Do you feel that you have too much free time, and are unsure what to do? Or perhaps you have recently retired and are seeking something to occupy your time? If this is you, why don’t you try volunteering? After all, it is a great way to be active, serve your community, expand your social circle, and help people or animals in need. Read on to learn five ways you can start volunteering in your golden years.
Help the Hungry
One way to volunteer? By helping the hungry out. And you can do so by volunteering in your local food banks or community clubs. Typically such places help the community by providing or cooking food, and other food items. What will you be doing as a volunteer in your local food banks or community clubs then? Here, you can assist with food preparation, serving, and distribution. For instance, as part of the 2 million volunteers of Meals on Wheel, a popular national network, you can help cook the meals or deliver food to mature adults who are homebound and unable to move about. Therefore, reach out to your local community centers and food banks to see what positions or opportunities are available for you.
Teaching Students
If you love children or enjoy imparting your knowledge to someone, why don’t you teach others as a volunteering experience? After all, teaching is an honorable way to pass on knowledge and assist in the development of future generations. And you can volunteer to teach by reaching out to local schools. There, there might be volunteer teaching or homework assistance positions for you to try out. If you do not want to travel so far or so often, perhaps teaching online would be a better alternative. After all, due to Covid, many schools have turned to teach their students online instead of in physical classes and continued to do so.
International Volunteering
If you love to travel, try out international volunteering. After all, it provides the best of both worlds – allowing you to travel the world and help others. Many groups provide those in their golden years with volunteer opportunities overseas. These well-organized tours and events, often known as volunteer vacations, cater to a certain need or cause somewhere around the globe. Therefore, do a google search on the causes you root for, and see if they have international volunteering experience.
Aid the Animals in Need
Do you adore animals and wish you had one? Why not try to volunteer and aid the animals in need? Volunteers are always needed in animal shelters to assist with animal care. You may volunteer to walk the dogs every day, socialize with the cats, help with administrative tasks, raise finances, and provide any other assistance they require. Consult the ASPCA or smaller privately run animal shelters in your area. With that said, you can even take it a step further by volunteering to foster an animal in your house, should you have the space and energy to do so. Not only will this provide an animal with a temporary home setting until they find their final home, but it also means you can have more personal time with the animal in need and be able to help them better.
