There are countless ways to serve kids in your community and worldwide — as an individual and as a club. Here are some of our favorite ideas.

• Feed their hunger. Millions of kids face food insecurity. Work with a school or community organization to identify how you can best help — from filling backpacks at a school for the weekend to hosting drives and organizing donations at a food bank. With the help of a Kiwanis Children’s Fund grant, the Kiwanis Club of Kathmandu City in Nepal paid the cost of school lunches for those most in need.

• Encourage a hunger — for learning. Ask staff at a school in your area what they need for students and teachers this year. Donate supplies to classrooms for students to discreetly take whenever needed. Purchase books to replenish the school library or provide each student with a book to start building their home libraries. In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, the Kiwanis Club of Greater Music City uses read-aloud time to help young children who have experienced trauma. See if your club can help sponsor an educational field trip or fun social event. Tutor kids in a subject you’re an expert in, like history or basic financial literacy. The Kiwanis Club of Richmond, Virginia, USA, even connected students with experts from a local college.

• Give kids a chance to play. Offer to teach kids basketball, baseball, chess or another game. Host a craft day where children can unleash their creativity. Organize a free sports day for families. Sponsor a youth bowling league. If someone in your club is skilled with bike repair, repurpose old bikes — as the Kiwanis Club of Fukuoka, Japan, did for families in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Collaborate with parks department officials to build a playground. (And stay tuned in early 2022 for the chance to win an Aquatix® AquaSmart™ Package splash pad, valued at up to US$50,000, from Kiwanis partner Landscape Structures.)

• Keep them safe. Provide resources to expecting and new parents in a community-wide “baby shower.” (See how the Kiwanis Club of Northeast Miami-Dade, Florida, USA, did it.) Organize a drive-thru car seat check with safety experts. Donate helmets, kneepads and elbow pads to youth organizations. Set up a “Safety Village” like the one created by the Kiwanis Club of Brantford, Ontario, Canada, to teach kids fire, home and bike safety. (Bonus: It can be done virtually.) And make sure everyone in your club is well versed in the Kiwanis Youth Protection guidelines in time for Youth Protection Week 2021, October 11-15.

• Help kids lead and serve by example. Does your club sponsor a Key Club, Builders Club or K-Kids club? Include their members in your club’s activities — and vice versa! Invite them to join you in a future service project. Give them public speaking experience by allowing them to present a favorite topic at your club’s meeting. Attend some of their club meetings to show support. Don’t have a Kiwanis Service Leadership Program at a school near you? Talk with fellow club members about sponsoring one.