Martha's Table also welcomes Christmas stockings filled with toiletries for kids and children's books and games for its summer camp. Matches teen mothers or pregnant girls with a mother and child to teach parental skills and to offer additional support. This is a good project for parents looking to involve their children in volunteer activities. This organization runs the shoebox project, a good holiday activity for preschoolers. Children decorate a shoebox for a child their age and help fill the box with new mittens, hats, and socks , as well as toothpaste, a toothbrush, and fun soaps.
Gathers produce from local farms after harvest and distributes it to the homeless.
The following volunteer bureaus can put you in touch with charitable organizations in your area. You also can try contacting churches and synagogues for ideas. P.O. Box 307, Frederick, MD 21705. Sponsers community-service activity, from cleaning up streams to painting a homeless shelter. Mary Reese, who runs the Prince George's County Voluntary Action Center, has names of nursing homes that are receptive to visits from families.