and has always been at the forefront of pediatric research, education, and advancement. One of the underlying aims of this organization is to spread awareness about childhood illnesses through media and to help sick children throughout New Orleans.
Kids Join The Fight
Kids Join the Fight is a non-profit organization that helps sick children in the New Orleans area. The charity was established in 1997. Kids Join the Fight helps to gift and provide children of all ages with handmade stuffed animals.
The stuffed toys are meant to bring joy and comfort to children who are undergoing treatment at area hospitals. While this organization welcomes monetary donations, you can also help out by creating handmade animal crafts during your family time throughout the year. Kids Join The Fight’s objective is to raise funds to provide local care for pediatric cancer patients and their families and to fund research toward finding a CURE for childhood cancer. This will enable Kids Join The Fight to fulfill its mission of empowering kids to join the fight against pediatric cancer.
Children from all over the country are invited and encouraged to come up with their own ideas for fundraising events. To get into the holiday spirit, you could sell holiday baked goods or greeting cards. In addition, you can design custom cards to give out as a gift or a thank-you note for your children’s Christmas gifts. This can be a fun way of showing appreciation for the children and their families.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does volunteerism mean?
Volunteerism has been defined as a commitment by an individual or a group of individuals to work without receiving any form of remuneration for their efforts. It is characterized by generous actions and the desire to help others- something common among the people of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the concept of donating time, skills, money, and even blood to one’s community. Volunteerism can be used to achieve personal growth and maturity through selflessness.
Can you volunteer, or do you need to join a group?
There are different types of volunteering. You can either develop your project and volunteer or get involved with a charity-based organization. If you decide to do it alone, ensure that you have done sufficient research on whatever project you wish to participate in.
Is charitable contribution tax deductible?
Whether or not your donation is deductible depends upon your status as a citizen and the charitable organization you donate to.
How to make a difference?
The best way to make a difference is to do it yourself. Get your friends and family together and decide on a project that would benefit the children of New Orleans. Remember to have fun along the way.
Conclusion
The holidays are a wonderful time of the year. It is one of the few times we can be with our loved ones. The holidays are when people use their influence and resources to make a difference in their community and world by utilizing Ways to Give Back in New Orleans this Holiday Season. Volunteering or donating money is a good way to get involved in your community.
You can also give back or teach your children about kindness and helping others. In New Orleans, there are several charities you can donate to. If you would like to donate to a charity that does not require that you be employed, then you can go online and type in ‘New Orleans’ or your address. From there, you can find the charity’s name and see if they are registered with that particular organization.
