Above: Feed My People food bank.

With the holiday season approaching, you may be feeling like lending some of your time, energy, and skills to charitable organizations. This basic expression of community involvement is not only a great way to give back but is also an educational opportunity for kids. Giving children a chance to volunteer in the community can provide greater understanding of the importance of sharing and caring. While not all volunteer opportunities are right for kids, we are featuring one such volunteer opportunity that welcomes children regularly: Feed My People Food Bank.

Feed My People (2610 Alpine Road, Eau Claire) is a food warehouse that assembles and distributes food to more than 120 hunger-relief organizations in 14 counties.

Kids ages 5 and older (who must be accompanied by an adult) are welcome to participate in bulk food repackaging, during which large quantities of bulk food (imagine 600 pounds of cereal) are broken down into usable sizes. When volunteers come in they will do a little paperwork, then tour the warehouse and talk about the hunger in the Chippewa Valley before beginning repacking food.

There are three jobs involved in repacking food: First there is the scooper, who scoops food into bags; a second person weighs the bag; and a third person seals the bag. Children may do any of those jobs.

“Kids tend to like doing the scooping one. They enjoy filling the bags with food,” said Feed My People Communications Specialist Rebecca Baader.

This is a great opportunity for youth organizations, schools, church groups, and of course the whole family. Some parents even make Feed My People a part of their kids’ birthday parties.

The food bank is open 8am-5pm Monday through Friday with an additional Wednesday evening shift at 5-7pm. To get started, call (715) 835-9415 or email info@fmpfoodbank.org. Learn more online at fmpfoodbank.org.

Check out these other great volunteer opportunities for the kids:

Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild Ages 9+ • 102 W. Grand Ave., Eau Claire • (715) 832-7529 • cvtgact@aol.com • cvtg.org

Eau Claire Children’s Theatre Ages 8+ • 1814 Oxford Ave., Eau Claire • (715) 839-8877 • frontdesk@ecct.org • ecct.org

Eau Claire County Humane Association Ages 10+ • 3900 Old Town Hall Road, Eau Claire • (715) 839-4747 • volunteer@eccha.org • eccha.org

Happy Tails Dog Park All ages • 841 Chippewa Crossing Blvd., Chippewa Falls • (715) 382-3529 • Karen@happytailsdogpark.org • happytailsdogpark.org