Your community is everything. It’s more than just where you live, it’s where you will see future generations blossom before you. Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with a kind life, but you can do your part to help those in need. That’s why volunteer work is such a noble and fulfilling pursuit, and Bountiful Mazda wants to ensure that the community can thrive here in Salt Lake City. Here are a few local organizations where you can volunteer your time.
The Road Home
“Volunteer” by ccbarr is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0
The Road Home has been helping the homeless of Salt Lake City since 1923. They are a private, nonprofit social service that works hard to provide safety and shelter for those in need. They also work to help rehouse the homeless. This is a fantastic agency that works hard to ensure a better world for everyone and is centered right in Salt Lake City, with two other locations within the county.
If you feel like this is a cause you want to support but don’t know how to, they have a number of roles to fill. Of course, The Road Home accepts donations, both monetary and with goods, but they greatly rely on volunteers to help run the shelters and food pantry. Serving meals, sorting the donation warehouse, and chaperoning teen outings are only a few of the great ongoing volunteer opportunities they need people for.
This is a fantastic opportunity to help your community and ensure a safe future for the generations to come. Join The Road Home in envisioning “a community that recognizes the inherent dignity of those who live in poverty and homelessness.”
Wasatch Community Garden
Whether you have the space to garden at home and want to share your knowledge or you just want a way to get out of the house and help something thrive, the Wasatch Community Garden delights in having people from all walks of life join them. The garden has been thriving since 1989, taking in children and adults alike. Their goal is to provide food and education to anyone who needs it, citing their values with inclusion, collaboration, joy, and stewardship.
Volunteering at the garden can take many forms, as they are looking for educators, gardeners, and even office workers. They also offer webinars for those that cannot make it to the site, which opens the availability for online teaching. If you are working in the garden, they offer flexible times that fit morning, afternoon, or evening, depending on what is best for you. So whether you want to get your hands dirty or help from the comfort of your own home, there is a place for you in the gardens.
Wasatch Community Garden is home to more than just plants and freshly grown food, it’s a home to hope for a healthier future.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah
Our children are our future, but sometimes a family needs help in raising or mentoring them. “It takes a village to raise a child,” and the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor program has lived by that for over 40 years. They see the potential in every child and want to help that potential blossom. They take great care in matching kids with kind and compassionate adults who can do just that. The process of becoming a “Big” can be a little daunting, including fingerprints, background checks, orientation, and general training, but it’s worth it to keep kids safe.
Being a Big can be incredibly rewarding! The program provides under-resourced kids with an additional mentor, which can mean all the difference in shaping their future. There are three different forms of mentorship: community-based, site-based, and mentor 2.0. Community-based will have you meet your mentee somewhere of your choosing for one-on-one engagement. Whether it’s a park, bowling alley, or museum is up to you. Site-based occurs in one of 15 Utah elementary schools, once a week for an hour. This is used to help with homework or engage in an activity on school grounds, depending on the support needed.
The final mentorship is mentor 2.0, which focuses on high school kids preparing to enter college or a career path. High school is such an emotional time, and those years are incredibly formative. This program focuses on helping kids set goals, maintain healthy expectations, and foster resilience. This route tends to have a longer commitment than the other two. Having a college degree is encouraged when looking to volunteer in mentor 2.0.
Regardless of which mentorship you choose, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah is a great organization for providing stability in the life of someone who may not have regular stability. Providing for children helps to ensure a better future for everyone.
American Red Cross of Utah
The Red Cross has been operating for nearly 150 years, and the work they do is invaluable. Utah has four physical locations, one of them in Salt Lake City, and a number of volunteer opportunities. The Red Cross is always looking for people to assist with disaster response, from house fires to tornados and floods. This volunteer work can take the form of helping recruit blood donations, providing food and necessities to devastated families, or search and rescue.
They also work hand in hand with military members and their families through the Service to Armed Forces Program. This program helps families prepare, cope, and respond to all the challenges of active duty military work. Volunteering in this program has tasks that range from helping provide families with information when a loved one is being deployed to providing continuing care for veterans that need assistance post active duty. Our military gives so much, and the Red Cross provides a means to give back.
Much like the name, Bountiful Mazda has brought you a bounty of volunteer options to choose from. From tending community gardens to bettering the lives of those in need, Salt Lake City has plenty of opportunities to make the community grow and flourish. Did we miss your favorite organization? Is there a community-driven social service that we should talk about? Let us know so we can share with others and build a beautiful tomorrow.
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