Shaun Groves, who was among 15 bloggers who traveled to Uganda recently with Compassion International, has some tips for teaching kids about poverty without leaving them hopeless. His children participate in his family’s sponsorship of children through Compassion.

We’re trying to show our kids a picture of hope, not despair. It’s lesson after lesson crafted to be inspiring, not devastating.

I love this idea! This article explains how you can host a cookie decorating party and donate the cookies to a shelter or other community organization. You can download a helpful guide on this page. If you’re not sure what ingredients to assemble, you can buy a kit with the essentials here.

November 12-19 is national collection week for Operation Christmas Child. It’s not too late to pack a shoebox; find your nearest drop-off location here.

Samaritan’s Purse also has a catalog of alternative gift giving ideas. Kids can give hot meals, blankets, story books, and other items to needy children all over the world.

Markmakers, “The Place for Young People Making a Difference,” enables parents to purchase philanthropic gift cards for their children, who can then spend the money on different charities and causes such as preserving the rain forest, providing vaccines, and buying a cow or chicks for Kenyan kids.

There are six shops that kids can browse through when making their giving decisions:

Environmental Protection
Peace & Justice
Kids in Need
Disease Prevention & Healthcare
Poverty & Hunger
Animal Protection

You can find the complete list of organizations supported by Markmakers here.

(HT to GoodyBlog)

Suzanne passed along this idea for a service project for families with children age 13 and over. Processing Center volunteers will be needed for the upcoming Operation Christmas Child to inspect the shoe box gifts and prepare them for shipment overseas. Processing Centers are in Atlanta, GA; Boone, NC; Charlott, NC; and Denver, CO.

Registration began August 1. To learn more about Operation Christmas Child, which I’ll be talking more about closer to the holidays, visit the web site. For more information about volunteering with Operation Christmas Child in your area, go here.

In her article Learn by helping to feed the needy, homeschooling Mom Kate Tsubata describes how she and her family combine learning with service to others.

When your kids start saying, “Mom, I’m bored!” this summer, talk about how you can serve your community as a family. What are their hobbies, and how could they use them to serve others? Here are a few ideas to consider.

• Visit a retirement home. Help the residents make a craft, read to them, sing for them, play an instrument, play a game, or just sit and chat with them. Contact the nursing home’s activity director or another staff member to ask what other activities you could help with and whether it’s OK to bring craft items or baked goods with you.

• Make cookies or a care package for an elderly neighbor who lives alone, or invite him or her over for dinner.

• Grab some trash bags and gloves and clean up a park, vacant lot, or nature area.

• Contact your local food bank and find out if they need help sorting food, packing boxes, or distributing food.

• Sign up with Meals on Wheels.

• Make simple care packages containing soap, a toothbrush, and other items and hand them out to homeless people.

• Volunteer at a soup kitchen. If there are age restrictions for working in the kitchen, see if the kids can help in the dining area by serving drinks or helping clear tables.

What projects do you like to do as a family? Please share your other ideas in the comments!

Candace Fleming’s Boxes for Katje is based on an experience the author’s mother had following World War II when she sent toothpaste, a pair of socks, a bar of soap, and a note of good wishes to Europe. In Boxes for Katje, an American girl named Rosie who lives in Mayfield, Indiana, sends a box to Katje, a girl who lives in war-torn, poverty-stricken Olst, Holland. When Katje sends Rosie a letter of thanks, an exchange between the two towns is set in motion. The book’s message of giving and meeting others’ needs and themes of friendship and hope make it a great book to discuss with your children.

This Homeschool Share unit study on Boxes for Katje includes suggestions for activities you can do with your child and discussions you can have together about generosity and other topics highlighted in the book. The book was also featured on Reading Rainbow and is available on video.

If Boxes for Katje inspires your kids to send a box or care package to someone, you might consider putting together a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child. Check the care packages category on this site for additional ideas.

Soldiers’ Angels gives families the opportunity to Adopt a Soldier who is stationed overseas or join a team that meets the specific needs (including blankets, letters, scarves, mittens, and cards) of soldiers and their families back home. The organization also accepts monetary donations and donations of items such as toys, airline miles, cell phones, and stock.

Adopt a Soldier application

Soldiers’ Angels special teams and projects

UPDATED January 2008:

Edmay Mayers, who is a U. S. Army Corps of Engineers member who formerly served in Iraq, began collecting new and gently used stuffed animals and toys to give to Iraqi children. She has returned to the states, but you can still send boxes to the address below.

Address the package to Toys for Iraqi Children at the following address:

USACE-GRS

APO AE 09331

You can find out how to get free shipping supplies (not including postage) here.

Find out more about this project at Parent Hacks, which also includes a wealth of other ideas for families.