Volunteer and Service Opportunities in Maryland to Serve Your community
As the holiday season approaches, volunteering and giving back to those who need it can start right here in our community. There are plenty of ways to serve your community in Maryland with food drives, clothing drives, toy and gift drives, and meal service. There are so many opportunities to volunteer, organize, donate, and help those in need.
Volunteer to Prepare, Serve & Deliver Food
Help to feed those who cannot afford or are unable to make a meal.
The United Way of Central Maryland
United Way of Central Maryland strengthens lives and neighborhoods across Greater Baltimore by promoting equity and increasing access to basic needs. We offer hands-on experiences that help volunteers better understand the issues our communities face. Our various projects for individuals, families, and groups allow you to become a part of the solution. Join us and make your minutes matter! There are In-Person Volunteer opportunities, Volunteer-To-Go, and Corporate Engagement Events. Find more information and ways to serve on the website: https://uwcm.org/.
Catholic Charities of Baltimore
Catholic Charities programs now has in-person, inside volunteer opportunities and in-person outside opportunities. They also have remote and virtual volunteer opportunities. All of Catholic Charities volunteer positions can be discovered by visiting our online volunteer portal here: https://cc-md.org/get-involved/volunteer/. There, you can search for opportunities by program, service type, time length, location, physical capabilities, and more. If you are new to the portal, you will find a brief tour to get started in 3 easy steps.
Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels, an organization that provides meals to homebound seniors and disabled individuals, needs volunteers to help deliver meals during the holiday season and beyond. Volunteers can serve as many times a month as they like with opportunities in meal delivery, packaging, grocery assistance, donating and pet food delivery.
Light House Shelter
There are off-site volunteer opportunities including donations of food and supplies, providing a meal through the Light House Bistro, fundraising, and bagged lunches. For questions about volunteering, please email gro.esuohthgilsilopanna@sreetnulov or call 443-569-4212.
We Care and Friends
We Care and Friends, a non-profit organization in Annapolis, is dedicated to creating strong families and communities in areas affected by drugs, poverty, and crime in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. We Care and Friends is a grass-roots organization who depends on volunteers to support outdoor lunch programs, fundraisers, mentoring, or our reentry program.
St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore is a leading provider of community services to people suffering from the effects of hunger, homelessness, and poverty in the Baltimore region. St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore offers volunteer opportunities for individuals, schools, churches, families, and businesses of any size. Through our programs, your group can be empowered to participate in making their community a better place.
Happy Helpers for the Homeless
Happy Helpers for the Homeless engages young people, their parents, and community organizations in preparing food and goods for the needy, bringing love and necessities directly to homeless people every weekend, no matter the weather and including holidays. For more information, please email moc.oohay@1sselemohehtrofsreplehyppah
Volunteer Food Drives
Food drives are an easy way to provide nourishment to those who need it most.
Maryland Food Bank
Maryland Food Bank operates facilities in Baltimore, Hagerstown and Salisbury that distribute more than 120,000 meals per day. Donate food, volunteer for pantry organization or begin an online campaign to provide hungry families with a holiday meal this season. Volunteer families can also schedule appointments to help load, pack and sort food at a local branch, or help with administrative work or fundraising efforts. Call the branch nearest to you for specific food needs, or go online to create a food donation campaign for your family.
Feed Anne Arundel
Donate money or volunteer time to Feed Anne Arundel, which originated in the spring of 2020 and has brought together numerous restaurants and donations to keep those in Anne Arundel from going hungry. For more information and ways to help support Feed Anne Arundel, please email moc.liamg@lednuraennadeef.
Anne Arundel Food Bank
Donate food, volunteer for pantry organization or begin an online campaign to provide hungry families with a holiday meal this season. The Anne Arundel Food Bank collects food and goods to distribute through local pantries and on-site feeding agencies that receive food to distribute to those in need in our county.
Feed it Forward at Bread and Butter Kitchen
At Bread and Butter Kitchen, you can purchase gift cards for $15, (which would cover the cost of a full meal & drink), & gift cards would be distributed to those in need, distributed to several local organizations including, Eastport Elementary School, St. Luke’s Food Pantry, the Office of Emergency Management, Homeless Outreach Coordinators, and the local police department. The best part of the program is that it supports the community and the small business.
Catholic Charities – Seton Center
Seton Center is a multi-purpose neighborhood community center located in Princess Anne where staff members work to identify and respond to the needs of local residents, the Hispanic community, and the area’s migrant farm workers. It operates three distinct food distribution programs and a variety of other services.
Volunteer for a Clothing Drive
During these cold months, donate your warm winter clothes to those who consider a coat a luxury.
Giving Back, Linda’s Legacy
GBLL is an all volunteer, 501(C)3 non-profit based in Anne Arundel County, Maryland whose Christmas Drive to Help the Homeless delivers over 20 truck loads of clothing annually to homeless shelters in the Annapolis, Baltimore and Washington, DC on Christmas Eve. GBLL will be collecting coats, hats, gloves, new/gently used warm clothing all ages/both genders, sleeping bags, blankets, toys, travel size toiletries, new underwear and baby items such as diapers, baby seats, clothes and formula, and non-perishable food items.
One Warm Coat
One Warm Coat’s mission is to provide free coats to children and adults in need while promoting volunteerism and environmental sustainability. One Warm Coat creates awareness of the vital need for warm coats. This awareness brings volunteers, coat donations and monetary donations to One Warm Coat. One Warm Coat then passes the coat donations to nonprofit partners across the United States, who serve children and adults in need.
Call for Coats
Admiral Cleaners collects coats every October and November for those in need. Our team then cleans these coats and donates them to numerous local charitable organizations. Over the last three decades, we have donated over 100,000 coats. To donate a coat, or coordinate a pickup, call (410) 216-5673 or email: moc.srenaelclarimda@ecivresremotsuc. Or visit admiralcleaners.com for a list of locations.
Volunteer to help With a Toy Drive
Be the Santa for a needy child who otherwise might not receive a gift this holiday season.
Toys for Tots
The mission of the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys and to distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to less fortunate children. The primary goal of Toys for Tots is to deliver these new toys at Christmas, a message of hope to less fortunate children, that will assist them in becoming responsible, productive, patriotic citizens. Contact gro.stotrofsyot@dm.eromitlab for more information on where to donate or to start a donation site.
The Children’s Home Holiday Gift Drive
For a child away from home, the holidays can be an especially tough time. The Children’s Home in Catonsville, MD asks for your help to make this a season of delight and celebration. This year’s Holiday Gift Drive will provide gifts and activities for the many kids who rely upon The Children’s Home for safety and care. Please visit our website and consider donating an item or two from our residents’ wish lists during one of our drop-off days. The Children’s Home, 205 Bloomsbury Ave, Catonsville, MD.
Donations to Children’s Hospitals
Help to brighten a young patient’s day through a charitable donation.
Child’s Play
Child’s Play seeks to improve the lives of children in hospitals around the world through the donation of toys, books and games. Families can send a financial donation to be used for purchasing gaming devices for children’s hospital wings or go online and search the Amazon wish list of more than 70 hospitals nationwide.
St. Jude’s
At the St. Jude’s Gift Shop, families can choose to donate any monetary amount to help children with cancer, but the St. Jude’s Gift shop also allows donors to choose how they want to help through specific events or materials for a patient. Sponsor a No Mo’ Chemo party for a patient for $25, purchase a wagon to transport a patient to treatments for $75, or share the cost of chemotherapy, radiotherapy or a bone marrow treatment.
Support Shelters, Families & Other Collections
Improve the welfare of needy families through donations.
Anne Arundel County Department of Social Services
We are the state’s human services provider. We help Marylanders buy healthy foods, pay energy bills, and obtain medical assistance. We also provide stable environments for children and adults. You can also call our main call center at 800-332-6347 to reach us at anytime.
YWCA of Anne Arundel County
YWCA of Annapolis & Anne Arundel County operates the county’s only domestic violence safe house. We provide a safe, healing environment and life-changing support services for domestic violence and sexual assault survivors.
House of Ruth
House of Ruth is an organization located in Maryland that provides shelter, food, counseling, and more for women and children. Item donations help clothe, feed and nourish those seeking help and support. Clothing, hygiene supplies, books, toys, craft supplies and linens are some of the items that are needed.
Walk of Christmas
The Walk the Walk Foundation needs sponsors to purchase gifts for families in need. Volunteers can also help deliver the gifts to the families, giving it a personal touch. Now serving families in Anne Arundel County.
Pet Shelter Drives Need Volunteers
Aid local shelters by donating supplies, food, and toys for unadopted animals.
Friends of Anne Arundel County Animal Control
From providing food, toys and blankets to the shelter, to offering emergency assistance for injured shelter animals, the Friends of Anne Arundel County Animal Control is there. Donations of cash, gift certificates, dog and cat food and toys are especially needed during the holidays and the rate of surrenders tends to go up.
Maryland SPCA for Pets
Animal lovers can donate treats and new cat and dog toys for homeless animals at the Maryland SPCA Adoption Center in Baltimore or at the Anne Arundel County SPCA. Families can also donate gently used towels and blankets or empty toilet and paper towel rolls to be used to create cat toys.
Small Miracles Cat & Dog Shelter
Help to keep this shelter properly stocked during the holiday season by shopping from its Amazon wish list, where you and your family can choose what kind of gifts to give to the animals of the shelter. Pedigree wet dog food is a high priority. Monetary donations are also accepted.
