Why You’ll Want to Host a “Packing Party” This Season
In my last post of this series, I shared a fun printable to encourage year-round acts of kindness in your community. Teaching our kids to give back and serve others is a valuable opportunity we have in our homeschools. In this post, I’ll share how you can give back by simply hosting a fun party!
Sponsoring a family or a child during the holidays can be a great way for the entire family to get involved in giving back. And if you typically go to any holiday events or family gatherings, turning them into a packing party or a giving party can help make the impact even bigger! (And who doesn’t love a good party for a good cause?)
A packing party is fun to organize, and is a great way to support a family or child in need. This can easily be done through celebrations you already have each year, or you can turn it into it’s own event.
What is a Packing Party?
A packing party and a giving party are similar but slightly different. A packing party (also sometimes called a shoebox drive) is coming together to pack and fill shoeboxes as a group to donate to an organization like Operation Christmas Child.
A giving party (also called a donation party) is an event in which the host will ask guests to bring a donation for a charity when they arrive. This could be money, or it could be a material item. This has become a popular idea for birthday celebrations, but is appropriate for any type of party year-round.
The best part is that your kids can be very hands-on during these parties, to really get into the spirit of giving. The parties can be larger scale (get your church, co-op, neighborhood or sports team involved!), or small (gatherings with friends and family). Anything that is collected and donated can make a difference, whether big or small.
Where Can I Donate Items from a Packing Party?
If you are hosting a party to pack boxes or collect donations, here are a few great ideas for where you can donate them:
- Operation Christmas Child has a National Collection Week every year, which is typically in the middle of November. However, you can pack shoeboxes any time of the year and send them to their headquarters (or hold onto them until it’s time to donate!). You can use any average-sized cardboard box, plastic box, or regular shoebox for this.
You can also build a shoebox ONLINE year-round on their website! How fun is that?
- Adopt an Angel from an Angel Tree (you can find them in Walmart typically this time of year!) and have your guests bring items to donate for the angels you have chosen.
- Your family or group could “adopt a nursing home” and bring gifts for the residents. Have your kids help you deliver the presents (and maybe do some caroling while you are there!). This would be really fun to do with a homeschool co-op.
- Fulfill a wishlist for the Ronald McDonald House, or have your guests collect soda tabs to bring to your event and donate to this organization.
- Host a food packing party! Have everyone bring non-perishable items to donate to a local food bank or food pantry.
- Pack Comfort Cases for children in foster care. Guests will bring items like PJs, stuffed animals, toiletries and personal care items to fill a backpack. Learn more about this great organization here.
These are just a few ideas to get you started – you might get creative and come up with some other way to party for a cause as a family!
How to Host a Packing Party
It’s overall pretty easy to host a packing party or giving party. But, here are a few tips to keep in mind if you are planning on making this a part of your holiday celebration!
- First, decide which organization you are going to donate to. Many have lists on their websites on what items they are in need of, but you may choose to contact them to see how you can be the biggest help to them.
- Set a date for the party, and spread the word! Plan out any logistics (and have your kids help!) depending on the scale of your party. Make sure to also let your guests know a little bit about the charity you are supporting and how they will be making a difference.
- Create a list or a handout for the types of items you would like to collect. You may decide to have people sign up for certain items to bring.
- Throw the party! Have everyone bring their items for donation and fill your shoeboxes and/or assemble your gifts.
It could also be fun to set a goal for your party (such as filling a certain number of shoeboxes or gift bags) that you can work together to try to reach.
Be inspired this year to turn your ordinary gatherings and parties into acts of service! There are so many other ways we can help children and families in need, not just during the holidays but throughout the year. Packing parties are a fun way we can come together to do just that.
Don’t Miss the 12 Days of Serving Others Series
This post is part of the series “12 Days of Serving Others”. In this series, you’ll find great tips and ideas on how you can incorporate service and volunteering into your homeschool all year.
I’ll link the rest of the series posts here to make it easy to navigate!
- Something Important That Might Be Missing From Your Homeschool
- The “Giving Box” and Other Ways Kids Will Love to Donate
- How Your Creative Cards Can Make a Big Impact
- Helping Our Furry Friends: Fun Ways Kids Can Get Involved
- The Best Boxes You’ll Ever Pack
- One Wreath Can Make a Difference
- Random Acts of Kindness: How to Make Them a Habit
- Why You’ll Want to Host a “Packing Party” This Season
- Crafted With Love: Wonderful Service Projects for Crafty Kids!
- How To Begin Volunteering With Your Family
- 7 Ways to Bless Others With Your Baking Skills
- How to Build a Great Foundation for Service With Your Kids
Comment below and let me know – have you hosted a packing party or giving party? What other ways have you “partied for a cause”?
This post is also part of the 12 Days of Homeschooling Fun Through the Holidays Series. Click here to check out the other amazing bloggers who are a part of this, and to enter the giveaway!
