Giving Back in Your Local Community: A-List!
For many people, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a traumatizing and challenging experience. Across the United States, people have experienced loss from losing a family member - to losing their jobs. Students across the United States have struggled with the transition to online distance-learning, and being away from their peers. This pandemic has also highlighted how giving we are in a time of tragedy and heartbreak, where a survey found that most Americans gave to charity during the pandemic, particularly in helping children.
Studies have shown that giving back has benefits in improved physical and mental health benefits. Many adults have stepped in to help with organizations such as Step Up Tutoring, to provide free tutoring to students from over 800 LAUSD students from Title I Schools. Step Up Tutoring is completely remote, where volunteers can tutor from their homes.
There are many ways to give back to your community, either on location or remotely done in your home. You can find opportunities on sites like Volunteer Match, California Volunteers, and L.A. Works. Here is a list of just some of the volunteer opportunities available local to California.
With vaccinations readily available for free to anyone 12 and older, the need to vaccinate is still high, with 45.1% of the total population fully vaccinated. You can do your part to help vaccinate people in California, by registering here, from volunteer tasks like assistance in teaching people about the vaccine to volunteering at a clinic. You can also do simple options from home, such as sharing social media posts from available toolkits or just helping your neighbor sign up and get to a vaccination site.
2. Heal the Bay
Heal the Bay is an environmental non-profit organization whose mission is to make the “coastal waters and watersheds in Great Los Angeles, safe, healthy, and clean.” One of the days Heal the Bay does this is through volunteering through Heal the Bay’s Adopt a Beach program. With safety protocols in place, you can help by committing to three cleanups in “one year at your chosen outdoor place in Greater Los Angeles”. An interesting element to this volunteer opportunity is data collection, where while you’re volunteering, you are tasked with tracking trash finds through a mobile application. This data collection is critical in Heal the Bay’s “clean water mission.” Sign up today here to make a difference in your local beach.
3. Volunteer at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
Prior to the pandemic, food insecurity was already an issue in Los Angeles - with 2 million people in Los Angeles facing food insecurity. A report on the impact of COVID-19 on food insecurity in Los Angeles County revealed that “between April and May, more than 1 in 4 residents” have dealt with food insecurity. Although things are opening back up in California and across the United States, food insecurity still impacts many individuals and families. You can sign up here today to volunteer in a group setting or by yourself.
4. Help the Homeless at The People Concern
The COVID Crisis has exasperated the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles. A report from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority is showing a 12.7% increase in homelessness from last year - that’s 66,436 people in Los Angeles County who are experiencing homelessness. Another report showed that over the next three years “thousands of low wage workers” will be without homes due to unemployment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. There are many non-profits in Los Angeles whose mission is to help the homeless population in various ways. The People’s Concern is “one of Los Angels County’s largest social service agencies” and provides many services such as outreach, permanent supportive housing, domestic violence services, medical care - and many more. This organization is made possible with the help of volunteers who can serve in roles like food services, case management, and more. Combating homelessness is going to need all of us to come together; sign up here today.
5. Help Tutor Students at Step Up Tutoring
COVID-19 exacerbated many issues that were already present in the United States, including education. A research study showed students from “disadvantaged homes” suffered more learning loss. Step Up Tutoring has taken action on the disparities within the education system. Their mission is to provide free online tutoring for families who cannot afford it, and serve “800 LAUSD students from Title I Schools”. This organization is made possible by volunteers who are matched with a student and provide weekly tutoring online. Let’s build a better tomorrow for the next future generation; sign up here today.