This Week’s Project: Seeds of Caring

So, if the last six months have taught me anything, it’s that many times, challenges present opportunities. And while we are certainly living a different lifestyle than I ever could have envisioned a year ago, this is the time to think outside the box, pivot and explore new things. We don’t have the frequent social engagements or dinners out nearly as much as we used to, so we (like many of you, I assume) find ourselves at home A LOT. This is not necessarily a BAD thing, but I want to make sure that the time we’re spending together goes beyond just hanging out watching TV.

In addition, I’ve recently felt like my kids have less exposure to issues impacting the community more than they ever have — whether it’s due to the decrease in actually leaving the house or simply the fact that they’re only three and five – but regardless, I wanted to do something to change that.  Helping those less fortunate have been a staple of both my husband and I’s upbringing, but I felt as though we could have been doing much more with our kids. Sure, they’re young, but not too young to lend a helping hand and simply learn how to be a nice, good person — even through small acts of kindness.

Therefore, I am excited to share that we’re piloting a 5 week ‘project’ in our house. It’s nothing huge or formal – merely a simple weekly commitment to getting our kids involved in giving back to the community. (Follow along at #kidsgivebackcolumbus) And from what I’ve learned in week one, it’s SO SIMPLE, they LOVE it — and we’re making an impact.

For the next five weeks, we’ll pick a local organization each week and get our kids involved in helping out. Our organization of choice this week was Seeds of Caring – and quite frankly, it was the PERFECT organization to kick off this project as their mission is to “empower kids to create a kinder community with their hearts, hands and minds.” They offer a variety of at home service projects that are specifically designed to be done by children at home. It’s really so simple – just check out the upcoming opportunities and sign up for one or more that are right for you and your family. You’ll receive reminder emails, a deadline and educational curriculum so that you can teach your kids more about those who will benefit from their help.

We had the opportunity to participate in making ‘Sack Lunches for Hungry & Homeless Neighbors’ and were tasked with putting together 20 paper bag lunches and dropping them off at a location right down the road from us. My kids had so much fun getting the lunch bags ready by adding their own personal touches…

Next, it was time to put together our peanut butter & jelly sandwiches (I handled this part just to avoid chaos)…

We then prepared to pack everything up — packaged sandwiches, apples, pretzels, special treats and water bottles!

Surprisingly, the packing process was fairly seamless, and we were able to quickly able to assemble all of our lunches. We then packed them up and took them to the drop-off site so that they could be distributed. Overall, it was an amazing experience, and I would encourage everyone to check out opportunities to get involved with Seeds of Caring. We can’t wait to sign up for another opportunity!