There is nothing quite as rewarding as volunteering your time and talent helping those in need. Whether it’s an organization or a single person, there is always something you can do to better the lives of others. If you are looking for a way to serve your community as a volunteer, here are some things that might interest you.
1. Bring Groceries to the Homebound
Never before has it been so obvious that there are people in our communities who are not able to do their own shopping. Many of these people often have little money to spare so paying someone to shop for them just isn’t possible. Covid has made many of us aware of just how many homebound people there are out there in our very own neighborhoods who either can’t or shouldn’t shop for themselves. If you don’t personally know anyone who needs your help, ask your Facebook friends. There will always be someone in need of what you have to offer.
2. Work on a Fundraiser
Many churches and nonprofits rely on fundraisers to continue giving the services they provide. If there is a church or organization in your community in need of someone to organize a fundraiser for them, you might want to check out these memorial bricks personalized by Fundraising Brick. Donations would be made in the name of someone who has passed that would be engraved on the brick. These, then, would form a walkway or even a wall to memorialize loved ones for many years to come.
3. Mentor a Child
Quite often there are children right there in your midst who come from broken or single parent homes. With mom or dad working so many hours just to keep food on the table and the bills paid, there isn’t time left to help them with their homework or even take them to the zoo or park. Check with your church or the county social services program in your area. There are always children in need of mentors, and this is something you would be doing to help build a better future for that child.
4. Volunteer in a Soup Kitchen or Food Bank
Most communities have a soup kitchen or food bank. This is one way to keep a wide range of people from going hungry. Some soup kitchens serve daily during the week and others one day a week. In any case, volunteers are always needed to cook and serve those in need.
5. Spend Time with Seniors
Whether living in their own home or as a resident in a nursing home, there are probably dozens of seniors right there in your community who have no one to visit them. Many have survived the loss of everyone in their own family and so there really is no one to spend time with them other than staff that is already stretched thin. Whether you simply pay them a visit to spend an hour or two with them each week or take them out for some fresh air and sunshine, you’d be amazed at how many elderly people there are who really need that human connection.
No matter what you do to volunteer in your community, the one thing you will soon realize is that you are receiving just as much as you are giving and that’s a wonderful feeling at the end of the day.