Jessica is a student who wants more out of her college experience than classes and work. Like most students, she’s busy. She has classes to attend, homework to finish, a job to do, and a social life to fit in somewhere. But she knows that including community service in her busy schedule will pay dividends. Besides the possibility of class credit, Jessica knows volunteering looks great on a resume, will give her experience and a chance to explore career ideas, and help her find balance in her life by helping others. But where to start?
How do you go about joining the 25.7 percent of college students who volunteer? Where do you find volunteer opportunities in Utah? Below are five ways college students can get involved:
Volunteer at the food pantry
More than 400,000 Utahns—or one in seven—are at risk of missing a meal every day. And one in five kids in Utah don’t know where they’ll get their next meal. Those statistics are why food pantries are vital, and why you should consider volunteering at one. You’ll get the chance to help others, all while gaining experience and building your resume. You can make it a one-time thing or a regular gig. Volunteers are always busy at a food pantry:
- Sorting food donations
- Putting together food boxes
- Repackaging bulk foods
- Labeling food
There’s also a need for organizing food donation drives and delivering the goods—great experience for college students and a perfect activity to list on a resume. Spending time helping in a food pantry is a worthwhile activity for college students.
Get involved in Circles
Circles is a nationwide program that helps families eliminate debt, go back to school, and overcome the challenges of poverty. The program works because it has volunteers in the community. So it’s a perfect opportunity for college students to make a difference while exploring career options and bulking up their resumes. There are many ways to get involved in Circles:
- Becoming an ally to offer emotional support and help leaders identify and reach goals
- Joining a team to take care of setup/cleanup, recruitment, and/or resource management
- Donating a meal
- Volunteering with the children’s program
There’s an opportunity for everyone with Circles, whether you want to commit to two hours per week, for at least four months (children’s program), or you want to make it a one-time thing (meal donation). Getting involved in a program that helps families pull themselves out of poverty is great for the community and college students.
Become a communications volunteer or intern
Many college students need real-world experience to graduate. Why not help others while getting required class credit as well as experience that looks good on your resume? Many charitable organizations need communications volunteers and interns for important tasks:
- Writing or editing press releases
- Contacting local media about upcoming events or programs
- Promoting the organization in the community
- Anything else that would publicize the organization’s programs and events
Working as a communications intern or volunteer will help you on the road to a successful career while you’re helping people in your community.
Hold a fundraiser
When you organize a fundraiser, you gain valuable leadership experience. Community services organizations are well-tuned machines that know how to stretch a dollar. So you know your donations will be put to good use. For example, Community Action Services and Food Bank in Provo can buy 15 pounds of groceries for every dollar donated. That’s enough to feed a family of four for a day.
Starting your drive is simple:
- Contact the organization and get a list of needs
- Set goals
- Promote your drive
Put together kits
Sometimes you just want to get together with your friends and do something worthwhile. Organizations that help refugees or people living in poverty often need different kinds of kits. Putting together specialty kits can be a fun social activity, but it’s also a good way to help people living in poverty. The kits are nothing fancy; just the essentials that can make a big difference in the life of child or adult:
- Hygiene kits (shampoo, soap, toilet paper)
- Back-to-school kits (notebooks, pens, glue, tape)
- Homeless kits (flashlight, can opener, waterproof matches)
- Child birthday kits (small toy, cake mix, card)
College life is busy. But there’s plenty of experience to be had outside of the classroom. Whether it’s working in a food pantry, putting together kits, helping people out of poverty, interning, or fundraising, volunteer work gives you experience that you can’t find anywhere else. If you’re interested in getting involved, Community Action Services and Food Bank is a great place to start. Send an email to volunteer@communityactionuc.org to get started today.