Volunteering with your kids can be a great way to spend quality time together while instilling important values such as empathy and giving back to your local community. It can also help your children develop essential teamwork, communication, and leadership skills. Additionally, volunteering can provide opportunities for your family to learn about different cultures and lifestyles, and can help to broaden your children’s perspectives.
We are proud to work with Doing Good Together – Twin Cities to bring you these volunteer opportunities every month.
Check out these opportunities for August 2023:
Uptown Art Fair
Date/Time: Friday, August 4–Sunday, August 6. There are a variety of shifts available.
Location: 2815 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis.
Ages: Families with children eight years old and older can volunteer with an adult. Teens 14 years old or older can volunteer independently.
Time Commitment: Three to three and a half hours.
The Uptown Art Fair began in 1964 as a way to increase awareness of the arts while raising money for Uptown projects. Although the event has grown and changed over the years, its core mission remains the same. Each year, much of the proceeds from the fair are returned directly to the community to enhance numerous programs and activities. Families with children can help as booth sitters, at the youth art fair, or assist with the water booth. Shifts are short, fun, and give you a closer look into the largest art fair in Minnesota. Learn more here.
Contact: Madeline Peters at [email protected]. Registration is available online.
Pollinator Monitoring Events
Great River Greening
Date/Time(s): Friday, August 4, and Thursday, August 17. Check the Great River Greening calendar for exact dates and times.
Location(s):
- Ritter Farm Park, 11300 Ritter Park Trail, Lakeville.
- Spring Lake Regional Park, 15851 Howard Lake Rd, Prior Lake.
We will send exact parking locations and maps to registrants two weeks before the event.
Ages: Families with children of all ages are welcome to participate.
Time Commitment: Two hours.
Join Great River Greening, U of M Extension Bee Lab, and the Xerces Society for a hands-on pollinator capture and release sampling field day. Participants will gain more experience with capture and release practices, as well as pollinator identification. Sampling field days will take place on multiple days at both Ritter Farm in Lakeville and Spring Lake Regional Park in Prior Lake with morning and afternoon sessions available. With multiple sampling efforts throughout the summer, we will gain a better understanding of how pollinator populations are responding to our restoration efforts.
Contact: Jessica Drummond, at [email protected]. Registration is required and is available online at the links below:
Check the Great River Greening calendar to register for August dates.
Back To School Volunteer Event
The Link
Date/Time: Wednesday, August 16, 5–7 p.m.
Location: The Link, 1210 Glenwood Avenue, Minneapolis.
Ages: This is a family-friendly event.
Time Commitment: Two hours.
The Link is seeking volunteers to help organize backpacks, school supplies, and new clothing to be distributed to youth during The Link’s annual Back to School Bash held the following day. The Link’s Back to School Bash is an opportunity for young people in The Link’s programs to access the resources they need for a successful school year. With the support of our community, more than 300 young people will receive new backpacks, school supplies, clothing, and hygiene items. Volunteers are needed to help sort clothing by size, organize school supplies, and more. Volunteers are welcome to bring new clothing to donate. T-shirts, pants, shorts, jackets, sweaters, socks, and undergarment donations are all welcome. Unable to volunteer? Volunteers are also needed to donate back-to-school items. Needed items can also be purchased and shipped to The Link from our Back to School Amazon Wish List.
Contact: Yong, [email protected]. Registration is available online via our Eventbrite link.
Food Shelf Donations
Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners (IOCP)
Date/Time: Donation drop-off hours are Monday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m.–7 p.m., and Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Location: 1605 County Road 101 N, Plymouth.
Ages: Everyone can help.
Time Commitment: Varies.
Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners (IOCP) is a human service nonprofit that strengthens our community by meeting basic needs and equipping individuals and families for ongoing stability. Food shelf donations tend to decrease during the summer months. Your family can help by collecting and donating needed items for our food shelf. Some of our most-needed items are name-brand kid-friendly cereals, pull-ups in sizes 4T–5T, spices, condiments, and shelf-stable tomato products like pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Click here to learn more about donating food items and here for our food shelf donation list.
Contact: Patrick at [email protected] or call 763.489.7500.
RBC Race for the Kids and RMH Family Walk
RBC, supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities Upper Midwest
Date/Time: Saturday, August 19.
Location: Gold Medal Park, Second Street and 11th Avenue South, Minneapolis.
Ages: Everyone can participate. There are events for runners and walkers of all ages! There is a .30-mile kids run for children 10 years old and younger that starts and finishes at the same spot. Parents are welcome to run with their kids. The three-mile Family Walk is open to all ages.
Time Commitment: Varies.
RBC Race for the Kids will be held Saturday, August 19, along the Stone Arch River Route in Minneapolis. The start and finish lines are located right outside the Guthrie Theater on W River Parkway at Gold Medal Park. This exciting event includes a 10-mile, 5-mile, 5k, and kids race. Proceeds from the races benefit the Ronald McDonald Charities, Upper Midwest. The RBC Race for the Kids MN started in 2014 and supports the Ronald McDonald House Charities Upper Midwest. Each year, this race, along with its partners, raises over $50,000 to provide families with a home away from home when their child is facing a medical crisis. Learn more here.
Contact: Jennifer Argeros, 612.238.8128, [email protected]. Registration is available online.
Open Farms
Open Arms of Minnesota
Date/Time(s): Click here to find available shifts.
Location(s):
Minneapolis Farm Locations:
- Compassion Farm: 508 Morgan Ave N and 509 Logan Ave N.
- Joy Farm: 2645 14th Ave S.
St. Paul Farm Locations:
- Abundance Farm: 668 Victoria St S, (West 7th and Victoria).
- Hope Farm: 860 Otto Ave, St. Paul.
- Afton Farm: 2167 Oakgreen Ave, Afton.
Ages: Families with children ages six years old and older are welcome to volunteer at Open Farms. Click here for more information on age requirements and adult-to-youth ratio.
Time Commitment: Two hours per shift.
Open Farms produces delicious veggies each year to use in our client’s meals, and we need your help planting, weeding, and harvesting the bounty. Volunteering at the farm offers an opportunity to learn about locally and sustainably produced agriculture up close and in the dirt! The gardens produce kale, herbs, tomatoes, beans, basil, carrots, onions, and many other flavorful and nutritious crops. No matter your experience level, volunteers can help grow delicious organic produce to nourish our neighbors. Face masks for those who are vaccinated are optional. Click here for more information.
Contact: Kelly Wilson, [email protected]. Registration is available online.
Organize An Essentials Drive
Bridging
Date/Time: Flexible.
Location: Drop off donated items at either 201 West 87th Street, Bloomington, or 1730 Terrace Drive, Roseville.
Ages: Everyone can participate in collecting items.
Time Commitment: Varies.
Through the effective reuse of donated items, Bridging improves lives by providing quality furniture and household goods to those transitioning out of homelessness and poverty. Bridging gives hope, and for many, a leap toward financial stability for the first time. Your family can help by collecting the following essential items:
Kitchen packs. Basic packs include a can opener, standard or slotted mixing spoon, rubber and/or slotted turner spatula, peeler, kitchen/utility scissors, dish towel or cloth, and a hot pad/oven mitt. Extra kitchen items to include are a ladle, whisk, pizza cutter, dish scrubber, measuring spoons and cups, tongs, and an optional covered plastic shoe box-type container. We need over 100 packs per week to give every home a set. Learn more here.
Cleaning kits. These kits include a 12” dish brush, iron-shaped scrub brush, rubber gloves, sponges, hard surface/bathroom scrub brush, kitchen and/or bath-sized garbage bags, and a container to hold cleaning tools. Extra cleaning kit items to include are microfiber cloths, additional sponges and rags, a mini-whisk broom/dustpan, and a covered plastic “shoe box” container. We need over 100 packs per week to give each home a kit. Learn more here.
Contact: Joel Bisser, Community Relations Associate, [email protected], 651.403.6872
Learn and Deliver Meals with Your Family!
Meals on Wheels
Date/Time: Volunteer one hour during lunchtime, Monday through Friday.
Location: With over thirty neighborhood sites throughout the Twin Cities, you can easily be connected with a delivery site near your home! Visit our website at www.meals-on-wheels.com to learn more and to sign up to volunteer with the program nearest you!
Ages: Families are welcome and encouraged to volunteer.
Time Commitment: About an hour at lunchtime.
Delivering Meals on Wheels with your children or grandchildren is a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time as a family and pass on the values of kindness, compassion, and civic responsibility by helping seniors and individuals with disabilities in your community. Whether you have infants or teenagers, you can make a contribution together to improve your community. Delivering meals involves driving to the program site, picking up meals, and delivering them to eight to ten clients in your community.
Contact: Shelby Kline, [email protected], 612.623.3363.
Be a Sitter for Future Assistance Dogs!
Can Do Canines
Date/Time: Ongoing need, as puppies need sitters at various times throughout the year.
Location: 9440 Science Center Drive, New Hope.
Ages: This is a great family project. Children can take part in feeding, obedience training, and helping to work on good house manners.
Time Commitment: Six or fewer days at a time.
If you love puppies, but are not ready to adopt a dog, being a sitter may be a good option for you and your family! Sitters host a dog that is between eight weeks and two years of age in their home for up to six days, while the dog’s longer-term raiser is out of town or unavailable. Can Do Canines will cover the cost of food and vet expenses. This is a great opportunity to spend quality time as a family and pass on the values of commitment, compassion, and civic responsibility by helping people with disabilities in your community.
Contact: Christine Popp, Volunteer Coordinator, [email protected].
Help Raise Future Assistance Dogs!
Can Do Canines
Date/Time: Ongoing need, as puppies need homes at various times throughout the year.
Location: 9440 Science Center Drive, New Hope.
Ages: This is a great family project. Children 15 years old and younger can take part in feeding, obedience training, and helping puppies to work on good house manners, and children who are 16 years old and older can handle dogs in class and in public places under adult supervision.
Time Commitment: Opportunities range from 1 week to 24 months.
Raise and train a future assistance dog! Raisers are needed to teach our curious canines good house manners and how to behave well in public places. Raisers take a future assistance dog into their home for timeframes that range from 1 week up to 24 months. You can choose the length of time you host a dog. Can Do Canines will cover the cost of food and vet expenses. Puppy Raisers are asked to take the puppy on public outings three times a week and bring the puppy to one training opportunity a month. We have amazing trainers to teach you how to raise a future assistance dog. You’ll learn new skills in class and get comfortable taking the puppy in public while attending our group outings. This is a great opportunity to spend quality time as a family and pass on the values of commitment, compassion, and civic responsibility by helping people with disabilities in your community.
Contact: Christine Popp, Volunteer Coordinator, [email protected].
Host a Donation Drive for CES
Community Emergency Services (CES)
Date/Time: Donations can be dropped off at CES Monday–Friday from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. or by appointment.
Location: 1900 11th Ave S, Minneapolis.
Time Commitment: Varies, but we recommend one to four weeks to run your drive.
Ages: Everyone can help.
CES is a non-profit crisis relief and empowerment organization that serves Minneapolis with a number of food-based programs in the most culturally and ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Minnesota. We need your help to ensure the shelves are stocked with great nutritious food offerings. Your family can help by hosting a drive to collect needed food and personal hygiene items for CES programs. Learn about how to host a drive here. Don’t have time to host a drive? You can still collect food or hygiene items to donate to CES.
Contact: Annette Roth at [email protected], or 612.870.1125 ext. 204. Click here to register your drive.
Sorting and Packing Shifts at Brooklyn Park
Second Harvest Heartland
Date/Time: Volunteer shifts are available Monday through Friday and every other Saturday. Morning, afternoon, and evening times are available depending on the day. Click here for current volunteer shift availability.
Location: 7101 Winnetka Ave. No., Brooklyn Park.
Ages: Families with children ages eight years old and older are welcome to volunteer.
Time Commitment: Varies.
Second Harvest Heartland believes no one should ever go hungry, as our region produces more than enough food for everyone. Helping hungry neighbors find their next meal—so they can thrive at work, in the classroom, and in their communities—is what drives Second Harvest Heartland, its partners, and supporters. Volunteers are needed to assist with sorting, labeling, weighing, and packing various food items to meet immediate needs and help feed our hungry neighbors! The projects vary from day to day, and our volunteers regularly work with fresh produce, dry goods, bread, and various donations. This volunteer position requires volunteers to be able to twist and bend down, stand for the duration of their shift, and lift up to five pounds. Some positions require the ability to lift 40 pounds.
Please note the information below:
- Shirts must cover the shoulders, armpits, and bellies (no tank tops or crop tops) for food safety purposes.
- Closed-toe shoes are required.
- All clothing should be appropriate for handling food and not have loose, dangling beads or other articles which can be a physical contaminant.
- Comfortable clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty is preferred.
- We suggest you dress in layers to remain comfortable while working, as the temperature can fluctuate.
- No jewelry. When you are in the packing areas, you will be asked to remove all jewelry. Lockers are available on-site to store belongings.
Contact: [email protected] or 651.282.0901. Registration is required and is available online.
Lemon-Aid Stand Campaign
MyChild’sCancer
Date/Time: This summer-long event runs until Labor Day, Monday, September 4.
Location: Outside your house or apartment building or somewhere in your neighborhood.
Ages: Best for children six to fourteen years old.
Time Commitment: Flexible.
MyChildsCancer provides families fighting cancer with the life-saving answers they need. Their team of cancer experts, medical researchers, and oncologists conduct personalized research into cancer type, treatment methodologies, new drugs, specialists, hospitals, and emerging clinical trials. Your family or children can host a Lemon-Aid stand and donate the proceeds to MyChildsCancer. You will find everything you need to host your Lemon-Aid stand on our website. We provide downloadable posters, checklists, recipes, social media ideas, and much more. If your Lemon-Aid stand raises the most money, you can win amazing prizes like VR sets, I-pads, gift cards, and more. We can also provide a letter recognizing your community service hours.
Contact: Inbal, [email protected]. Register your lemon-aid stand here.
Grow and Give from your Garden
Every Meal
Date/Time: Produce is accepted June 26–October 10 on Mondays from 9 a.m.–2 p.m. and Tuesdays from 9 a.m.–noon. Please email our Program Team at [email protected] with a brief donation description to coordinate your drop-off.
Location: 2723 Patton Road, Roseville.
Ages: Everyone can help by donating produce from their home garden.
Time Commitment: Varies.
Every Meal’s Grow & Give Program brings together produce from our garden, community garden partners, and you to expand access to fresh produce. Each week during the summer growing season, the collected vegetables and fruits are distributed to children and families in our community. Your family can help by donating produce from your own garden! Below is a list of our most desired produce, but additional types of produce are welcome.
- Broccoli.
- Cabbage.
- Carrots.
- Cucumbers.
- Eggplant.
- Herbs (mint, cilantro, parsley, basil, etc.).
- Green beans.
- Leafy greens (kale, chard, lettuce, etc.).
- Peppers (spicy and sweet varieties).
- Potatoes.
- Radishes.
- Tomatoes (large and small varieties).
- Squash.
- Zucchini.
Please harvest fruits and vegetables in a safe manner to minimize the risk of foodborne illness. For example, always wash your hands before harvesting and wear clean gloves. Do not harvest if you are sick (coughing, sneezing, have a fever, etc.). If you are ill and worried about your produce spoiling, please ask a friend or neighbor to help harvest. We kindly ask that herbicides, insecticides, and chemical fertilizers not be used in the growing of produce donated. Organic fertilizers and pest control should be used when needed. Do not donate food that is overripe, has mold, bruising, or insect damage Wipe as much dirt/mud off of the produce as possible, but do not rinse. Learn more here.
Contact: [email protected].
Donate Children’s Clothing by Mail
Giving Factory Direct by Cradles to Crayons
Date/Time: Year-round.
Location: Virtual.
Ages: Everyone can participate.
Time Commitment: Varies.
Giving Factory Direct matches you with a child experiencing clothing insecurity. You will be provided with a pre-paid UPS shipping label so you can ship clothing directly to a child who needs it.
How It Works: Create an account to let us know what size and gender of clothing you’d like to give, and you will be matched with a child at one of our verified nonprofit partners. Giving Factory Direct serves children ages 0–12 years old living in homeless or low-income situations and accepts new or gently-used clothing in sizes newborn to adult medium.
When donating, please use Group Code DGT2023. All KidPacks must be seasonally appropriate and include:
- Sizes 0–24 months: 2-4 tops/onesies, 2-4 bottoms, 1 pair of pajamas, 1 sweater/sweatshirt.
- Sizes 2T–18/20: 2-4 tops, 2 bottoms, 1 sweater/sweatshirt.
Contact: Email [email protected] with any questions, and register online today!
Women’s Triathlon General Support Volunteers
YWCA Minneapolis
Date/Time: Sunday, August 13. There are two shifts available:
- Women’s Tri Support Shift 1, 5–9:30 a.m.
- Women’s Tri Support Shift 2, 7:45 a.m.–1 p.m.
Location: Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis.
Ages: Families with children 10 years old and older are welcome to volunteer. Youth under 14 years old must volunteer with a parent or guardian.
Time Commitment: Shifts are four and a half or five and a quarter hours.
The mission of YWCA Minneapolis is to eliminate racism, empower women and girls, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. The YWCA Minneapolis Women’s Triathlon is our most popular athletic event of the year! It’s a race that has participants trekking through the water and across the pavement through swimming, cycling, and running. Volunteers are needed to support the 1,200 triathletes at Lake Nokomis. General support volunteers will help in the following areas:
- Transition area support.
- Operations center support.
- Bag check.
- Low waste team.
- Awards table.
- Finish line.
Learn more about the triathlon here.
Contact: Kaylen Broms at [email protected]. Registration is available online.
This list was compiled by Doing Good Together™ (www.doinggoodtogether.org).
When calling or emailing to volunteer for any of the opportunities listed above, please let the coordinator know you found it through this listing. You are encouraged to ask any questions you may have of the sponsoring organization before committing to a project.
Disclaimer: This list is provided as a service to families. Inclusion of organizations in this listing does not imply affiliation, endorsement, or quality assurance on the part of Doing Good Together™. Doing Good Together™ bears no responsibility whatsoever for the activities and actions of the listed organizations.
Visit Doing Good Together for more ideas, opportunities and activities.
