According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, American adults between the ages of 35 and 54 are most likely to volunteer in their community, yet HandsOn San Diego has created a category of opportunities available to a completely different demographic: volunteers under the age of 18.
HandsOn Volunteer Engagement Coordinator Jessie Case explains youth volunteers sometimes encounter obstacles because of the age restrictions some organizations have in place for safety or liability reasons, but says HandsOn is committed to making volunteering easier for everyone, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“During this pandemic, we’ve seen youth step up and answer the call to help their communities by distributing and delivering food, making cards for isolated seniors, and more. We hope that the projects we list on the San Diego COVID-19 Volunteer Hub will continue to inspire youth and adults alike to get involved,” Case said.
One group that regularly includes younger volunteers is Porchlight Community Services, a non-profit food share program that provides emergency food services as well as weekly events where participants can receive rescued food items, in exchange for a donation.
Founder and CEO Claudia Montenegro said she began encouraging volunteers to bring their children with them after a Thanksgiving event at her children’s school.
“One of the pivoting points to me to include them came when I went to distribute baskets of food and some of the parents brought their kids with them. It was heartbreaking to see the look on their kids faces, recognizing my own kids as their peers. But, at the same time, the realization happened and then my daughter started talking to one of them about school and it put everyone at ease,” Montenegro said.
The single mom says sometimes, it’s not a matter of choice to exclude kids because to do so would mean losing the opportunity to volunteer. She believes having young volunteers is good for the non-profit as well as educational for children and teens.
“It’s an eye opening image to see people come from Ramona, Alpine, Lakeside. I want kids who participate to learn that volunteering with food distribution is not an anonymous situation. These are real people who need help. For young volunteers to see that individuals are people just like them is really important,” Montenegro said.
The way Porchlight works, Montenegro explains, is like shopping a pantry: there are canned goods and boxes on shelves, produce in boxes and perishables in the freezer. Within that structure, she has found ways to incorporate volunteers of all ages into the non-profit.
“We got the younger kids little shirts that say “Supervisor” on them and we try to include them in just about everything. When you’re being walked through a pantry by a little kid, it softens the situation and the nervousness falls away,” Montenegro said.
Older children are enlisted to carry out groceries, pull wagons to cars, sort items onto shelves.
“It’s interesting to see that the kids pay attention to the packaging, brands. My own kids can spot a snack and know how much it costs or which store it came from. They speak the language of advertising,” Montenegro said.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Montenegro was developing plans for school partnerships to source older teen volunteers with digital media skills who could volunteer from home. She questions why schools aren’t connecting teens with non-profits to grow the next generation of volunteers.
“Having that social-emotional growth from participating in community service, they’re learning about responsibilities and having an impact on different people,” Montenegro said.
She says one of the biggest things she believes as a CEO and as a parent is there should be more opportunities to volunteer with kids, a sentiment echoed by Case.
“HandsOn San Diego believes that engaging youth in volunteerism helps them become more involved and compassionate members of our community as they grow older,” Case said.
Montenegro describes volunteering with children and teens as the practice of turning strangers into friends.
