Volunteering together as a family is the perfect way to help the less fortunate this holiday season.

That is why Martin Volunteers, a United Way of Martin County program, is joining HandsOn Network, generated by Points of Light Institute and The Walt Disney Company, Nov. 22 for Family Volunteer Day.

This national event takes place the Saturday before Thanksgiving and is designed to demonstrate the power of families who choose to volunteer together to support the communities in which they live and serve.

Volunteering as a family strengthens communication and bonds, provides quality time for busy families and positively impacts local communities across the nation.

“This event allows families to demonstrate how they can ‘Live United’ through volunteerism,” Martin Volunteers volunteer coordinator Carlene Stangle said. “‘Live United, Give, Advocate, Volunteer,’ is the motto of our local United Way, and Martin Volunteers is where you can find opportunities to do just that.”

Martin Volunteers is asking local families to gather around their kitchen tables for Family Volunteering Day and spend time with each other while decorating brown paper lunch bags to be used as Christmas stockings for White Doves Holiday Project recipients.

Participating families are asked to purchase a package of 50 brown paper lunch bags, decorate them and drop them off at the White Doves warehouse at the Martin County Fairgrounds, 2616 S.E. Dixie Highway, Stuart, after Thanksgiving, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information, call (772) 220-4472, ext. 225 or visit www.unitedwaymartincounty.org.