How Do I Choose the Best Thanksgiving Volunteer Opportunities?

Volunteering on Thanksgiving can be a very rewarding experience. Luckily, if you want to volunteer for Thanksgiving, you will likely have several opportunities from which to choose. If you enjoy interacting with people, there are a number of Thanksgiving volunteer programs that will allow you to help feed families in need, either by making, serving, or delivering food. You may also be able to visit individuals who are spending the holiday alone. Other popular Thanksgiving volunteer opportunities involve donating your time to raise money for charities.

One of the most popular Thanksgiving volunteer opportunities involves working in the local food or homeless shelter. Most towns and cities have these types of facilities, and they are often very busy during the holidays. When volunteering here, you have a variety of options from which to choose.

If you are a good cook, you may be able to help prepare a Thanksgiving meal. This can involve cooking the Thanksgiving turkey or preparing some simple side dishes. Even if you aren't very handy in the kitchen, you can still help out in these facilities. They always appreciate food donations, especially around the holidays. You can also sign up to serve individuals looking for a hot Thanksgiving meal.

Individuals who wish to spend Thanksgiving with family, but still wish to actively participate in Thanksgiving volunteer opportunities can adopt an individual or a family for the holiday. This is a great idea for people who make a large Thanksgiving meal. When adopting a family for Thanksgiving, you would make a large meal, as usual, and they would come to your house to eat and participate in the merriment of the holiday.

If you are alone during the holidays, but still want to cook a traditional Thanksgiving meal, you can invite others to your home for a meal. By doing this, you can still cook a meal and ease the despair that some people feel when they are alone during Thanksgiving, including yourself.

You can also volunteer by delivering Thanksgiving dinners to those in need, if you have a reliable vehicle. You can make a list of meal recipients yourself, or request a list from charitable organizations. Many times, you would be delivering hot meals to elderly individuals, individuals with chronic illnesses, or other homebound individuals or families.

Many times, just seeing a cheerful face on Thanksgiving is enough to brighten any person's day. If you love interacting with and talking to people, these types of Thanksgiving volunteer opportunities may be for you. Many times, hospitals and retirement homes are full of people who can't be home for the holiday. By calling these places, you will often be able to find out if they have any Thanksgiving volunteer programs. Some places may even be looking for volunteers with special entertainment skills, such as singing or comedy.

There are Thanksgiving volunteer opportunities available to suit everyone's wants and needs. Many areas organize marathons or other road races for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving volunteer opportunities during these marathons can include checking in marathon participants and working the concession stands.