Week two: collect and donate food

First of all, a big thank you to all of you who completed last week's challenge. We are off to a fantastic start and are so excited about this!

Now it's week two and we're sticking with a classic -- donate food (and non food) items to a local collection center. Dive into your own cupboards, collect from your neighbors or buy at the store -- any way works!

Time: 1 hour

Supplies: collection bags

Cost: every donated item helps!

Deadline: Sunday, Jan. 14

Research local collection centers online, collect food, then drop off, with your kids if you can so they can see how these organizations help people in need in our communities. If you're wondering what to collect, check out Hopelink's handy list for items they need most -- this really helped us as we went through out cupboards. We'll be heading to Hopelink to drop our items off later this week.

Good luck and make sure to share photos of you completing projects with #GiveBackTogether on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Share in January and you'll be entered to win Give Back Together t-shirts -- check out our blog for more info. We'd also love to hear your ideas for future projects. Let us know at info@givebacktogether.com.

Week one: park clean-up

Happy new year! Join us every week as we complete a new challenge, a way to give back and help others, that people of all ages can complete together. Learn more about us or keep reading to find out about this week's challenge.

In this inaugural Give Back Together project, let's all go to a local park to clean it up. Choose one of your favorite parks, then head there for an hour or two to pick up trash. Wear gloves, bring a garbage bag and keep an eye on the little ones to make sure they don't pick up anything unsafe. Bundle up if it's cold and give yourselves a high-five knowing you've made somewhere you enjoy a little bit more beautiful!

Time: 1 to 2 hours

Supplies: gloves, garbage bags

Cost: under $10

Deadline: Sunday, Jan. 7

Tip: Your local park covered in snow? Skip the park and clean up a street close to home. You'll still be working together as a family to make a difference in your community -- the goal of Give Back Together!

And don't forget to check out our blog to see how you and your family could win Give Back Together t-shirts by participating in this week's challenge!