Ask Your Library about Service Opportunities in Your Community

Help those in need by donating your time this holiday season.

With the holidays well on their way, many people are getting ready to settle down and enjoy time with their families and friends, but not everyone has that luxury. Unfortunately, there are underserved communities and populations throughout the nation, and they often don’t have the privilege of enjoying the holidays as many others do. Thankfully, there are many organizations out there that work to help these people enjoy the holidays nonetheless, and naturally, they need a bit of extra help. If you’re looking for a way to get involved with these organizations, the best place to start is, of course, at your local library.

Finding Opportunities

So, how exactly do you go about finding places to volunteer through your local library? Simple as it may seem, all you have to do is ask, and you’ll likely find something to do. Libraries are, by design, centered around the community, and all their visitors are encouraged to engage in that community. Local volunteer organizations often set up camp at or around libraries, encouraging people to sign up to give back to their communities. These organizations are just as various as they are important, so if you’re looking for the right opportunity, you’re sure to find it.

Take action today to support libraries!

Soup Kitchens

In underserved communities, there’s always someone in need of a fresh, hot meal, especially during the colder winter months. If you’ve ever found yourself in a rough financial situation, chances are you know how it feels to go to bed hungry, and it’s something that nobody should ever have to go through. While a single soup kitchen isn’t going to solve the problem of food insecurity, it provides free meals when they’re needed and, ultimately, something much more important: hope.

There’s plenty of work to be done around a soup kitchen, and there’s almost always room for another pair of hands. Whether you’re preparing and serving the soup or just letting people know that the soup kitchen is there, don’t be afraid to ask around and see what you can do to contribute to the cause.

Food Pantries

Food pantries play a different but equally important role in serving disadvantaged members of our community. Rather than providing a single hot meal, food pantries provide people with portable, nonperishable food items that will sustain food-insecure families and individuals until they can get back on their feet. Of course, that food has to come from somewhere, so food pantries are always looking for people to help run donation drives, sort donated food items, and redistribute those food items into the community. If that sounds like something you’d like to do, your local food pantry will be glad to have you along!

Your donations help support libraries across the country. 

Animal Shelters

During the holiday season, local animal shelters often see a huge influx of residents and can easily become overwhelmed trying to manage them all. There’s a lot that goes into running an animal shelter, from lodging for each of the animals, food to keep them happy, and the many medicines and vet visits required to keep them all healthy. 

Donations are always welcome, of course, but there are plenty of hands-on opportunities available to you as well. Whether you’re helping exercise the dogs with walks, playing with cats to give them some social time, or just helping out on the administrative side, there are plenty of roles that you can fill. With your help and that of many others, local animal shelters are better able to find new homes for countless animals just in time for the holidays.

The Library Itself

Of course, there are always opportunities for you to volunteer at the library itself! Librarians have a lot on their plates, so if there’s someone willing to help out a bit, they’re typically more than glad to accept the offer. If you’d like to learn more about service opportunities you can find with and through your local library, feel free to visit our website today!

Visit www.everylibrary.org to learn more about our work on behalf of libraries.

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