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Milwaukee is full of families who want to give back but aren’t always sure where to start. Between school, work, and everyday chaos, finding kid-friendly volunteer opportunities can feel overwhelming. The good news? There are plenty of meaningful ways for children to help right here in our community—many of them simple, flexible, and genuinely fun.
Volunteering together gives kids a chance to practice empathy, responsibility, and teamwork, all while learning more about the city around them. It’s also an easy way to spend time together and show children that even small acts of kindness can make a big difference.
To make things easier for busy families, we’ve rounded up local opportunities that welcome children and offer hands-on ways to help. From making sandwiches to cheering on athletes, here are some of the best ways Milwaukee families can get involved in 2026.
Sunbeam Kids
Best for: Families with young kids · Simple monthly projects
Website: sunbeamkids.org
Quick Overview
Sunbeam Kids makes it easy for busy families to volunteer together through kid-friendly projects offered each month. Families register for a small annual donation and can sign up for the opportunities that fit their schedule.
What Families Can Do
- Make sandwiches for community members experiencing homelessness
- Cheer on Special Olympics athletes
- Create crafts for hospital patients
- Help with seasonal drives or simple service projects
Projects are short, accessible, and designed so even very young children can participate.
Kids Impact Community
Best for: All ages · Variety of hands-on projects across Milwaukee
Website: kicmke.org
Quick Overview
Kids Impact Community connects families with monthly volunteer opportunities throughout Milwaukee. Activities are designed to build empathy, teamwork, and community awareness while giving kids a meaningful role.
What Families Can Do
- Participate in toy, book, and supply drives
- Join outdoor cleanup events
- Serve meals at local shelters
- Read with young students or “reading buddies”
- Support seasonal community projects
This is a great option for families looking to meet other parents and kids while making a positive impact.
Milwaukee Diaper Mission
Best for: All ages · Simple, hands-on help · Great for groups or families
Location: Based in Cudahy (warehouse)
Quick Overview
Milwaukee Diaper Mission provides diapers, period supplies, and wipes to families across Southeastern Wisconsin through a network of community partners. Volunteers help keep these essential items moving by sorting, counting, and wrapping diapers for distribution.
Kid-Friendly Ways to Help
Younger volunteers can:
- Wrap diapers into bundles
- Count and sort items
- Help prepare packages before they head out to community partners
It’s an easy, low-pressure activity that helps kids understand the impact of meeting a basic need.
For Groups (Businesses, Scout Troops, Classrooms)
Groups of 5–20 people can schedule a private volunteer shift at the warehouse.
To coordinate group volunteering, email: meg@milwaukeediapermission.org
Donate Items to Children’s Wisconsin
Best for: Simple, meaningful giving · All ages · Flexible timing
Quick Overview
Children’s Wisconsin uses donated toys, books, and art supplies to comfort kids during hospital stays and procedures. The hospital keeps an updated wish list with items they need most.
Fastest, Easiest Way to Help:
👉 Shop their Amazon or Target registries (updated daily, shipped directly to the hospital)
Most-Needed Items
- Coloring books + supplies
- Board & picture books
- Water WOW / Imagine Ink
- Sticker books
- Play-Doh
- LEGO sets (<500 pieces)
- New store-bought blankets
- Sensory toys (pop-its, squeeze balls)
- Hot Wheels
Other Ways to Help
- Host a virtual toy drive or Facebook fundraiser
- Organize a group donation (classroom, troop, workplace)
If You Want to Drop Items Off In-Person
- Must be new, unused, and in original packaging
- No food, used items, religious themes, or scented products
- Handmade items must be individually bagged and may be redirected
- Schedule a drop-off time through their online form
Learn more + schedule a drop-off: Visit the Children’s Wisconsin donations page.
Guest House of Milwaukee
1216 N. 13th St., Milwaukee, WI 53205
guesthouseofmilwaukee.org
Best for: All ages (sandwiches) · Tweens/teens (meals + garden) · Hands-on, immediate impact
Location: 1216 N. 13th St., Milwaukee
Quick Overview
Guest House supports individuals experiencing homelessness, and families can help in a variety of ways—from simple at-home projects to hands-on volunteering for older kids.
Easiest Way for Families With Young Kids to Help
Make Sandwiches (300–500 needed daily!)
This is one of the simplest, most kid-friendly ways to make an impact. Your family assembles meat-and-cheese sandwiches at home, bags them individually, and drops them off at a scheduled time.
(They provide specific sandwich guidelines.)
Outdoor Option for Older Kids: Cream City Gardens
Guest House operates Cream City Gardens, a thriving urban agriculture project in the King Park neighborhood (a designated food desert).
Families can help:
- Tend 56 raised garden beds
- Work in half-acre planting rows
- Harvest produce for Guest House guests, neighbors, and partner food pantries
Great for kids who love being outside or learning where food comes from.
Meal Program (best for tweens/teens + adults)
Families with older children can help with nightly dinners or weekend breakfasts.
Ways to support:
- Plan, purchase, and cook a meal
- Serve dinner to about 86 guests (6:00 p.m. nightly)
- Help with Saturday/Sunday breakfasts (7:00 a.m.)
- Donate a prepared meal if you can’t serve in person
- Contribute funds for meals on nights without volunteer groups
This is a meaningful, hands-on way for kids to see the impact of their service.
Visit Older Adults
Best for: All ages · Simple, meaningful, personal connection
Locations: Multiple senior communities throughout Milwaukee
Quick Overview
Spending time with older adults is one of the easiest and most heartwarming ways for kids to volunteer. Many senior living communities welcome families to visit with residents, help with small activities, or simply offer companionship.
What Families Can Do
- Visit and chat with residents
- Play board games or cards
- Help with simple crafts
- Read stories or share music
- Accompany residents on short walks or to community events
These small moments can make a huge difference for someone who may not receive many visitors.
Local Places to Contact
These Milwaukee communities offer volunteer opportunities for families and often accept “resident companions”:
Milwaukee Catholic Home
- The Residence: 2462 N. Prospect Ave.
- Health & Rehabilitation Center: 2330 N. Prospect Ave.
- Phone: (414) 224-9700
Families can volunteer as resident companions, helping with projects, social visits, and occasional outings.
Trinity Woods
- 9525 W. Burleigh St., Milwaukee
- Phone: (414) 625-9905
Offers opportunities to engage with residents through friendly visits and shared activities.
Looking for more ways to get involved? We’ll keep this guide updated throughout 2026 as new family-friendly volunteer opportunities become available.
More Helpful Milwaukee Resources
- How to Support the Milwaukee Diaper Mission
- Interview: Mariah Antetokounmpo on Community, Motherhood & Giving Back
- Milwaukee Special Needs Resource Guide
- Free Things To Do in Milwaukee With Kids
In 2013, Calie Herbst, a former teacher with three little ones, saw a need for a “One Stop Shop” for family fun in Milwaukee. So she founded Milwaukee With Kids. Her goal was to find the best this city has to offer families and share it with other parents. In one place.
In 2019, she published “Exploring Milwaukee WIth Kids”, a comprehensive Milwaukee travel guide for families and kids.
She appears regularly on WISN News, Fox 6’s ‘Real Milwaukee’, B93.3, and Wisconsin Morning News. She has been featured in Medium, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, NPR, the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, and on CBS 58 News.
Calie is available for hosting, moderating and media appearances.
