Ask Lemmy

I do. Counting ballets. They needed ppl so i signed up

My anxiety and avoidant personality disorder keep me from having to urge to volunteer.

People make me tired.

I used to volunteer at libraries to teach elderly people digital literacy, how to use phones and computers to complete tasks they need etc and grow comfortable with their devices.

Unfortunately I couldn't continue due to instability taking over my life. I'd like to do it again someday but I'm currently in too much need.

Yeah lots, with the local food bank or the universalist Unitarian church, I’m an atheist but UU churches are about service not dogma I’ve heard the word “god” maybe 3 times this year and I go every week and volunteer regularly, it’s been great to join an organization that’s already set up to help build community that doesn’t care what you believe in.

I write wikipedia pages, do OpenStreetMap editing and occasionally I go leafleting for my political party of choice

FOSS and blood.

Yes. I volunteered for a couple months in Ukraine in a dog shelter and the volunteer kitchen in Lviv. I also volunteer to organize demonstrations in my city and occasionally I edit OpenStreetMap.

I help frogs and toads cross the road during mating season and count them.

Yeah at the pet shelter here. Started coz i wanted to be around animals but now id feel guilty if i wanted to leave, they are so under staffed and under supported

I volunteer for Tafel (meals on wheels). The former chairman of my wife's band runs the logistics side and that's how I got introduced.

I'm considering volunteering for the local shelter to pick up animals since I'm doing a lot of driving anyway.

Yep, about evey month or so at a local children's museum. I got a email at work decided to give it a try thinking maybe I'd meet a hot single mom or something.

But I actually do like helping the kids with their craft projects. It's clear that someone of them don't get the opportunity to really make a mess and build random stuff, I love be there to make that happen

Yes. I contribute to Wikipedia and MusicBrainz.

I wanted to contribute to the online information sources that I always rely on, so I started activities on these two sites.

Offline, I work on organizing 78rpm-record collections left by local collectors.

I like music from before the LP era, and I learned about this activity through local media and decided to participate in the organizing work.

Our town twinning comittee did a St. Nicolas trip to our twinned city in the UK. Some years ago, the old St. Nicolas retired, and the comittee leader (a friend of ours) was desperately looking for a new one. She even asked her husband if he would glue a beard to his face (an idea which he was absolutely not keen of!). Then, one day we met in the city, and suddenly while we were chatting, she exclaimed "You have a beard!"

Indeed, I have a beard, and i have it way longer than we know each other, but that was beside the point. It is broad, long, and white. And I speak English rather fluently (it is not my native tongue), putting me into a perfect spot for this job.

And so I was volunteered...

I wish I could more, but I donate frequently. If I can't give my time, I'll give my money (to political campaigns, NPOs, etc.).

I used to volunteer in uni as part of the classes. I taught children creative writing, mostly. It was very fulfilling seeing children of all ages develop their own voices.

I wanted to get up close to wild animals, so now I volunteer at the wildlife rescue. Hard work sometimes, but overall very rewarding and a lot of fun.

I volunteer in my daughter's theater group as board member or management or whatyacallit

I started volunteering with my local Weed Warriors group. We tackle invasive vines and bushes that kill native trees and block out the understory for native plants. It's really satisfying when you liberate a tree or rip out an invasive bush. I like the exercise and social connection too. Search to see if your community has a weed warrior group or other conservation group that does field work. They can have a training/certification program. Some improve hiking trails too.

Through my sports club I volunteer at sporting events every once in a while, like handing out water at races.

I also joined the animal rescue when I was younger, helping clean cages for the rabbits and pigeons etc. For that I just found the local rescue and signed up. In the end I didn't like the atmosphere that much, because most people were lower class without a job and I was a student at university. I felt like I had little in common to talk about and I was the only one who didn't smoke. You also have zero time to actually enjoy spending time with the animals.

Yes. Local churches run driver services for people. I just just drive them around once in a while.

Occasionally I join local groups to clean up litter and I count ballots for local elections.

I used to walk dogs from a local animal shelter. I also volunteered in refugee aid some years ago.

Usually I just help out locally when word gets around.

Volunteer firefighter.

Today's events.

5am call to put out a few small spot fires. Go to work for the day. 5pm, another call to attend a spot fire at the bottom of a powerpole.

Getting into high-season now.

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Started volunteering because a couple left the town and station, and I didn't want to see the numbers go down at the station.

Yes. At the food bank, at track and field races, at building projects (Habitat for Humanity and others) and I worked at a hospital in Haiti for three years as a volunteer.

I do some OpenStreetMap editing, hang up posters for my political party of choice when its election time and whenever the opportunity arises and I have time. In a bit theres a Pen & Paper session where I will help out with my car for food logistics.

I mean I started degoogling and found osm pretty nice and liked editing it. Also I'm into politics so I do help on some occasions. Its not hard to start. It comes with an interest and I help out when it aligns for both sides. Although I guess I'm not volunteering in other social institution like food banks or so but I also try to donate a bit

Not really. I have always felt inches away from being a charity case and we have done a rediculous level of personal austerity. My father in law even said we were to cautious but our lives have proved again and again that is not so. I mean I have in the past but most of what I do is opportunity driven. I used to have a do I could walk off leash so I would carry a poop grabber and bucket and I would pick up other garbage along the way. My neighbors and I grab each others mail. Put carts away that are carelessly left in the grocery lot. It blows my mind sometimes now only the littel things people don't do but the little bad things they do and both would not inconvenience them much at all. Someone who goes and serves food in a soup kitchen every week but won't use their turn signal is like. what. I sorta get annoyed with charity. Like it should not be necessary. We should be collecting taxes and employing people and fixing most things on a societal level. So like I want to live in a progressive social democracy where the average person is low enough stress that they treat themselves and their fellow citizens and environment with respect and will take some marginal effort to fix things spur of the moment that crop up.

I have in the past on a bunch of things, depends on where I'm living. Giving my sweet, delicious blood seems to fit my schedule best.

Not unless unauthorized trail maintenance counts.

Yep, I've volunteered off and on since I was a kid. I've done everything from volunteering at a museum to search and rescue. Usually it starts through a friend who is already doing it or sometimes meetup.com.

Not as much as I used to, sadly. I don't remember what the first thing I volunteered for was but I suspect I started doing it because I was asked. I volunteered a lot more when I worked at a company that encouraged community service and would give their employees time to do volunteer work during business hours.

When school was out for COVID i volunteered at the food bank. Currently trying to get setup with group that provides therapy and mobility equipment to people who don't have insurance/resources. Feeling guilty that i haven't made time to really dive into this.

Yep. I tend to do K-12 STEM outreach stuff. The local schools and scout troops know me and reach out for help occasionally.

I've been thinking about doing some reffing for a high school sports club. It's a less-popular sport, there aren't a ton of adults who've played enough to be decent refs and even fewer women. Just not sure I have the time this season to get match fit and my credentials updated.

yes, i have volunteered regularly my entire adult life.

frankly i cut way back the past couple of years because people are such miserable psychos to be around and it was making me miserable. I focus more now on doing volunteer work that doesn't involve people. it is a lot better.

i notice years ago volunteering was more about volunteering... now a lot of people think they should be 'rewarded' for their volunteer efforts. like with money. it's fucked up and why i cut way back. it's fucking weird people around 'volunteers' who are whining they they should get paid to do this.

I used to. Most of my social justice volunteering was cold calling people for money. I hated that and very soon thereafter gave it up. I now help out when out and about and see a need.

I'm involved with my community association and do bike/ped/transit activism.

I started shortly after I bought a house, since owning rather than renting meant I'd be a member of that community in the long term.