Where to Volunteer on Thanksgiving 2024, from Meals on Wheels to Park Clean-Ups

It’s almost that time of year when we all sit down and say what we’re thankful for before gorging ourselves on a massive turkey feast. Well, friends, actions speak louder than words, which is why donating some of your time to the community is a decidedly more meaningful expression of gratitude. From local food drives and meal delivery services to footraces for a cause (like turkey trots) and serving food at soup kitchens, here’s where to volunteer on Thanksgiving in 2024. Read on so you can give thanks by giving back.

A quick note: Many of the organizations highlighted below accept volunteers year-round and the demand for volunteers actually decreases during the holidays since there’s a surplus of people suddenly wanting to give back. If you can’t get in on a volunteer effort on Thanksgiving Day, don’t let that stop you from helping your community at another time.

Our ideas for where to volunteer on Thanksgiving mostly include charitable initiatives that operate across the country, so you might have to do a little research to find opportunities in your own neck of the woods. Apart from the major nationwide programs, your best bet is to talk to community leaders, check out local social media profiles, bulletin boards and listservs and keep your ear to the ground. After all, much volunteer work is done at a local level and opportunities to help a neighbor are particularly rewarding, too.

Feeding America is a massive nationwide network of programs established to fight hunger in all 50 states. The organization provides much-needed relief to families and individuals experiencing food insecurity through its summer meal programs, senior meal programs, soup kitchens, mobile pantries, school pantries and more. Given the scope and size of the network, it should come as no surprise that there’s always work to be done at the food banks. Still, we suggest calling up the nearest location before you show up ready to give back, since the wave of volunteer interest that occurs over the holidays can overwhelm facilities (in which case they’ll likely tell you they prefer food donations).

Meals on Wheels is a long-running nonprofit that operates all across the country, delivering hot, nutritious meals and equally warm and wholesome greetings to seniors. The organization is always looking for new volunteers to pick up meals at a central location, deliver them to the homes of seniors and hang around for just long enough to check in with a quick conversation. Best of all, the schedule is flexible, so you can help out as much or as little as you wish, and many of the volunteer opportunities are designed to be done on your own lunch break (if you wish). That said, volunteering needs vary from program to program so be sure to contact your local chapter for more info.

Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) is yet another organization seeking to bring food to those most in need—but in this case, the effort is global. FSMC has reservation-only volunteer opportunities that allow individuals to help pack meals solo or with a hand-selected group of friends at one of their permanent packing sites (located in Arizona, Illinois, Minnesota and Texas) or at one of their MobilePack events, which pop up throughout the country. As for the meals, those are delivered directly to underfed communities around the globe that have been ravaged by poverty, war and natural disasters.

The Salvation Army—an international charitable organization with a presence in all 50 states—supports a wide range of causes including job training and aid for veterans, domestic abuse survivors, trafficking victims and the homeless, as well as services for the poor. They’re also pretty big on the holiday giving scene (look for the person ringing a red bell) and volunteer opportunities on that and other fronts abound, though they vary between locations.

Goodwill is an organization that you’re likely familiar with because of its many used clothing stores. However, you might not have known that Goodwill is also a leading nonprofit provider of workforce-related services and education, including job training and employment placement programs for underserved communities. The organization relies on pro bono professional volunteers to provide these services, and anyone interested in giving back to the community by sharing their knowledge can inquire into where to volunteer on Thanksgiving at their local Goodwill store.

If you’re short on time and prefer to donate money, check out Giving Thanks to Heroes—a holiday campaign run by Homefront America, in which cash donations are used specifically to supply military families in need with a full complement of groceries, a pumpkin pie and a turkey voucher that can be redeemed at any number of convenient grocery locations. Whether it’s due to financial strain or simply the stress of planning a Thanksgiving feast when your better half has been deployed, this program does a lot to ensure joyful festivities for our country’s very deserving patriots.