November 19, 2015
Giving Back In The Twin Cities
The holiday season is officially here, and we often turn our attention to helping those in need. Helping others benefits so many, like the organization where you volunteer and the actual recipients of your help. But then there’s the benefit you receive personally.
Volunteering can give you a new perspective, new experiences and some new connections in the community. And it feels good to help others. Just think about the stories you can share with your family and friends at your upcoming holiday gatherings. These resources will get you started with your search for the organizations that need help during the holidays and year-round.
Volunteermatch.org is a great place to start if you are new to volunteering. This website has a searchable database of organizations throughout the Twin Cities area. You can search by category such as children & youth, community, education & literacy, health, animals, faith-based, and several more. Their search tool allows you to look for local or virtual needs like mentoring. The site also includes a volunteer spotlight section where you can read about how others are helping in the community. This organization is nationwide with separate databases for many large cities around the country, with listings for over 58,000 volunteer opportunities and over 75,000 participating organizations.
Minneapolis.Happeningmag.com is a local resource for a variety of events around the city. The do feature a section on volunteering opportunities listed by month as well as ongoing needs.
HandsOnTwinCities.org is another great local resource focusing on volunteer opportunities in the region.
This organization is the Twin Cities only full service volunteer center that both promotes and facilitates volunteerism while improving the community’s ability to create more impact with the time generously given by volunteers. We work with all types of volunteers, companies and nonprofit affiliates to ensure that every hour spent in the community is valuable. For people who want to volunteer we promote local, organized and relevant volunteer opportunities at nonprofits that know how to work with volunteers.
Second Harvest Food Bank is one of the largest and most efficient food banks in the U.S. The focus on children, parents and seniors providing access to food on both a temporary and ongoing basis.
Be sure to look at the national organizations with local operations including:
Greater Twin Cities United Way
Salvation Army Northern Division
Twin Cities Habitat For Humanity
Your options for volunteering are almost endless. Get started today and make volunteering a new tradition for you and your family.