“What Are You Doing For Others”? Easy and Achievable Ways to Volunteer in Your Community

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One of my favorite quotes is ”Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?” MLK. I think that is a fact that defines us as humans.
Back home, in Panama, one can say it is easier to chose a particular cause to volunteer. However, since I moved to the US, trying to help others has become a little more complex.
For starters, in 2015, Panama had 23% of its population under poverty lines, compare to 13.5% in US for the same year. This denotes that there are much more people that need the help of the community in Panama. Thus, it is simple to locate and provide help to families or children nearby.
Also, almost never, a person needs to apply for volunteer jobs in Panama; one can just show up. In contrast to the formal processes of getting related positions in the US. Furthermore, people usually have to compete with others to get these jobs.
Consequently, I have started to think how can I re-start helping in the community I live in, without compromising many financial resources, time with family, or my other duties as a mother, spouse, and professional.

Here are some of the options I found:

• To begin with, I considered it fairly easy to check http://www.makeadifferenceday.com/. This site promotes events in nearby areas that give back to the community. A plus, is that the whole family can be involved.
• While researching volunteer positions in the usual job sites; I found many ads that involves reading and to provide company to people in senior centers for a couple of hours a week. I cannot imagine the difference this would make in a day of this lonely elders’ lives. In addition, the requirements for these positions seem very undemanding.
• In regards to helping animals; It doesn’t take much time to stop by a local animal shelters or rescue organizations to ask if one can support their cause in any way.
• Through religious communities, one can get to know programs in which people can perhaps get involved.
• By getting creative, for example, to ask friends if they know people that are in a extreme financial burden or alone, and one can pack food for them or do something related.
• To help a senior neighbor by mowing the lawn or run some errands.
• Nowadays, one can even virtually volunteer. There are companies needing people to help the communities by doing work with their computers. Time flexibility makes this a great option.

For extra motivation,
It has been proved that volunteering improve not only peoples' mental but also physical health:
o Reduces stress and depression
o Lower blood pressure
o Lower mortality rates
o Increases happiness levels

I hope soon to find again the rewarding satisfaction that giving back to the community makes you feel.
If someone has any other easy ways to help others, I would greatly appreciate your feedback. Thank you!

Sources:

https://www.nationalservice.gov/sites/default/files/documents/VIA_tips_volunteering_youth.pdf
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/volunteering-and-its-surprising-benefits.htm