Date/Time: Within 24 hours whenever there is a snowfall of 2” or more.

Location: We serve Minneapolis and Suburban Hennepin County. We will match you with a senior who lives nearby.

Ages: Family teams are welcome! The recommended age for youth volunteers is 13 years old or older when volunteering with an adult. Volunteers must be 16 years old or older to volunteer independently and/or operate a snow blower.

Time Commitment: This is a seasonal commitment to a senior to shovel during the winter snow season when it snows more than two inches.

Make a difference in the life of a senior this winter by becoming a snow removal volunteer! Snow and ice are a huge threat to our seniors. Senior Community Services’ mission is to help seniors remain in their homes (often the most affordable option) safely and independently by assisting with chores they are unable to do on their own. By volunteering as a Snow Removal Volunteer, you aren't just shoveling snow, you are helping seniors in our community get to doctor's appointments and avoid social isolation during the winter. Volunteers commit to the season and we will match you with a senior who lives nearby. Get to know someone new!

Contact: Karen Johnson, [email protected] or 952.767.7894.

Date/Time(s): Check individual sites for dates and times.

Location(s): Loaves & Fishes meal sites are located throughout the metro area.

Ages: At Loaves & Fishes, we appreciate and support youth involvement in community service and the opportunity to expose youth to a condition of life different from their own. Our youth participation guidelines help provide a safe and efficient work environment while maintaining the dignity of our guests. The following age breakdowns are suggested best practices. However, because each meal site is different, Site Coordinators may make exceptions at their discretion and with parental input and permission.

Time Commitment: Typically, two to three hours.

For 41 years, Loaves & Fishes has served free, healthy meals to Minnesotans where the need is greatest. Today, we are the largest free restaurant in Minnesota. We serve urban, suburban, and rural communities through a variety of meal programs supported by creative food sourcing and food rescue efforts.

Loaves & Fishes has opportunities for individuals and small groups to help package and serve meals at our various meal sites. No experience is necessary; our site coordinators will walk you through everything. Loaves & Fishes Minnesota is not a religious organization; we serve without regard to religious perspective and do not engage in activities that promote any particular religious cause.

Meal Site Cooking volunteers assist with cooking a pre-planned meal under the guidance of the site coordinator and help package meals for distribution.

Meal Site Serving volunteers continue to package and distribute meals, clean up during distribution and at the end of the evening, and do dishes throughout the serving period.

We also have opportunities for individuals and small groups to help at our Commissary Kitchen, preparing food for distribution at our various meal sites. As with our meal sites, no experience is necessary.

Commissary Prep volunteers will prepare and package food/meals and will likely be working with raw meat.

Contact: Director of Volunteers and Outreach, 612.377.9810, [email protected]. Please check this link to search for a meal site based on location or day of the week. Whether to prep and/or to serve, simply find a date (or dates) that work for you and sign up. You will receive a confirmation email soon after signing up.

Date/Time: Ongoing opportunity.

Location: School-based or community-based mentoring in Dakota County, MN.

Ages: Mentors are families, couples, or individuals over 21 years old.

Time Commitment: One to four hours per week, on average. Scheduling is very flexible; weekends, evenings, or after-school times are available.

Mentoring Makes a Difference! Kids 'n Kinship needs mentors as we currently have 38 youths on a waitlist waiting for a mentor. Of the 38 youth waiting, 21 have been waiting a year or more. Would you consider stepping in to help us fill this need? We are based in Dakota County, and we serve families in Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Farmington, Lakeville, and Rosemount. Kids 'n Kinship matches volunteer mentors as families, couples, and individuals with youth ages 5–16 years old in need of additional positive role models. We have three opportunities to mentor: community mentoring, school-based mentoring, and serving as a pen pal for a child currently on our waitlist. Matches are made based on compatible personalities, ages, and interests, as well as the preferences of both the volunteer family and the youth with their parent/guardian. Our mentoring families say that mentoring together ensures they have weekly family time and that it's easy to include another child in the family activity, whether it's a board game, sledding, a trip to a park, or going to the zoo or a museum. Kids 'n Kinship offers passes to area attractions to make activities more affordable. Additionally, we provide continuous support and training for our mentors, starting with a 45-minute information session and a two-hour training session. We ask mentors and mentees to commit to one year together in order to build their relationship; however, many of our matches become lifelong friends, and our average match is about two to three years. Please consider being a mentor to a child. It is one of the most life-changing and rewarding ways to volunteer your time. Learn more at www.kidsnkinship.org.

Contact: Silas Means, Jr., [email protected].

Date/Time: Shifts run every weekday at 8:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m., or 2:15 p.m.

Location: 9600 Aldrich Avenue South, Bloomington.

Ages: Families with children nine years old and older are welcome to volunteer together. Children 9–11 years old must be accompanied by an adult guardian. Youth 12 years old and older can volunteer independently.

Time Commitment: Shifts are typically three hours. We do not require you to sign up for a minimum number of shifts in order to volunteer.

VEAP is a basic needs and social services organization whose programs promote access to healthy foods, stable housing, and other supportive services. Your family can help your community by volunteering at VEAP! Our opportunities welcome everyone, don’t require experience, and are fun! Volunteers learn new skills, make a difference, and see their impact firsthand, as well as gain insight into how food and housing insecurity affects their community. Within our pantry, volunteers have the opportunity to:

Contact: [email protected], 952.955.8323. Adult volunteers are required to first attend an orientation prior to joining us. Click here for a youth volunteer application form and here for an adult volunteer application form.

Date/Time: Ongoing need. People can leave donations with the front desk Monday through Friday between 9 a.m.– 5 p.m.

Location: Our drop-off location is 1527 E Lake Street, Minneapolis, 55407.

Ages: Everyone can participate.

Time Commitment: Varies, depending on the project.

The mission of The Family Partnership is to build strong families, vital communities, and better futures for children. You and your family can donate to one of these six projects to help The Family Partnership's clients:

Essential supplies for infants and toddlers of families experiencing deep poverty.

Household care packages to help families keep their homes clean and healthy.

Snack bags for children coming to therapy directly from school.

Play-doh, flubber, or stress balls for the littlest learners to develop finger strength and dexterity.

Personal care packages for teens and women who are healing from sexual exploitation.

Journals for children, pre-teens, and teens accessing mental health programs.

Contact: Ashley, [email protected]. Please contact Ashley before starting your project.

Date/Time: Please reach out to Nicole Tyrrell, [email protected], to schedule a drop-off day and time.

Location: 3000 Ames Crossing Road, Suite 100, Eagan.

Ages: Everyone can help.

Time Commitment: Varies.

The Open Door provides food support for low-income individuals and families across Dakota County. Gather your family and hold an off-site packing project for The Open Door. We are currently in need of pre-packed snack packs for children during the school year. Kid-friendly snack pack items include:

Pack five–seven snacks into each plastic or reusable bag. (Please do not include notes inside bags.)

Contact: Nicole Tyrrell, [email protected].

Date/Time: Please make arrangements to deliver your Welcome Basket by contacting us at 651.776.9805 or [email protected] to make drop-off arrangements.

Location: Eastside St. Paul location.

Ages: Everyone can help.

Time Commitment: Varies.

Life Haven mothers and their children often have little or nothing with them when they arrive at our program. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we’re able to provide needed items upon their arrival. Life Haven staff use welcome baskets to set up youth bedrooms fully stocked with necessary hygiene products. Your family can help us welcome new moms and their children by donating a welcome basket filled with these needed items! Items included in a welcome basket are:

Contact: 651.776.9805 or [email protected].

Date/Time: Multiple dates and times, see website for details.

Location: FMSC has Minnesota packing locations in Chanhassen, Coon Rapids, Eagan, and MobilePack events across the state.

Ages: Families with children as young as five years old may participate.

Time Commitment: Two–hour shifts.

Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) is a Christian nonprofit that provides nutritionally complete meals that are specifically formulated for malnourished children. FMSC offers volunteers a one-of-a-kind experience. Volunteers hand-pack rice, soy, dried vegetables, and a nutritionally complete blend of vitamins and minerals into bags, which are then sealed, boxed, placed on pallets, and shipped to partners around the world working hard to reach the neediest children. Through volunteering at FMSC, volunteers get the chance to impact hundreds of kids in just two hours per packing shift. You’ll experience what it’s like to make a tangible difference, today.

Contact: Registration is available online. For questions about volunteering or registering to volunteer, please refer to the FAQ page. If you have questions that are not addressed on the website or FAQ page, please contact the following: general inquiries at [email protected], or 763.504.2919. For volunteer and registration questions, [email protected] or 763.951.7306.

Date/Time: Through the winter snow season.

Location: Southern metro area.

Ages: Family-friendly; all ages are welcome.

Time Commitment: Duration of the winter snow season when there are two inches or more of snow within a 24-hour timeframe.

When it snows two inches or more within a 24-hour timeframe, volunteers help clear off the snow for an older homeowner’s driveway and sidewalk. Homes typically take less than one hour to clear, and volunteers make life safer for their senior neighbors.

Contact: Linda Engelken, [email protected].

Date/Time: There are a variety of shifts available.

Ages: Families with children ages eight years old and older are welcome to volunteer. Click here for more information on age requirements and adult-to-youth ratio.

Time Commitment: Two hours per shift.

Families with youth are welcome to help with the following volunteer opportunities.

Meal Prep and Packaging: Youth are welcome to help us in the kitchen with scooping cookie dough, making Jell-O, and packaging cookies for our clients' weekly meal deliveries.

Packout for Deliveries and Shipping: Youth are welcome to help us pack bags or boxes for our client’s weekly meal deliveries. Submit online applications for each adult and youth interested in volunteering. After attending orientation, you may sign up for kitchen shifts as often as you’d like. Learn more about us at www.openarmsmn.org.

Contact: Questions? Contact us at [email protected]. To get started, visit https://openarmsmn.volunteerhub.com/.

Date/Time(s): Weekdays, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Ages: Families with children of all ages are welcome to volunteer. The driver must be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver's license.

Time Commitment: One to two hours per shift. After you've attended a new volunteer orientation or completed our online orientation and completed a background check (driver only), you may sign up to volunteer. There is no minimum time commitment. You can volunteer once, on a regular basis, or as often as you are available.

Volunteer to deliver meals to our clients and help Open Arms bring nourishment to people who need it most. Open Arms delivers homemade food to approximately 1,200 clients every week across the Twin Cities, using healthy ingredients, free of charge. Pick the delivery route that suits you and your family best. We do drive-up contactless delivery. You drive up, and we load your car. You do not need to exit your vehicle at all. When delivering to the client, we enforce a drop, wait, and wave policy. We do not enter any homes; however, we do enter apartment buildings. Masks are required. We supply masks if needed and hand sanitizer between routes.

Contact: Questions? Contact us at [email protected]. Follow this link to get started: https://openarmsmn.volunteerhub.com/.

Date/Time(s): Check the lunch or dinner calendars for available shifts.

Location: 4544 4th Ave. S., Minneapolis.

Ages: Volunteers must be 12 years old or older. Volunteers who are 17 years old or younger must be accompanied by an adult 21 years old or older.

Time Commitment: Two to two and a half hours, including prep and clean-up of both kitchen and dining room.

We help strengthen families by connecting them to resources, caring for their children during difficult times, and setting goals that promote stability and make the relationship between the parent and child stronger. As a trusted resource for families, the Nursery focuses on prevention by offering free, voluntary services for parents who face barriers such as unemployment, homelessness, medical or mental health concerns, poverty, domestic violence, or other difficult situations. Cook for Kids is a great opportunity to spend a couple of hours giving back to the community. Individuals and groups of up to six volunteers cook on site and serve a meal and a snack to the children at the Crisis Nursery. Click here to learn more.

Contact: Keith Johnson, Food Service and Volunteer Services Coordinator, [email protected].