Philly Is the City of Sisterly Love
By: Bryanna Garnes
The holiday season is always a good time to give. There is so much poverty and misfortune in the world; if you have the opportunity to help, take it. Below are some ways to show your kindness and give back to the Philly community.
Philabundance Food bank
Take the time to help someone out even if you don’t know them. Philabundance accepts food donations year round to help feed children. This season if you give, your offer will be matched 2x over. Therefore feeding 2x more families! Additionally, they have events throughout greater Philadelphia that anyone 18 and over can participate in like, night packing shifts or checking food expiration dates before distribution.
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Interested in agriculture? This volunteer opportunity is for those ages eight+. Some of their volunteering options consist of Norristown Farm Park helping, Strawberry mansion propagation, and Bartram’s Garden Propagation help. Since there are so many options throughout the entire Philly area it makes it super easy to pick one closest to you!
Big Brothers Big Sisters
If you’ve ever wanted to have a younger sibling or simply wanted to make new friends, this is a mentorship program serving 1,500 youth across the tri-state area. The program aims to equip youth with confidence, positive relationships, and opportunity. However, if being a mentor isn’t for you, they also accept monetary donations!
PAWS
This one is for the animal-lovers! Wishing you had a pet to spend the holidays with? This is an opportunity to play with the cats and dogs and help maintain their cages at a no-kill shelter. You can adopt, donate, foster, and volunteer at any of their locations! Don’t miss out on any of the wonderful opportunities to help out and care for a furry friend.
ASAP: After School Activities Partnerships
While there are many ways to find fun things to do throughout the city, ASAP helps advocate for enriching out of school experiences to empower the youth. Participants can volunteer for events, teach recreational activities, or even art classes.I plan on living out my dance teacher dreams when I volunteer here! Their mission is to develop high quality after-school programs to help encourage and strengthen communities!
If Philly isn’t your “home for the holiday”, use this list as inspiration to do a little good near you! Everyone can use a little kindness in the world and being a helping hand is a genuine and wonderful thing to do. Whether it’s starting a new tradition, finding ways to make new friends, or simply meeting new people; you will gain something from the experience. Do something meaningful!
