Help for the Hungry / Homeless
1.
Help cook and/or serve a meal at a homeless shelter
2.
Gather clothing from your neighbors and donate it to a local shelter
3.
Make "I Care" kits with combs, toothbrushes, shampoo, etc. for homeless people
4.
Help with repairs at a local homeless shelter
5.
Make a care package with mittens, socks, t-shirts, long underwear, etc. for a child at a homeless shelter
6.
Collect grocery coupons to give a local food bank
7.
If your community doesn't have a food bank, work with local officials to start one
8.
Pack and hand out food at a food shelf
9.
Organize a neighborhood group to plant, tend and harvest a vegetable garden
10.
Donate the produce to a food shelf
Senior Citizens
Adopt a "grandfriend"
Visit a nursing home
Rake leaves, shovel snow, clean gutters, or wash windows for a senior citizens
Pick up medicine for an elderly person
Write your "grandfriend" a letter, or write letters for an elderly person
Go for a walk with a senior citizen in your community
Hold an afternoon dance for your local nursing home
Teach them your dances and ask them to teach you theirs
Deliver meals to homebound individuals
Offer to pick up groceries with/for a senior citizen
11.
Help senior citizens in your neighborhood obtain and install locks or smoke alarms
12.
Teach a senior friend hot to use a computer or the Internet
13.
Get a group together to sing or present a play at a nursing home
School Activities
Paint a mural over graffiti
Organize and invite local police officers to present a drug awareness or bike safety assembly
Form volunteer teams for a campus safety escort service
Tutor a student that needs help learning English or some other subject
Organize a canned goods drive in conjunction with a school dance and donate the goods to a food shelf
Neighborhood Enhancement
Help neighbors paint and repair their homes
Clean up a vacant lot
Organize a campaign to raise money to purchase and install new playground equipment in an area park
Campaign for additional lighting along poorly lighted streets
Paint a mural or clean up in a local park
Plant flowers in public areas that could use some color
For Those with Special Needs
Volunteer to help at a Special Olympics event
Set up a buddy system for kids with special needs at your school
Raise money for Braille or large print books for the visually impaired
Volunteer at an agency that works with emotionally disturbed children
Read books or the newspaper on tape for visually impaired people
Bring toys to children in the cancer ward of the a hospital
Politics and Government
Contact your local League of Women Voters or voter registration office
Ask what you can do to help people register to vote
Identify a local issue you are concerned about and contact someone in local government with your ideas on what to do about it
Organize a public issues forum for your neighborhood
Volunteer at a poling booth the day of an election
Offer to pass out election materials
The Environment
Plant a garden or tree where the whole neighborhood can enjoy it
Set up a recycling system for your home and participate in your neighborhood curbside recycling pick-up
Organize a carpooling campaign in your neighborhood to cut down or air pollution
Adopt an acre of a rainforest
Clean up trash along a river or in a park
Create a habitat for wildlife
Create a campaign to encourage biking and walking
Test the health of the water in your local lakes, rivers, or streams
