Translations:AY Honors/Community Development/Answer Key/31/en

There are many ways a group of young people can get involved in helping an urban community. Here are some ideas:

Street Feeding

Make lunches and distribute them to the homeless living in the street. This can be done from of a volunteer's vehicle or from an ACS van. Some groups also collect blankets, socks, underwear, gloves, and coats (or any combination of these) and distribute them with the lunches.

Work in a Soup Kitchen

Groups may volunteer on a regular basis, or as available.

Homeless Shelters

Find out what other churches in your community are doing for the homeless. Some churches may band together to offer shelter on a rotating basis for one month (or one week if there are enough churches) during the coldest part of the year. A meal is usually served each evening as well. If your community already has a program like this, join it. If not, look into starting one.

Thrift Store

Contact your local Salvation Army, Goodwill, or similar organization and ask what you can do to help. They may be able to put you to work sorting donated items or helping out in many other ways. These stores usually employ those who are in desperate need, providing them with on-the-job training that may enable them to get a job in a regular retail establishment.

Day Camp

Start a Day Camp at your church. These programs are operated much the same as a Vacation Bible School program, with or without the religious component. These programs are offered for free and are targeted towards underprivileged youth. They also provide the parents with a form of free babysitting allowing them to run errands or even work.

Tutoring Program

See the Literacy honor for more information.

Clothes Closet

Collect used clothing from church members and make it available to those in need. This can be done on a regular, weekly basis, or by appointment. You can photocopy ads with tear-off phone numbers for the program and hang them on bulletin boards around your community.