Volunteering is held in high regard in the United States. It not only provides crucial support for nonprofits and other organizations, it is also a great way to get involved and give back to your community. Whether it is once a week, once a month, or even once a year, any amount of volunteering is incredibly beneficial for the organization and yourself. Volunteering can help you learn more about yourself and get you out of your comfort zone. This will allow you to acquire new skills, which can be applied professionally or in everyday life, as well as meet a variety of new people with similar interests. This build bonds and strengthens sense of community.

Here are some interesting facts about volunteering here in the United States (2015):

• About 62.6 million people volunteered for an organization at least once, which is about 24.9% of Americans.
• Women volunteer more than men – 28.3% vs. 21.8%
• 35-44 year olds were the most likely to volunteer (28.9%) with the least likely being 20-24 year olds (18.4%).
• Volunteers donated on average approximately 52 hours from September 2014 – September 2015.
• The most common activity volunteers engaged in was collecting, preparing, distributing, and/or serving food (11.3%).

Feeling inspired and want to find ways to get involved? Here are some local organizations in Pinellas and Tampa Bay that you can volunteer with:

For more facts, check out the US Department of Labor Volunteer Statistics: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/volun.pdf

Pictures are from pexels.com

contributed by Trevor Ackerman, Sustainability Program Assistant

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