Dreading the upcoming holiday season or just want to do something a little different this year?
It’s time to give back!
Volunteering can be a great way to prevent a feeling of loneliness and isolation that can plague many of us during the holidays. It can also help you meet new friends, increase your physical activity, bridge the generational gap, and even improve your mental health.
One of the struggles many of us have with volunteering is knowing where to start.
We found a couple of resources that will help you find a place local to you to give back your time.
Feeding America
A perfect place to offer your time? Your local food bank!
You can find a food bank near you using Feeding America’s online search.
With the incoming recession and the pandemic, there are many people in your community who might rely on a food bank. 51% of all food programs rely entirely on volunteers, so they’re always looking for more help.
Volunteering at the food bank can include:
- Sorting and packing food
- Assisting at mobile pantries, drive-thru pantries, and no-contact distributions.
- Delivering meals
- Gleaning and gardening, collecting food left in the fields after harvest or helping tend the food bank or food pantry’s community garden.
- Volunteering from home by helping to fundraise or spread awareness.
Help your local community where they need it most and get involved with your food bank.
Find Volunteering Opportunities
If volunteering with your food bank is not your favorite idea (or there’s not one in your area), you can find other opportunities near you using VolunteerMatch!
I love that it opens up with opportunities in your local area as soon as you land on their website. They’ll help you find organizations that need your help in a variety of ways.
You can find single-day volunteer opportunities as well as longer-term ones. Sort by the type of organization you might be interested in helping, including:
- Advocacy
- Animals
- Arts and Culture
- Children
- Community
- Education and Literacy
- And more
Discover your next volunteer opportunity – or maybe your next 5!
