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Ways to Give Back in Houston

Volunteer opportunities in Houston

Of course, we are biased, but we think Houston is one of the best places to live and work in the entire country. When we volunteer, we can make our city even better. There are a lot of different ways you can get involved.

Volunteer Opportunities in Houston

Let’s look at just a few volunteer opportunities in Houston and the surrounding communities.

Volunteering for Adults

The Houston Food Bank can always use a helping hand. The organization needs folks to help sort, process, and pack food for hungry Houstonians. If you prefer, you can volunteer to prepare meals for kids in the organization’s dedicated kitchen. You can get your employer involved with one of the agency’s corporate programs. For college students and others looking to enhance job skills, the Food Bank also has leadership programs.

Enjoy education and reading? Then the Houston Public Library wants to hear from you. The Library has programs for adults and kids in every area from shelving to research to serving as a docent in special collections.

Discovery Green needs lots of friendly faces to help out with special events. Artists can help with art installations, plus volunteers are needed to run games, help build ice sculptures, make costumes, and perform many other creative tasks.

Do You Love Animals?

There are tons of opportunities to help out with a local animal shelter or organization. Here are just a few ideas:

  • Friends for Life needs help with a variety of tasks at the organization’s animal shelter, including caring for pets and cleaning pet areas. Volunteers should be at least 16 years of age. Volunteers are also needed to assist with adoption days and serve as adoption counselors.
  • The Houston SPCA also can use volunteers 16 and older to work with potential adopters, serve as caretakers in animal areas, and to help with walking and socializing dogs and cats waiting for their new homes.
  • Citizens for Animal Protection (CAP) has similar volunteer needs in the pet areas as the other organizations, but also allows 14 and 15-year-olds to volunteer if supervised by an adult.
  • For those who want a bit more adventure, the Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Coalition (TWRC) has all kinds of opportunities to volunteer with animal rehab, cleaning and education. Work with baby birds, baby squirrels, possums and all other kinds of local wildlife.

Dedicate a Little Time at a Local Hospital

Hospitals are busy places, and there’s no better place to give a few hours of your time than helping with sick and injured children and adults. If you know where to look, you can find many volunteer opportunities in Houston hospitals.

The Texas Children’s Hospital can use volunteers who want to work with pediatric patients. Volunteers might play games, interact with family members, and provide other kinds of support for patients and their families as well as the medical staff. Likewise, the Ronald McDonald House Houston could use dedicated individuals who are willing to give up some of their free time to help terminally ill children and their families.

Ways Kids Can Get Involved

Did you know teenagers and other children under 18 can volunteer with the American Red Cross? Kids can join a Red Cross Club and work on projects relating to disaster response, international assistance, and health and safety training.  (And if you’re older, the Red Cross offers adult volunteer programs too!)

Teen Life offers a list of volunteer opportunities in Houston for teenagers. Some activities include assisting the homeless, volunteering with Meals on Wheels, or even serving on the Mayor’s Youth Council.

Even More Options

If none of the above ideas get you fired up, there are a few websites you can use to search for your own volunteer opportunities:

  • Volunteer Houston offers a way to search by agency or amount of time (for community service) and has a link for disaster response. The organization even offers background checks.
  • All For Good has a page with thousands of different opportunities in Houston, so it’s easy to find ways to give back to the community.
  • VolunteerMatch is a national nonprofit, so you can look for volunteer opportunities even outside of the Houston area.

ABC Cares About Houston

At ABC Home & Commercial Services, we are proud to serve the greater Houston area. Our company regularly sponsors charitable events and organizations in our local community, and we encourage our staff to give back through volunteering. By working together, we can make our great city of Houston even better.

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