How Tweens Can Help End Hunger
Fundraising Ideas for Kids Who Want to Make a Difference
The first place to start is probably with your tween's understanding of hunger problems and why such problems exist. Your child might see a commercial on TV that spurs his interest in helping with this endeavor, but he may not realize how widespread hunger is. He may not even realize that there is a hunger crisis right in your own hometown.
Discussing these issues with your child will help him decide where he wants to focus his efforts. It will also make the fundraising process more urgent, giving him the motivation to follow through with his plans.
Making Fundraising Campaign Plans
Of course, your tween will need your help to get a fundraising campaign in motion. While your child can do most of the legwork, he will need your support and participation as well. The first step is to sit down and write out plans for the fundraiser, including:
- The type of fundraiser to launch
- A goal for money to be raised
- A place to hold the event, if applicable
- Number of volunteers needed to make the fundraiser a success
- Other pertinent details you can think of
These written plans will help keep your tween focused on the mission. It may also help to keep a picture of a hungry child on the front page of the plans, so your child has a visual image of why the fundraiser is so important.
Hunger Organizations that Accept Donations
Your tween will need to know about organizations that help with hunger so he can decide which organization(s) to send his pledges to. The places linked to below will also serve as a good place to teach your child about world and neighborhood hunger.
Kids Can Make a Difference - This website provides a teacher's guide, a hunger quiz, and other valuable information about poverty in general.
Club Penguin "Kids Helping Kids Initiative" - This very popular online game site for tweens has a program where kids can donate the coins they earn while playing games to help poverty-stricken kids around the world.
Save the Children - This organization helps children in poverty in the U.S. and around the world. There are multiple ways that your tween can support this organization through adoption, donations, and shopping for products.
You might even consider jumping on-board with a fundraiser that is already started in your community. Check out your local and metropolitan newspapers for information on events already taking place that help end hunger either locally or worldwide.
Fundraising Ideas
Here are some ways that your tween can make money to send to hunger organizations. Most of these ideas are common and predictable, but are still very effective, while others are unique.
- Bake sale
- Yard sale (include the whole neighborhood!)
- Walk-a-Thon (collect pledges and then get out there and make it happen)
- Neighborhood raffle
- Talent show
- Car wash
- Birthday donations, instead of receiving gifts
Hunger is real in our world. Hopefully, these ideas will inspire you and your tween to do something sooner rather than later. It is truly a great feeling knowing you have made a difference, no matter how big or small, and your tween may ultimately feel compelled to do even more in the future.
