Family Volunteering in Clark County: Ways to Give Back and Make a Difference Together
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Now more than ever, people are recognizing the importance of looking out for one another. As prices rise and needs grow, taking care of our neighbors and community is something many want to prioritize. I believe people genuinely want to help each other, and we don’t want to watch our neighbors struggle.
Volunteers are quite literally responsible for keeping many agencies running and our community could not survive without them. And while the holidays tend to inspire greater numbers of volunteers, unfortunately, those numbers start to taper off once January arrives. Even though many people may want to do more for their community, it can be difficult to make the time while managing family, jobs and responsibilities. With young kids in tow, carving out a few hours to head to the local food pantry or clean up a neighborhood park might feel impossible. But if there’s a way to incorporate our kids into this volunteer time, everyone reaps the rewards.
Plenty of studies show the benefits for kids who volunteer – it boosts everything from empathy, responsibility, a sense of purpose and even improves mental health and wellbeing. Kids of any age who participate in volunteer activities will be more likely to be continue when they’re older, and the good news is they are never too young to start.
Feeding People – Family Volunteering in Clark County
Michele Richardson has worked at the Clark County Food Bank for over ten years since she started as a volunteer herself with young children before joining the staff. “We literally could not do what we do without volunteers,” she says, citing the 10 million pounds of food that get distributed throughout Clark County every year.
148,000 people are served annually which is roughly 30% of Clark County residents. “Every year, the needs keep rising,” says Richardson. The food bank is not only committed to providing food to the people of Clark County but also alleviating hunger and its root causes. “We don’t want to just put a band aid on the problem; we are very passionate about helping in all areas.”
Because of this philosophy, the food bank not only gathers, packs and distributes food to over 40 sites across the county, but they offer courses and resources in financial literacy, workforce development, nutrition, taxes and more.
While Clark County Food Bank had more child-centric volunteer opportunities pre-pandemic, they are hoping to bring those opportunities back. “I have great memories of taking my kids to volunteer at the food bank through their preschool,” says Vancouver resident Barrett Brenner. “Even at such a young age, they knew they were helping others, and they took a lot of pride in the potatoes they boxed.”
For adults and kids aged 14 and up, there are plenty of opportunities to sort and pack food in the warehouse or drive food to the sites. “Every volunteer role is different, and we try to keep it really flexible,” says Richardson.
If you want to include younger children, one option is to drive boxes of food to residents who are homebound and unable to make it to any of the food sites. Or, if you have active little helpers who need space to move, harvesting season generally runs from May through October and needs volunteers for picking fruits and vegetables, and kids of any age are welcome to join.
“We have an amazing community that wants to help,” says Richardson, “and even if you can’t donate or volunteer, you can share about us.” In 2024, 4,625 people volunteered their time and the food bank hopes to continue adding to that number. “We also want people to know that the food bank is for everyone,” Richardson says. “Even if you’re just having a hard month, we want to get rid of the stigma that food banks are only for certain people.”
Four-Legged Friends
Many Humane Societies have age restrictions on volunteers due to safety concerns, but if you have any feline-loving kids, the Washougal Humane Society allows volunteers to work with cats if they are eight years old and up and supervised by an adult. And there are other ways for animal lovers to help their furry friends. Eight-year-old Amorah has been wanting a cat to play with at home but her mom, Arieshia Williams, says it’s just not in the cards. Luckily, they discovered Second Chance Companions (SCC) in need of volunteers to help find homes for animals.
There are plenty of ways to support Second Chance Companions, but Arieshia and Amorah found that the “companion hour” twice a month worked best for them. “It’s something simple we can do together, and she gets her fill of cats,” says Williams. Their volunteer time started as taking the cats out of their cages to play with them, and now Amorah’s responsibilities include feeding, watering, sweeping, changing litter and cleaning cages.
Williams even supports the SCC by creating flyers for the organization to distribute. “Amorah talks about being a veterinarian, so this is great exposure for her, plus it’s bonding time for us and she gets to see what it’s like to give back to the community,” says Williams.
“I really like hanging out with my mom and the cats,” says Amorah. “I learned how to take care of cats and it’s a lot of work!”
And for families who are in a position to foster animals while they wait for their forever home, Furry Friends of Washington is a perfect opportunity. Tina Martinez and her family have fostered five litters of kittens through the organization and don’t see themselves stopping anytime soon. “We originally got involved because we all had kitten fever, but we did not need any more cats,” says Martinez.
Furry Friends provides all the supplies needed to take care of kittens, including food, litter and all medical care. “I feel like we have the easy fun job,” she says, but adds that while she and the kids love snuggling kittens, there’s a deeper motivation at play. Martinez says when she’s holding a new kitten she often thinks, “If this little guy wasn’t here, he’d be out on the streets and his likelihood of survival would be slim.”
Martinez and her three kids have all shed tears when it’s time to give the cats to their new family, but they get to be a part of the process when deciding on prospective adopters. “We know we can’t keep them all,” says Martinez. “And for every cat we find a loving family, that means there’s room for another cat we can help.”
If fostering animals would be right for you and your animal-loving children, Second Chance Companions, the Humane Society and I Paw’d It Forward are always in need foster family volunteers.
Supporting Members of Our Community
For those experiencing houselessness, extra support and connection is invaluable. Share is a nonprofit committed to providing food, supplies, rental assistance and more to individuals living on the streets or in danger of losing their home.
Nikki Klock, the former editor and owner of Vancouver Family Magazine, has fond memories of volunteering at Share with her children while they filled bags with food for kids to take home from school over the weekends. “The staff and the volunteers were welcoming and happily showed us the ropes,” Klock says. “It was really important for me to involve my kids when they were young to help them understand that different people have different life experiences, and we have a responsibility to help lift each other.”
Now that Klock’s kids are older, she sees them actively involved in their community through Winter Hospitality Overflow and other opportunities through their church, local schools and extended family in need of care. “I think involving kids in volunteering gives them a lifelong sense of service and a trust in their community if they ever find themselves in hard times,” she says.
Opportunities to volunteer with Share include the Hot Meals Program, serving over 10,000 meals per month and a backpack program that provides food-filled bags to children and their families throughout the school year. For one of the best opportunities to volunteer with children, Share needs volunteers to stock and prepare kits in the warehouse that are then set to be delivered to folks in the community.
The Many Rewards of Volunteering
The gifts of volunteering can be both surprising and rewarding, shared Klock. “When my kids were in high school and middle school respectively, we decided to volunteer for a City of Vancouver Saturday morning cleanup of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Memorial Plaza on Phil Arnold Way in Downtown Vancouver. The task was to scrub the murals, sweep the path and weed the surrounding landscaping to keep the memorial clean and show respect for the veterans remembered there,” she said.
One of the murals is simply a wall with hand-written names of veterans all over it. At one point, her oldest daughter called out, “Mom, I see great-grandpa’s name!”
“My husband, other daughter and I rushed to the wall of names and sure enough, there was my grandfather’s name, date of service and military branch. To this day, we have no idea who handwrote his name on that wall, but it was delightful to see him memorialized there with other veterans who bravely served their country,” Klock shared.
“If we had never volunteered on that day, we never would have known his name was there. Since then, we’ve visited the wall many times to honor him. Since he is buried in a different state, this has become our makeshift memorial for us to visit and remember the grandfather and great-grandfather whom we loved,” she said.
In the summer, I had the unique opportunity of teaching and creating a program for a group of exchange students visiting from Japan. Part of the program involved community outreach, and we ended up visiting the nursing home, Oaks at Timberline, which many kids cited as one of the highlights of their entire trip. (It did not, however, top Dairy Queen blizzards.)
We spent our time playing card games, crafting and the kids showed off their unique sets of talents. A resident pulled me aside to say, “Keep bringing the kids. We need more young energy in here.” For those that do get visitors, and some who sadly don’t, the gift of time, attention and youthful enthusiasm can be an extraordinary way to make a difference.
My daughter, Zoe, got to be a part of our time there and says, “It was fun getting to hear about their childhoods and their stories.” She adds, “They asked me lots of questions and one woman said I reminded her a lot of her grandkids that live across the country. I think it made them happy that I was there.”
JustServe
If you’re wanting to be more involved in the community, but unsure of what contribution might be the right fit for you, JustServe is a platform hard at work to make it easier for you. Tina Fronk has been volunteering with Just Serve through her church for the past two years and says it’s truly an honor to help offer this entirely free, volunteer-run website. “We contact different organizations to find out about their volunteer needs and post it on our platform” says Fronk. “It provides easy, free access and it’s a one-stop shop for finding volunteer activities.”
By using different filters, JustServe allows interested volunteers to seek out dates, environments and causes to find out what will be the perfect fit. “I’ve been so amazed by how many grassroots operations we have. People see a need and start organizing to make a difference.” The site allows visitors to sift through and find out which opportunities will be open to children so your family can find what will work best for you. “It really just brings community together,” says Fronk. “There’s so much kindness and goodness in other people and what better way to get to know someone by working shoulder to shoulder with them doing something good.”
Ways to Involve Your Child This Season and Beyond
- Have kids help select canned foods and items to set out for the Walk and Knock (now called Drive and Drop) event on the 1st Saturday of December
- Let kids choose a toy that will go to another child in need this holiday season
- Look up outdoor events on your city’s website and bundle up to head to local parks and clean up litter, plant trees and more
- Make cards or write letters for children’s hospitals, soldiers, local shelters or senior centers
- Give the gift of baked goods and create treats and care packages for neighbors, local fire stations, houseless individuals or anyone who could use a little cheer.
Read the December 2025 Issue
