ALT-1 Great Places to Volunteer on Thanksgiving
There are many other aspects to volunteering at Thanksgiving than cooking or providing a meal for those less fortunate. Visiting with lonely residents of a nursing home, providing transportation to Church and even helping an elderly neighbor clean their home before their guests arrive are all great places to volunteer on Thanksgiving.
- Volunteer Help To A Shut-in
There is always someone close-by, who is a shut-in for reasons of infirmities or illness and they too enjoy a special day of Thanksgiving. Cook them dinner in their home, shop for them, clean their house if they have family coming or just take them a plate of food and give of your time by visiting with them awhile.
- Food Banks
Food banks are quickly depleted during times of national economic downturns but the needy keep right on being hungry despite this. Help your local church or community Food Bank by donating on a regular basis and give generously at Thanksgiving and Christmas so the less fortunate can have a feast day too.
- Volunteer At Church
There’s a lot more to Thanksgiving than a nice Turkey dinner and even the destitute can find something to be Thankful for such as the kindness of volunteer transportation to a play at church or a special Thanksgiving Mass or Worship Service. For someone without a car, a ride to the home of a family is a blessing indeed.
- Community Based Soup Lines
There’s a lot of behind the scenes hard work to every soup line. Food must be gathered, prepped, cooked and served and then the really hard work begins, the clean up. There is a great place for you to volunteer somewhere in this process if you have a willing heart and hands.
- Homeless Shelters
By their very nature, a homeless shelter is a sad place but on holidays, it is even more so. You can bring a little Thanksgiving joy to these people by volunteering your help in many areas of need. A smile as you ladle food, an attentive ear or putting on a play with other volunteers about the first Thanksgiving are all ways to spread some joy.
- Feed Street People
Many street people, for one reason or another, choose not to go into a crowded homeless shelter and remain on the streets, in their cars or in condemned buildings. Working with friends, make a box full of sandwiches with turkey, dressing and cranberry sauce and pass them out to any street people you can find on Thanksgiving Day. A hot cup of coffee or even a bottle of water will be appreciated.
- Meals On Wheels
Many communities have a Meals On Wheels program that delivers a hot meal to the elderly and infirm. With the high cost of fuel, there is usually a shortage of volunteers to deliver the meals, using their car. Your help will be a blessing to the program, as well as to those who look forward to the meal.
- Local Government Welfare Department
In a bad economy, many families depend on the government Food Stamp program to feed themselves. While food stamps do provide nutritious foods for low-income families, the nice little extras we expect on holidays may be beyond their reach. By speaking to a Social Worker, you may be able to obtain the name of a family (with their permission) that would welcome your offer of help.
A truly thankful heart wishes to share what they have and the never-ending work for volunteer hands is all around us, if we only look for it with a heart that wishes to help. These are all great places to volunteer on Thanksgiving or for that matter, anytime at all.
