It's that time again!

The holidays are a busy time of year for everyone.  This is part of the reason that the Holiday Season volunteer rush is such an amazing thing - everyone who volunteers already has a lot on their plate! 

Each county (or sub-county) link runs an instant search on our database for Holiday Volunteer Opportunities in that region.  Just find the area you'd like to search, and click on it! 

As we get closer to the holidays, many of the traditional ways of volunteering are full or overflowing with help. Here are some ideas to help you find your own ways of harnessing the generous spirit of the holiday season into volunteer projects.

1. Volunteer as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army. You can help spread the holiday cheer in person, or ring an online bell!
2. Call local faith communities to see if they are serving meals on the holidays. They need help collecting, preparing, delivering or serving food.
3. On maps.google.com, search “Food shelf” and your zip code, to find the closest place to donate food. Food shelves are in desperate need of donations this year, anything you can give will help.
4. Organize a donation drive with family, friends, or colleagues. Put a box up at work, and offer to sort and deliver the donations, making it that much easier for all the folks you need to get involved and give.
5. Having a successful donation drive at work? Expand into your neighborhood and go caroling for food donations. Good singers can ask for non-perishables in return for your talent; bad singers can ask for food in return for stopping!
6. Check in with your neighborhood schools to see if they need any help around the holidays. Volunteer to help prepare or chaperone a holiday party or event. Find out about any holiday programming at your local school, and go be a supportive audience member, even if you don’t know any of the students involved. Cheer them on and congratulate them for a job well done afterwards!
7. On the day after Thanksgiving, spend some time cleaning out your closets, and take anything that doesn’t fit to your local Salvation Army or Arc thrift store to donate. Low on cash, but high in unfitting clothing? Invite friends and family over for a clothing swap, and turn your home into the coziest thrift in the neighborhood! Donate any items that don’t get swapped.
8. Check with your local YMCA, community center, library, or elderly care facility to see what sort of holiday festivities they are having, and volunteer to help decorate, cook, host or provide entertainment. If nothing is happening in your community, host a party yourself! Engage old and new friends in bringing different members of the community together during the holiday season.
9. If you’d like to serve a meal on Thanksgiving, but find that all opportunities are full, ask family and friends to bring their calendars to the holiday, so you can all find another day, after the holidays, to volunteer to serve a meal together. You can have a second Thanksgiving in February!
10. Gather a few of your talented friends, neighbors, and co-workers to share your holiday cheer by caroling at nursing homes or shelters like Salvation Army’s Harbor Light.
11. Gather a few friends and family to make gingerbread houses.  There are gingerbread house kits to make it easier and lots of fun! Check with local shelters to see if they would like the finished houses to share with their clients.

If you can't find an opportunity that's right for you, try using our search engine on your own.  We recommend highlighting the county (or counties) you're interested in, and using the "keyword" function to find volunteer opportunities that match your interests.

Holidays are big in Minnesota

PLEASE REMEMBER:

The Holiday Season is the most popular time to volunteer all year, especially day-of volunteer events on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. 

Many volunteer events on holidays fill up weeks, or months, in advance.  If you can't find a way to volunteer on the special day you were hoping for, don't be discouraged!  The same organizations could use your help throughout the season, and throughout the year.