According to a report released earlier this year, the Austin area is home to more than 6,300 non-profit organizations, most of which have budgets below $100,000. That means not only that Austin has the most non-profits per capita than any other large city in Texas, but also that there are many groups which are mostly volunteer-run. Yet, somehow, despite a very community-oriented culture, Austinites give less than residents in most other cities to charitable causes. And although families may not be able to make monetary gifts, gifts of time can be just a precious to many of these organizations, which are facing increased demand in the economic downturn.

Part of what makes volunteering difficult for families is identifying opportunities to make a difference. Little Helping Hands, which was featured on LiveMom recently, is working to change that by connecting families with activities for children ages 4-12.

Given Austin’s creative spirit, if what’s out there doesn’t work for you and your family, don’t let that stop you.

One mom friend mentioned that she and her three daughters hand out apples to those who are waiting in line for a meal at a food pantry. If you and your kid/s like baking together, how about making banana bread once a month to hand out to homeless you may notice in places like Pease Park or downtown? Encourage your street to coordinate their post-New Year purge and call a charity to pick up the things others could still use. One LiveMom writer collected toiletries from her daughter’s preschool, assembled Ziploc bags and handed bags out along Congress. A group of moms organized a Thanksgiving feast for a local shelter for immigrant women.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is coming up on January 18th. Deciding upon a family service project is a great way to keep the spirit of volunteerism alive outside of Thanksgiving and the December holidays. Check out Serve.gov, the MLK Day Mobilization and I Live Here, I Give Here for ideas of things to do and organizations that need your help.

What DIY volunteering have you done and how do you feel your family has benefited? If you haven’t done any volunteering as a family, what do you plan to do in the coming year?

Written by: Nicole Basham

I (perhaps unwisely) stubbornly refuse to think about shopping until after Thanksgiving. And although I had no intention of participating in any Black Friday sales, I couldn’t resist at least thumbing through the advertisements that came in the Austin newspaper, where inserts outnumbered news probably 3 to 1.

Although this is the first year I think my son will really pay attention to the presents he opens, I want to be careful about the number of “things” we accumulate. My husband and I have always been mindful of the gifts we give him and ask our families to respect this desire, not only because we want to lessen our impact on the Earth, but also because we want him to value experiences over material goods. If you would like to do the same, or encourage your families to give different kinds of gifts, here are some ideas:

• A family membership to the Austin Children’s Museum is $10 off until the end of the year (including renewals). It’s a great place to go as a family, take out of town guests or take along friends (the Basic Membership allows 4 visitors). It’s worth it financially if you can make it once a month and gives you an excuse to go explore downtown and get out of the house.
• Speaking of downtown, take a carriage ride to spend a fun night together taking in the holiday decorations (or any time of year).
• The UT men’s and women’s basketball teams play at the Erwin Center and getting tickets to a game on a weekend is a fun family excursion (and it doesn’t matter if you are in the nosebleed section).
• Asking relatives to help pay for a class (we love Sportball, or you could try art or dance lessons). Some of these are drop off, but you can also find some that are Mommy and Me if you’d prefer to participate.
• Planning a family getaway — either something major, like Disney, or something simple, like camping at a state park.
• Buy tickets to a performance, be it The Nutcracker, A Christmas Carol, Holiday Heroes or even a movie at the IMAX.

What other ideas might I be forgetting?

There are so many fun events coming up, so be sure to check out the Weekenders to experience the holidays as a family. You can also check out my Taming Holiday Treats post for ideas on reducing your family’s sugar intake this holiday season. Happy shopping!

Written by: Nicole Basham

Here’s what Angela from Irie Bean Coffee Bar has to say about their place:

Glad you discovered us. We definitely consider ourselves family friendly. Children are very welcome and we have a lot that come in each day. We don’t have high chairs for children but we have coloring books, crayons and sidewalk chalk if you consider that equipment for kids We have a great back patio for them to run around on. We also have a monthly event called the Kids Decaf Club. These events feature activities like kids music, face painting, balloon animals, art projects, etc. Our next Kids Decaf Club event will be on Dec 15.

Maybe we can frequent their joint enough and convince them to get at least one high chair! Sounds like a nice place to chill out and people watch while the kids are busy. www.iriebean.com