Volunteer Opportunities for Kids in Metro Detroit

Alexandra F.:  Volunteers help host monthly birthday parties at homeless and transitional living facilities at partner agencies around Detroit, where all children with a birthday that month are joyfully celebrated along with any children and family members staying at the agency. Families are welcomed and encouraged to volunteer together, setting up, decorating and helping out with party activities, though please note that each community agency may have unique age or other restrictions party by party. Adults 18 and older will be required to complete a background check.

Kristy Pepping:  Home FurEver takes on dogs without a home. This foster shelter takes all breeds and dogs in any condition and give these dogs a home until they are adopted out. Kids can help by walking the dogs, setting up the adoption events, taking down the adoption events, and they also need help with administrative tasks that can be done from your home.

Kristy Pepping:  Cass Community Social Services provides assistance for people needing food, health screening, housing and jobs for the Detroit area. They need volunteers to prepare meals, destroy documents, produce mud mats, for buildings and grounds projects and play games with their special needs clients. Volunteer hours are flexible so they appreciate whatever time you can give. Although there is no specified age for volunteering, they suggest kids be at least 10.

Kristy Pepping:  Gleaners operates five distribution centers around the Detroit area to help feed people in need. They need volunteers to sort, package and organize food packages. Plus, Gleaners will teach kids about where the food is going to and how they are giving back to the community.

Kristy Pepping:  This soup kitchen needs volunteers on a regular basis. Ways to give back include preparing food, serving meals, planting vegetables, harvesting, building pantry boxes or packing food boxes. With the number of volunteers needed, it saves this organization the expense of hiring 30 full-time staff members. Capuchin Soup Kitchen even offers a unique summer camp experience for kids to volunteer! Minors volunteering need to come with a guardian.

Kristy Pepping:  Focus HOPE is an organization that focuses on overcoming racism, poverty and injustice in Southeast Michigan. Families can volunteer by packing food boxes, helping seniors load food into their cars and clean-up projects in public areas around the city.

Kristy Pepping:  Arts and Scraps recycles materials from individuals and other businesses. People can then buy these materials at a discounted cost to create art for other projects. They also hold classes for people in need that want to learn more about the arts. These classes are for all ages. As for volunteering, they need help packing art kits, preparing materials and sorting materials dropped off. Children do need to come with a guardian.

Kristy Pepping:  D-Town Farm grows healthy farm to table food for sale. They also give back by partnering with the Detroit Black Community Food Bank and take part in other urban farming projects. On weekends, they hold events where families can help pick, harvest, sort and help out on the farm.

Kristy Pepping:  Greening of Detroit has been making Detroit beautiful by planting trees, providing job training and getting kids involved in conservation. They need volunteers for planting trees, cleaning up the area parks, and gardening. Check their online calendar for upcoming events and plantings.

Kristy Pepping:  Humble Design helps people furnish their homes who are transitioning out of poverty. They get furniture and other home decor through donations, make any needed repairs and then give it to people exiting homeless shelters and into homes of their own. For volunteering, your family can either work in the warehouse to organize the furnishings or help the designers decorate a home and be there for the big reveal when the family moves in.