Community Service Ideas: Bandages, Spice Bundles, Activity Packages, and Meals

For the four Wednesdays leading up to Christmas, I planned community service projects for our confirmation (6th-8th grade) students to do. Community service is a big part of our confirmation program, so I was really excited to plan a series of service projects for our youth to complete during Advent. Since we have four weeks, I came up with four service projects: rolling bandages, making spice bundles, crayon/colored pencils and activity book packages, and making a meal.

Bandages: I decided that the first week, our group (55 kids plus 20 adults) would work together to roll bandages for Global Health Ministries (GHM). Our group tore white bed sheets into strips and then rolled the strips into bandages. Once they were rolled, we used a little masking tape to secure them. In about 30 minutes, our group rolled 128 bandages! The bandages will be sent to GHM, which will then send them around the world. I got great feedback from the adults and kids that this was a great community service project!

Youth and adults work together on a community service project to roll bandages.

On the second, third, and fourth weeks, the youth will work together by grade level to complete the other three community service projects, switching to a new project each week. By the time our weeks are done, we will put together 150 spice bundles, 150 activity packages, and 60 meals! That's in addition to the 128 bandages we did the first week. Amazing!

Homemade Taco Seasoning ingredients

Spice Bundles: This is my favorite of the four projects! I have always had a heart for hunger and homelessness issues, and this community service project addresses the issue of hunger a little bit. In talking with our local food pantry executive director, I realized that the people who use the pantry need some help learning how to cook with the items available. We also know that when money for groceries is limited, people are not likely to use their money to purchase herbs and spices. So, combining these issues, I came up with the idea to create a spice bundle that would include two simple recipes - Tacos and Chili - that use the provided spices. I bought treat bags from a party store and the four necessary spices (chili powder, garlic powder, ground cumin, oregano) from the grocery store. The kids put one of each of the spices into the treat bags and attached the recipe card. A simple project that serves our local community!

A completed spice bundle

Activity Packages: I got in touch with our local children's hospital and found out that they need crayons and colored pencils. When I heard that, I suggested that we also make activity books. So, our confirmation students donated crayons and colored pencils, and I created an activity book. For this project, our kids are making 4-packs of crayons or colored pencils and putting the activity books together, which means cutting the pages in half and then stapling the pages together. A nurse from our congregation who works at the children's hospital will deliver the crayons/colored pencils and activity books just before Christmas. This service project is quite simple, but these gifts will be so appreciated by the kids who receive them.


Meals: One of the ministries at our church is called Grace Meals. This ministry provides frozen meals to people who would appreciate the gift of a prepared meal. Anyone from our congregation can come and ask for one of the meals to give to a friend. They are often given to people after surgery or the birth of a baby. But they can really be given to anyone. Our youth were able to learn some new skills (like cutting onions and sautéing onions, peppers, and garlic), work together to put a meal together, and serve our church community.