Community Service

Throughout the year, Post Oak families join together to do service work across the community. Events have included packaging boxes at the Food Bank, landscape work at Buffalo Bayou, gardening at local nature centers, along with our annual blanket-making activity in the gym on MLK Day to donate to area shelters. Watch The Post for announcements of upcoming family service activities. Questions or ideas for events? Contact the Development Office.

Gardening Days

General Information

Please join us on the second Saturday of each month for a community service gardening opportunity at Blackshear Public Elementary School in South Central Houston. The school has a grant to fund the project, but they need help maintaining it. We will spend an hour or more pulling weeds and lending a hand.

  • When: December 9, January 6, January 13, January 20, January 27, from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m.
  • Where: Blackshear Elementary (2900 Holman St, Houston, TX 77004).

Please bring gloves and any garden tools (if available). They will also have some tools and gloves on hand. Don’t forget your water bottles—there will be a container for refills—and sun protection. Note: The bathrooms at Blackshear are sometimes closed.

If you have any questions, please contact Christy Hartman at 713-446-2456. We look forward to seeing you there!

Parking

The entrance to Blackshear is off of Ennis. There is plenty of room for parking on the weekends right in front of the school (gated parking lot but volunteers will let you in). The garden is at the SW corner—it's a small school and there are plenty of folks to direct you towards the garden. 

First-time Attendance

Register and sign the waiver/release of liability form electronically. Two parents/guardians can use one form as long as both names are entered and both signatures are in the signature box. There is a place for children’s names also. Please, complete this prior to arriving at the school.

List of Family Volunteer Opportunities

The following are some local nonprofit organizations whose missions are aligned with Post Oak’s values, and who offer family-friendly volunteer opportunities. —Post Oak Service Committee

Previous Events

Galveston Beach Cleanup

Fall of 2023 in the BC Gym from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Thanks to our Community Service Chairs Gina Scurry and Jennifer Christensen for organizing this event!

The Park Board of Trustees City of Galveston will co-host a private event for The Post Oak School to clean a section of the Galveston beaches. Ms. Elizabeth Schneider, Environmental Coordinator, will be present to talk to us about the Board’s efforts to keep the Galveston beaches clean.

A Post Oak School morning at the beach with a potluck breakfast, water play, and fun in the sun. Please bring beach toys.

The Book Cycle

Please join us at The Book Cycle where our little Montessori army of volunteers will help sort through mountains of donated children’s books which will then be brought to the UT Physicians CARE Clinic. This allows a child in need of medical or psychosocial services to take a book home after their visit. Lollipops after a doctor visit are great, but books last longer.

We’ll turn up the music, have some snacks and beverages, and try to keep the kids focused as they get distracted by all the great books. You don’t have to stay the whole time, you can pop in and out as needed. After we’re done, we might all migrate somewhere for lunch. Book Cycle event is for Elementary+ age students. Younger students may attend if carefully supervised by parents.

  • When: October 28, from 2 to 5 p.m.
  • Where: The Book Cycle (405 Velasco St, Houston, TX 77003).

Optional: You can bring any books you'd like to donate (for all ages) and snacks you would like to share with your fellow Post Oak friends.

If you have any questions, please contact Christy Hartman via email or phone 713-446-2456. We look forward to seeing you there!

Annual Service Project on MLK Jr Day

Monday, January 16, 2023 in the BC Gym from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (school not in session; service project only)

Post Oak will host our annual Blanket Making Community Service Project on MLK Day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the gym. Blankets made at this activity will be donated to an area non-profit that works with children.

All Post Oak families are welcome. Students from Primary level up have helped with this project in the past.

families gather for community service

Decorating Lunch Bags for Kids’ Meals

Calling all scribblers, sketchers, tracers, stencilers, designers and sticker-placers! Kids' Meals Inc. provides nutritious meals to pre-school aged children throughout the Houston area. They use over 1.5 million paper lunch bags over the course of a year, and need our help to make them special! Please join other Post Oak families as we decorate bags with drawings, stickers, stencils, mazes, etc! 

Bags and art supplies will be provided, but please feel free to bring your own, including packages of standard, 6-lb brown paper lunch bags. 

The event will be held on our outside basketball court at the Bissonnet Campus and moved to the gym in the case of inclement weather.

Houston Food Bank

Join other Post Oak families as we volunteer to sort and repackage donated items at the Houston Food Bank warehouse! This will take place at the main warehouse at 535 Portwall St., Houston 77029. 

  • Please note that all volunteers must be aged 6 and over.
  • Masks and closed-toe shoes are required for everyone. 
    All staff, volunteers and visitors who can provide proof of vaccination will NOT be required to wear masks while inside our facilities. All others must continue to wear a mask (please bring your own.)
  • All volunteers must register in advance. After registering, parents should additionally click on the "Resources" tab to complete a Youth Volunteer Consent Form for their child(ren).

Please note that the Food Bank website does not offer a family registration option- Each participant, including children, must have their own volunteer account with the Food Bank and register individually. Parents may give their own email addresses for their children's registration.

Parking: If space permits it, you may park in the front parking lot, but in the event of a large volunteer turnout, you may be directed to our overflow lot located behind the building.

Ocean Music Action

Ocean Music Action, a non-profit that pairs chamber music concerts with ocean conservation activities, is presenting their first events over Earth Day weekend:

More details can be found at oceanmusicaction.org.

Book Fair Project

Families collected books to donate to BookCycle at the 2022 Big Bearkat Book Bash held in Post Oak's gym.

A Look at Previous Years’ Service Projects