10 Ways To Give Back To Memphis This Month (January 2018)

Volunteer Odyssey and I Love Memphis make it super easy for you to help the city you love by publishing a monthly list of easy, fun ways to give back. Here are ten ideas for January.

1. Big Brother Big Sisters Orientation: Saturday, January 6th from 10-11am

Interested in mentoring a child? Attend this volunteer orientation to learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters your role as a volunteer and the support structure in place to help you and your Little. You will be able to ask questions, and decide whether or not you want to become a Big.

Sign Up Here!

2. Game Night with Girls Inc: Friday, January 12th from 2:30-6:30pm

Join Girls Inc for a girls night. Volunteers are invited to help prepare and serve dinner with the Girls Inc girls and serve and eat dinner with the girls. Volunteers are also needed to provide homework help. After dinner, the volunteers are invited to stay for an evening of board games.

Sign Up Here!

3. Clean Memphis’ MLK Day Cleanups: Monday, January 15th at various times

In honor of MLK Day, Clean Memphis will be hosting 6 different community cleanups throughout the Memphis community. This is a great opportunity to volunteer with your family in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sign Up Here!

4. Memphis Empty Bowls Project: Saturday, January 20th and Sunday, January 21st

Join hundreds of people from all over Shelby County as they come together to fight local hunger at the annual Memphis Empty Bowls Project fundraising event. Volunteers are needed for various roles such as event set up, cashier, door greeter, drink station attendant, soup server and more. At the end of the event, attendees get to take a bowl home to remind them of the bowls that go empty in the Memphis area.

Sign Up Here!

5. Community Alliance for the Homeless: 2018 Point In Time Count: Wednesday, January 24th from 4am-6pm

The Annual Point-in-Time Count is a critical element for measuring the progress of our efforts to end homelessness and identify any gaps in services. It helps to determine the number of people who are experiencing homelessness at a given point in time. Volunteers are needed to help complete the survey.

Sign Up Here!

6. Playhouse on the Square: Ushering for “All Saints in Old Colony”: every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 7-10:30pm and Sundays from 1-4:30pm until January 28th

Do you have a love for theater? This is a great opportunity to enjoy a show and volunteer at the same time. Volunteers are needed to greet patrons, pass out programs, check tickets, help patrons find seats, and help clean up after the show.

Sign Up Here!

7. The Compost Fairy’s Community Compost Collection: every Saturday from 9am-1pm

Volunteer to help collect compost at the Cooper Young Farmers Market each Saturday. Volunteers are needed to help set up, collect compost, as well as help answer any questions people might have about Compost Fairy.

Sign Up Here!

8. Room In the Inn Carpenter’s House: daily from 4:15-6pm

Help provide shelter, warmth, and food to those in need this winter. Volunteers are needed to provide companionship to Room In the Inn guests while they wait to be transported to the congregation that is sheltering them for the evening.

Sign Up Here!

9. Urban Bicycle Food Ministry Burrito Ride: every Wednesday evening and Saturday morning

Join Urban Bicycle Food Ministry in delivering burritos by bicycle to the hungry in Memphis. Not a biker? You can also volunteer to help make the burritos before they are delivered on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings.

Sign Up Here!

10. Refuge Memphis’ Shower of Blessings: Tuesday, January 23rd from 5:30-8pm

Shower of Blessings provides a hot meal, a shower, fresh clothes, and more to homeless guests in need. Volunteers are needed to be cooks, greeters, servers, drivers, clothing attendants, and more.

Sign Up Here!

If none of these strike your fancy, click here to take a tour of 7 different organizations to see if their volunteer opportunities are a perfect match for you. Or, there are more than 80 volunteer opportunities on Volunteer Odyssey’s Calendar: volunteerodyssey.com/calendar.

If you sign up for one of the above opportunities (or find another one through Volunteer Odyssey), please let me know. I’d love to give a shout-out to you next month.

Who knows? Maybe your experience will encourage others to give back some Memphis lovin’, too.