Holiday Volunteer Opportunities for Chicago Families

Misericordia offers a variety of care to individuals with developmental disabilities to help each person realize their full potential. This holiday season, sign up with your high schoolers for 2 hour shifts to help bake holiday goodies! (No cooking skills required!) Volunteers will be scooping, mixing, baking, packaging and displaying bakery products.

Celebrate the season of giving at the Glen Ellyn Park District’s 6th Annual Toys for Tots Toy Drive on Sunday, December 7. Bring a new, unwrapped toy to brighten the holidays for children in need (stuffed animals cannot be accepted) and enjoy a magical meet-and-greet featuring some of your favorite characters.

In partnership with the League of Enchantment, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit known for bringing beloved characters to life for local hospitals and charitable events, the toy drive will feature superheroes, princesses, and maybe even a villain or two. Thor, Belle, Spider-Man, Elsa, and around 20 other characters will be present for memorable photo opportunities, adding to the heartwarming atmosphere of the afternoon.

1 pm - 3 pm

Families Helping Families Chicagoland is a completely volunteer-led charity! The mission is simple: create a better community by providing meaningful opportunities for families to support other local families in need. Their annual fundraising party is a fun family event and volunteer opportunity "wrapped" into one, as kids and parents help wrap Christmas gifts for families in need.

Help the Greater Chicago Food Depository stock up for the holidays! They offer family-friendly days where you can volunteer with your child to repackage food just in time for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and beyond. Space for repackaging is limited, so sign up today!

11am-1pm

Wreaths Across America seeks to remember fallen veterans, honor those who serve, and teach children the value of freedom through wreath laying ceremonies at cemeteries throughout the country each December. Kids can help in every part of the mission, from raising funds to laying wreaths at thousands of locations across the US, including St. Boniface Cemetery, Union Ridge Cemetery, and many other cemeteries around Chicago and the suburbs. To volunteer, fill out the form online and specify the location or group where you would like to participate.

Rally a team of 4-6 participants and race around downtown for another unforgettable year of spreading kindness across Chicago. Complete fun-filled tasks that will make others smile, rediscover the spirit of the season, and raise funds to support Honeycomb’s year-round programs. Teams of ALL KINDS are welcome!

2-5 pm

Samaritan’s Purse sends gift-filled Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes to children in need around the world.

Vanessa M. said:  Kids of all ages can help make Christmas special for children all over the world by packing a shoebox of gifts with Operation Christmas Child. Every year my family gets together to pack shoeboxes, and it is a wonderful way to focus our little ones' hearts on giving! Teens ages 13+ can volunteer with an adult at the Operation Christmas Child warehouse, sorting and packing shoeboxes in a fun, Santa's workshop-like atmosphere.

The Honeycomb Project partners with dozens of local non-profits to serve individuals, families, and communities in need around Chicago, with a focus on providing family volunteer experiences. They have various volunteer events leading up to the holidays, so browse their full list to register in advance to pack and deliver meals, bake cookies, organize supplies, and clean up the neighborhood alongside your kids.