24 Ways Your Family Can Volunteer in Charlottesville
The holiday season is here, and it’s time for festive fun galore and giving back! Creating a family tradition of giving back during the holiday season has many benefits. Volunteering cultivates empathy and kindness, inspires others, and exposes all ages to new perspectives and experiences. Whether you are looking to give back with your time, gift goods, or donate financially, read on for some family-friendly Charlottesville volunteer ideas.
There’s no shortage of volunteer opportunities in Charlottesville, especially this time of year. Here is just a sampling of Charlottesville organizations at which people can either offer their time and skills or donate. Remember, Giving Tuesday in 2025 is December 2nd!
WHERE TO VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME IN CHARLOTTESVILLE
Bennett’s Village
Bennett’s Village is named after a young Charlottesville resident who passed away in 2018 from Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type I. It will eventually be a four-acre all-abilities play space in Charlottesville. The project is always in need of volunteers to help out at events, spread the word on social media, advocate for the cause, complete administrative tasks, take pictures, and more.
Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
Help feed the hungry this holiday season. Work in one of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank locations or help fill food pantry orders for nutrition programs. There are many opportunities available. Children ages 12–17 may volunteer as long as they are accompanied by a parent or guardian. Some shifts have specific age requirements, so be sure to read each job description carefully when registering.
Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA
CASPCA volunteers must be at least 14 years old to volunteer independently. All junior volunteers are welcome to help with bagging foster food, making enrichment treats for dogs and doing laundry. Volunteers ages 16 years or older who can commit to at least six months of service are also welcome to help with cat socialization, something that requires online and in-person cat shadowing training. Donate your time as a family or apply to foster animals.
Charlottesville Community Bikes
This nonprofit bicycle shop not only recycles bicycles but also makes cycling accessible in Charlottesville. Donate your time through a variety of opportunities. For instance, help clean or repair donated bikes, sort donations, tidy up the shop, patch inner tubes or prep bikes for mechanics. If you want to help make cycling accessible in a different way, monetary donations are accepted, too.
Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry
Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry believes in giving food with kindness and compassion. The organization is always in need of volunteers to help with tasks like sorting donated items, pre-bagging food items in advance of distributions, packing grocery carts and delivering food to clients’ cars in the parking lot.
Reclaimed Hope Initiative
Reclaimed Hope Initiative offers assistance to families walking through trauma, crisis and hardship. Put your skills and passions to work by assisting with tasks like food preparation, family support services, conference assistance and more. You’ll be rewarded knowing you are helping families feel safe as they navigate foster care, adoption or raising children with disabilities.
Stepping Stone Charlottesville
Assist Stepping Stone in helping families struggling with essentials. To build an inventory, Stepping Stone relies on the donation of new and nearly new items. Volunteer to help wash and fold donated clothes, organize items in the storage space like hygiene items and equipment, or take an order directly to a family.
The Salvation Army
There is always a plethora of volunteer opportunities with The Salvation Army, especially during the holidays. Sign up to be a bellringer or donate to or work in the family store. You can even sign up to serve meals at the Soup Kitchen any day of the week, including on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Wildrock
A private nonprofit organization, Wildrock is dedicated to promoting nature play. Rooted in volunteerism, Wildrock is always in need of assistance. Opportunities are available to help maintain play elements, greet guests, host events and care for the trail system. If you’re unable to donate your time, consider promoting nature play through a monetary donation.
Virginia Discovery Museum
Volunteers play a key role in helping the Virginia Discovery Museum fulfill its mission. This independent non-profit organization serves the Charlottesville community as an interactive, educational museum for young children. The museum needs assistance with interacting with visitors, keeping exhibit spaces clean and safe, and assisting with educational programs and community events.
International Neighbors
International Neighbors is a local non-profit that helps refugee and immigrant families get settled into the Charlottesville community. The organization connects families with local resources, donations, and help as they learn to navigate their new home. One important part of the program, the Great Neighbor Guide, matches refugee families with local Charlottesville families. Your family can volunteer to become matched, providing friendship and guidance to new neighbors from all over the world. If you aren’t able to volunteer your time, International Neighbors also accepts monetary donations and household goods.
Yellow Door Foundation
Help Yellow Door provide families with hope, healing and togetherness while their child receives treatment for life-threatening illnesses. From providing meals and checking in with families to writing thank you notes to donors and community partners, Yellow Door is always looking for assistance in serving community families. The foundation also accepts donations to continue their support.
DONATE GOODS IN CHARLOTTESVILLE
Backpack Buddies
It’s never a bad time to support local kids and their abilities to learn and grow. Backpack Buddies supports local kids in need by gifting backpacks filled with school supplies. Their Charlottesville location welcomes donations of both backpacks and school supplies, from notebooks, folders, rulers and flash drives to pencils, pens, highlighters and crayons. A monetary gift can also go a long way with supporting local families.
Child Health Partnerships
Child Health Partnerships provides at-home support and resources to children and parents facing challenges. In partnership with One Fit Mother Cville, Child Health is hosting a donation drive until November 22, 2024. See their item wish list here. Child Health is also joining forces with St. Paul’s to collect 200 coats for children and their parents across the Greater Charlottesville area.
Free Book Bus
Reading is learning. The Free Book Bus in Charlottesville is always looking for new and gently used books. Sharing your favorite reads with other families in the community is a meaningful way to spread the holiday cheer. Be sure to check their website for categories and languages they are in need of as well as for a list of which items they don’t currently need.
Mason’s Toy Box
Mason’s Toy Box Foundation is globally recognized for its outstanding contribution to the welfare of families whose children are facing life-altering medical struggles. Families can donate toys or hold a virtual toy drive to get even more people involved. Learn more about volunteering with Mason’s Toy Box on their website.
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.” — Muhammad Ali
ReadyKids
ReadyKids provides the Charlottesville area with counseling, family support and early learning opportunities. Most kids arrive at counseling appointments directly after school and are hungry. Consider asking your kids to help you gather and drop off healthy snacks to help fill kids’ bellies before their counseling sessions.
The Little Free Fridge
Help the Little Free Fridge provide nutritious food items to locals. This fridge and pantry space is freely accessible 24/7, and everyone is welcome to take what they need, as well as leave what they don’t. The fridge is stocked with food donated from the community, so check the list online of what they might need this season and help your fellow neighbors.
Toy Lift
Give the gift of presents this holiday season to kids in need. Take your kiddos shopping and drop off their selections at a Toy Lift donation location by December 5. Once again, the Toy Lift is partnering with local toy stores. Shenanigans and Alakazam Toys are drop-off locations, making it easy to shop and donate from either their website or in store. One of our favorite things about Toy Lift, and CharlottesvilleFamily has been sponsors for more than two decades is that the gifts are given to the parents so they can be the giver for their kids. Seeing little faces light up with joy is something we all treasure and getting to be the giver is priceless – especially when you are struggling with providing the day-to-day essentials.
DONATE MONEY IN CHARLOTTESVILLE
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Make a difference for a new immigrant family looking to call Charlottesville home. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) accepts donations that directly impact local families as well as work with community members interested in sponsoring a family, making donations or renting to a family.
Cultivate Charlottesville
Cultivate Charlottesville engages youth and community in building an equitable, sustainable food system through garden-based experiential learning, growing and sharing healthy food, amplifying community leaders, and advocating for food justice. The organization recognizes the significant role race has played and continues to play in agriculture and education, both in Charlottesville and around the country. As stewards of garden spaces and facilitators of programs with public school students and community members impacted by racial inequities, Cultivate Charlottesville is committed to advancing equity in all aspects of its work.
Ishan Gala Foundation
Throughout the year, Ishan Gala Foundation offers opportunities for others to help support fighting families. Volunteers are needed to serve on an event’s committees, to help on the day of events, to occasionally help in the office or with supporting families, or to financially support the events they host for fighting families. Holiday Cheer Program 2024 is currently closed, but it is a special event to be a part of, so be sure and mark your calendar for next year.
Lilypads Housing
Lilypads Housing offers free, temporary housing to families traveling to UVA Children’s Hospital for life-changing, and often lifesaving, medical treatment. This worthy cause helps make all the difference for a family seeking comfort and assistance locally. Financial donations of all amounts aide Lilypads in offering this free temporary housing.
Ronald McDonald House
Ronald McDonald House is another organization that offers families with children at the UVA Medical Center a place to find comfort while their kids receive treatment. There are many ways you can help support these families this holiday season, such as Adopting a House for a week, ordering meals to be delivered to families or donating items from their wish list.
#100 Cuts Initiative
Help this outreach initiative change lives “one haircut at a time.” In partnership with local and visiting barbers, the initiative offers middle and high school youth in the Charlottesville and Albemarle community a place to get their hair cut for free. Support the Initiative’s work financially or reach out to help host an event at a Charlottesville location.
Be filled with holiday cheer and help out the community along the way. Volunteering and donating as a family can be a memorable tradition for your children. And Charlottesville has many opportunities, both big and small, for every family to inspire others to do the same.
For even more family ideas and parenting tips, see our articles like raising a polite child and how to raise kids who care. You’ll also find great mind & body guides, education stories, home & garden tips and more.