We have loved seeing so many MOPs groups online show their service projects. It’s no surprise that moms are super givers! As women who have had so many blessings and hearts full of love, their care for others is touching and inspiring.

If you are looking for some new ways to serve the community or want to change things up a bit, here are some ideas that take care of God’s earth, serve your community and some even include the kids.

1. Plant a fruit and vegetable garden. It could be at your church or maybe at a disadvantaged school or an elderly care facility. Regardless of where you plant it, partnering with another organization or church members serves in multiple ways. The food you grow can be donated to a local food bank or used in the school cafeteria or assisted living facility. Celebrate with a lady bug release when the garden is planted. Cara Fleisher wrote about her church’s journey with a church garden. Get the details here.
    
2. Glean a field. Did you know that 40% of the food grown and produced in this country goes to waste? It’s a very sad fact. It’s a waste of the bounty God has given us. There is a way to help eliminate the waste. The Society of St. Andrew’s is a non-profit organization that matches volunteers to go into local farm fields after the harvest and pick the leftovers missed by the harvest. It might be “ugly” fruit and vegetables but that non-perfect food can go to feed those in need and not rot in the fields.
    
3. Take a composting class together. More than likely your local County Extension office offers free composting workshops. How does composting help? Well you reduce the burden on your local landfill and create amazing soil that can be used at home or donated to a garden project in your community. To hear how much compost was created in one household, listen to our podcast with Piper Vargas.
    
4. Pack energy efficient kits for elderly neighbors. Here’s a fun intergenerational project. Create energy efficient kits. They include up to 10 LEDs, a power strip to plug in appliances in the densest area of usage so all the appliances can be turned off at once. It can also include weather stripping for around non-essential emergency windows, a hot water heater blanket for the hot water heater and maybe even a small tree. Partner with your church or elderly day care center. Visit their homes and install what makes sense. Read more here.
    
5. Community Service Day at a Local Park. Contact your local parks and recreation department and ask which park needs help. Ideas to enhance the park include: plant some flowers along the edges, maybe plant a pollinator garden, ask the park service if you can plant some extra trees.
    
6. Make Days for Girls Kits. The number one reason girls in developing countries quit school is when they start their menstrual cycle. Uneducated girls end up with very few options including being married off before the age of 15. That’s why these kits are so vital. There are a variety of ways to participate and if you have sewing enthusiasts they will love this project. More details here.
    
7. Plant pollinator gardens. Do you love fruit? Fruity ice cream? Fruity yogurt? Have you heard about how at-risk bees are? What about other pollinators like the Monarch Butterflies? There are two major reasons pollinators are so at risk: loss of habitat and pesticide use. Church grounds are a perfect place to give all those insects a sanctuary. Pollinator gardens involve lots of beautiful flowers to attract those little gifts from heaven who make sure all our flowering fruit trees get pollinated. Find out how to start your own pollinator garden.
    
8. Donate gently used shoes. Your kids grow out of their shoes faster than you can ever keep up with! But what if you were a mom in a developing country with no access to shoes? It’s amazing how many germs kids can pick-up through their feet. If you have swapped and passed the hand-me down shoes and they still are gently used, consider donating them to a shoe mission project. There are plenty of ways to donate them locally or you can check out this national organization Soles4Souls.
    
9. Make seed bombs to give to church members. Okay so this might be the most fun thing to do. Who doesn’t love the idea of tossing some seed bombs randomly to spread some of God’s beauty? There are plenty of ways to do this. Here’s an organic recipe. Hand these out on Easter, Earth Day or Mother’s Day after church.
    
10. Host a Recycle Your Life event. This is the most ambitious item on the list. It takes a lot of planning but can be a fundraiser and a huge community outreach project. Basically, you collect recyclables that are not collected curbside. You can involve as many non-profits or vendors as you want. If you are interested, drop Beth a line. She can walk you through it and send the program description packet.