Have you ever wanted to help make a difference in your community, but don’t know where to start? Are you interested in personal development? Volunteering is one of the best ways to get involved and help positively impact your community, as well as invest in personal development. There are numerous opportunities to volunteer based on your topic of interest such as basic needs, education, health, and financial stability. Giving back in these ways builds skill, develops character, and instills compassion and pride in both those who volunteer and their communities.

Read on to learn about a few of the volunteering opportunities that benefit the Charleston West Side.

Food Distribution

There are several admirable volunteering opportunities for Food Distribution in Charleston. It is important for able community members to volunteer at food pantries, and/or soup kitchens, in order to support our neighbors in combating food insecurity.

Manna Meal is a soup kitchen located in Downtown Charleston, which serves two free meals – breakfast and lunch – daily, 365 days per year. Volunteer assistance is crucial to the daily operations of this organization, as it works to combat food insecurity for our local community. Manna Meal volunteers have the opportunity to assist with meal prep, food pick-up and delivery, gardening, and more. Volunteers of all ages and abilities are encouraged to join the Manna Meal team.

Covenant House WV is an organization that offers direct services for people in need of food, housing, and healthcare assistance, with the goal of creating social change through education and advocacy work. The Covenant House Food Pantry is open weekdays from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm to support Kanawha County individuals and families facing poverty. The coordinated volunteer team helps with activities including putting together food orders, bagging groceries, and stocking shelves.

Health and Wellness

Our community is fortunate to have numerous volunteering opportunities for healthcare and wellness. Volunteers in the health and wellness field are vital to our community, as they support our local medical professionals in providing quality care to our neighbors.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern West Virginia  is a non-profit organization that provides essential services to families whose children are facing medical conditions and treatments – including but not limited to – RSV, NICU, and Premature Birth Effects. RMHC is significant to our community as it supports and enables parents to remain close to their critically ill children. There are many volunteer programs at RMHC such as Guest Services, Kitchen, Hospitality, and Facility Volunteering. Volunteers have the opportunity to participate in activities including organizing pantries, preparing rooms for guests, office duties, and more.

Charleston Area Medical Center  is a complex of five hospitals located in Charleston, and serves as the primary medical facility for the city. CAMC is a general medical and surgical facility, as well as a teaching hospital. Each CAMC facility maintains its own auxiliary board.

Volunteers serve as support for hospital staff, as well as patients and their families to provide a comfortable, charitable, and attentive environment. There are numerous volunteering opportunities available through CAMC hospitals, including; Emergency Department Ambassadors, Greeters, Waiting Room Liaisons, Office Support, Crafters, Gift Shop Attendants, Special Projects, and more.

Clothing and Basic Needs

Here in Charleston, WV, we have remarkable volunteering opportunities for distribution of basic necessities. Catering to our struggling community members’ basic needs is critical, as individuals and families need these essentials to live everyday life happily and most importantly healthily.

Heart + Hand Outreach Ministries is a community based organization which provides donations of clothing, food, household essentials, furniture, and monetary assistance to neighbors in need. There are many ways that volunteers can support this organization such as: working the food pantry, organizing food drives, sorting and processing donations, leading classes, and organizing the thrift store.

Faith in Action of the Greater Kanawha Valley is a volunteer program which provides an array of free services to elderly community members – aged 60 and older – in both Kanawha and Putnam counties. Volunteer opportunities include assisting elderly with grocery shopping, a weekly reassurance call program, transportation to medical appointments, and minor home repairs through the Honey Do Crew team.

If being an active community member is something you desire, we encourage you to participate in one of these amazing volunteering opportunities. Volunteering is not only good for promoting a happy and healthy society, but for personal growth. Volunteering motivates you to be selfless, while enhancing skills for everyday life. Volunteer in Charleston, and help our community thrive.