This time of year, there are plenty of opportunities for families to share in charitable giving. Teaching your child the importance of giving to individuals who have various needs, or to organizations that meet the housing, medical, food or other needs can help build their sense of community.

Even in this time of social distancing kids can get actively involved with giving. Many houses of worship have charitable activities in the community.

Here are a few ideas:

The Frederick County Department of Aging Meals on Wheels program is collecting shoebox of nonperishable items for seniors. For a list of suggested items and more details, email KDevilbiss@frederickcountymd.gov,, 301-600-2523. Then take the kids to the grocery store and have them help pick out appropriate items.

The City of Frederick’s Community Action Agency is always collecting non-perishable items for their food pantry. They also collect items such as diapers, formulat, adult hygiene etc. https://www.cityoffrederickmd.gov/184/Donations

The Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs is a non-denominational organization that helps hundreds of people in our community. For a link to a list of their needs, visit https://www.thereligiouscoalition.org/support-us/supply-needs. They have many hygiene needs year-round.

The Frederick Rescue Mission and its arm for women and families, Faith House, also needs donations year-round https://www.therescuemission.org/give/non-cash-donations.

The possibilities are endless, and can go a long way in building empathy in your children. Dana Gold, Senior Manager of National Events & Brand Campaigns for Youth at Make-A-Wish® America, says, that the 3-5 year old age range is a great time to make lessons more concrete: “It’s at this age that kids begin to feel empathy, which is key when it comes to understanding the importance of charitable giving.”