These Redwood trees are a GIANT help to their community. Their roots intertwine as they hold hands underground to withstand all types of weather. It doesn’t take much for you to make a GIANT impact on your community as well.

Here are a few tips on finding volunteer opportunities in your area.

1. Ask yourself these key questions–
What are some things that interest me?
What skills do I have that I can offer my community?
We found we enjoy interacting with others when we volunteer and we enjoy meeting the person or people that will be benefiting from our services. Also, we tend to gravitate towards more hands-on work. We base our volunteer decisions on these factors, knowing that if we do something we enjoy, it will only enhance the end result.

2. Google is your friend. Unless it is a recommended organization or a volunteer search engine like VolunteerMatch, we use Google to find volunteer opportunities in the town or city we are in. You can simply type “volunteer opportunities near me” or more specifically the type of volunteering you would like to do. For example, if you enjoy working with children, type “volunteer to mentor an after school program in (zip code).”

3. Call or email a week or two in advance and most places will be delighted to add you to their schedule. If you don’t have much notice then local food pantries are a wonderful place. They always need help, do not require training, and generally only take two or three hours at a time. We have volunteered in numerous pantries all over the country and
have really enjoyed it.

4.  Have fun! Every little bit adds up to a big impact! Feel free to reach out to us if you need help researching opportunities or if you need specific suggestions.