Service hours were due on October 1 at 11:59 p.m. So now it’s a great time to think about where else I can go to do my service hours for the next quarter. A place that you should consider is the Christ Child Society 

“The Christ Child Society of South Bend is a nonprofit association of volunteers dedicated to supporting under-resourced families in our community by providing children’s clothing, supporting education, and offering resources to affirm the human dignity of God’s children in the love and spirit of the Christ Child.” -Christ Child Society of South Bend Mission Statement. 

Christ Child Society helps to give many children the opportunity of having a new pair of clothing, shoes, a winter coat, and books for kids from newborn to age fourteen. Many of these families don’t have the opportunity to have these necessities, and Christ Child Society helps to make that possible. Christ Child Society is open from August all the way through December for families. 

Apart from their clothing program, they offer layettes, which come with clothes, blankets, and baby bottles for moms who have had a baby and are assisted by Christ Child Society. Another program that CCS has is the Foster Hope program, which is a program that gives a duffel bag packed with new clothing, pajamas, gently used clothing, toiletries, a blanket, a stuffed animal, and even a fun toy. Each duffel is made with care and dedication for the children who may be entering the foster care system because of neglect. 

Now you might be thinking, okay, if I do go do my service hours here, what exactly will I be doing here? You will be assigned to help with either new clothing, shoes, coats, books, Mary’s Boutique, or wagons. Each of these stations is the one where families will go to pick up their items.  In new clothing, you will help to fill up a brown bag with new clothing, you will get a paper with the child’s sizes, and put everything into a bag for the family to pick up when they get called up. In shoes, you will help pick a pair of shoes for the child. You have a variety of options for each child, from cartoons to brands like Nike and Adidas that kids really love to have. In coats, you will pick out a coat for the child, choosing from a variety of coats. In books, you will help children choose a book that they will surely enjoy, from princesses to mystery books. They will have the chance to choose from a variety of books, and then you will help them choose a toothbrush and toothpaste for the child as well. You could also be placed in wagons where you will be assigned to bag the family’s items to take to the back, where they will drive around to pick up their clothing.  Lastly, in Mary’s boutique, they will be able to choose some extra stuff, always one large item and two small items. This ranges from pillows, blankets, strollers, toys, and just to name a few. After they choose their items, the mother and/or father will get a chance to choose clothing for themselves, like shirts, pants, shorts, coats, if we have any, and other things that could be useful for them. 

Suzanne Wiwi is the volunteer coordinator who is in charge of the volunteers who are not members of Christ Child Society, and I had the chance to ask her some questions. 

Where should students contact you if they would like to volunteer? 

“If students would like to volunteer, they can contact me through my email at [email protected]

Can students just show up to volunteer?

“To help keep things organized, please email at least a couple of days in advance so I can know what departments need more volunteers to help.”

Why should a student volunteer at Christ Child Society?

“ I think that it gives them a whole new perspective on what it means to volunteer and the needs that so many people have. Christ Child Society gives students the opportunity to interact with the clients and see what they go through. And importantly, showing students that giving is not just handing money but also being active in the community. 

Christ Child Society has eight more opportunities for students to volunteer. 

October 5, October 9, October 23, November 2, November 6, November 20, December 4, and December 7. If you would like to volunteer, make sure to email Mrs. Wiwi.