I recently started volunteering at a local soup kitchen. I was afraid of volunteering as I have been feeling so unreliable lately. But I felt even at my worst I could ladle soup with the best of them! It has turned into so much more. I have brought a canning jar with flowers, Made soup to serve, bought bread to give out with the soup, met with the soup kitchen leaders to fill boxes for the poor, all kinds of activity I can join when I can and I usually look foreword to it. I have even been reading more on world wide huger so I can start to understand with so much food in the world why so many people are hungry.
Anybody else volunteering? Are you also gaining more than you give?
I volunteer with 2 cat rescue groups. I transport cats and feed/clean cages for cats once a week. I've also completed training to be a weekend foster parent. I need 3rd and last home visit and then I'll be cleared to start fostering. I think do activities with a child will be fun and good for me ! (It gives me an excuse to do child-like activities )
I think it is a great way to do child like activities! Not to mention how much the kids will gain! I was foster mother a long time ago. It is extremely rewarding work.
I have volunteered whenever I've been able. It never has ended up being more than 6 months because of kid issues or health issues. I've done Humane Society adoptions, pet therapy visits with my cat, book shelving at school libraries, other school volunteering, and for the past 6 months I've been supervising my son's school chicken project. We now have all 5 chicks at point of lay (about to lay their first eggs), just in time for the kids to come back to school! We raised them at the school from week old chicks. We plan on keeping them as pets as long as they live. They have a fantastic coop and place to live, and the kids, from toddlers to middle schoolers LOVE THEM. I'm really proud of making this happen at my son's school.
As you should be Marietta! Wghat a great school project. We have been raising chickens for years and they are great fun. I have one left from the old flock, "Matha" who is done laying and a new flock just about ready to start. They are fun!
I use to nursing home visits with the puppies and kitties at the Humane Society. There was a duck named Pete who use to go with us. He loved to ride in the truck and go say "hi" to the old ladies at the nursing home! I would carry the carriers with the puppies and kitties and call "come on Pete" and he would follow us all over the facilities. Too cute with his duck feet and waddle!
I do pro bono computer programming and web page design for a couple of nonprofits. I also work with addicts in recovery. It is very nice to give back. Since I am not working these positive things in my life help me as well. When you work with addicts life is seldom boring.
OMG !!! How cute a therapy duck ! Never heard of that. That's wonderful. I wish I could do pet therapy - my cat isn't "that" friendly :-)
michael in vermont said:
As you should be Marietta! Wghat a great school project. We have been raising chickens for years and they are great fun. I have one left from the old flock, "Matha" who is done laying and a new flock just about ready to start. They are fun!
I use to nursing home visits with the puppies and kitties at the Humane Society. There was a duck named Pete who use to go with us. He loved to ride in the truck and go say "hi" to the old ladies at the nursing home! I would carry the carriers with the puppies and kitties and call "come on Pete" and he would follow us all over the facilities. Too cute with his duck feet and waddle!
Helping others kindles happiness, as many studies have demonstrated. When researchers at the London School of Economics examined the relationship between volunteering and measures of happiness in a large group of American adults, they found the more people volunteered, the happier they were, according to a study in Social Science and Medicine. Compared with people who never volunteered, the odds of being “very happy” rose 7% among those who volunteer monthly and 12% for people who volunteer every two to four weeks. Among weekly volunteers, 16% felt very happy—a hike in happiness comparable to having an income of $75,000–$100,000 versus $20,000, say the researchers. Giving time to religious organizations had the greatest impact.
"Volunteering has also been shown to lessen symptoms of chronic pain or heart disease."
I have limited mobility - can I still volunteer?
Whether due to a lack of transportation, time constraints, a disability or other reasons, many people prefer to volunteer via phone or computer. There are many projects where you can help. Writing and graphic design lends itself to working at home, and in today’s digital age many organizations might also need help with email and websites.
If you think home-based volunteering might be right for you, contact organizations you like and ask what some of the possibilities might be. Some volunteer organizations may require you to attend an initial training or periodical meetings. You also want to make sure that you are getting enough social contact, and that the organization is available to support you should you have questions.
Volunteering combats depression. Reducing the risk of depression is another important benefit of volunteering. A key risk factor for depression is social isolation. Volunteering keeps you in regular contact with others and helps you develop a solid support system, which in turn protects you against stress and depression when you’re going through challenging times.
Volunteering helps you stay physically healthy. Volunteering is good for your health at any age, but it’s especially beneficial in older adults. Studies have found that those who volunteer have a lower mortality rate than those who do not, even when considering factors like the health of the participants. Volunteering has also been shown to lessen symptoms of chronic pain or heart disease.
That's wonderful Marietta ! And all of us should be very happy according the article excerpt I posted below. :-)
Marietta said:
I have volunteered whenever I've been able. It never has ended up being more than 6 months because of kid issues or health issues. I've done Humane Society adoptions, pet therapy visits with my cat, book shelving at school libraries, other school volunteering, and for the past 6 months I've been supervising my son's school chicken project. We now have all 5 chicks at point of lay (about to lay their first eggs), just in time for the kids to come back to school! We raised them at the school from week old chicks. We plan on keeping them as pets as long as they live. They have a fantastic coop and place to live, and the kids, from toddlers to middle schoolers LOVE THEM. I'm really proud of making this happen at my son's school.
I have been working my youth group at church for 10 years. Once a month we provide food for the shelter. For 5 years I cooked by myself but since I have gotten married again we have cooked together the last 5. We go early and cook and then the kids come in and serve and clean up. We feed on the average of 150 people. So if anyone has any great recipes to feed this many please forward to me! We also work with our youth group with Habitat and work on houses about once a month. My church also dose a "weekend project" where we participate sometimes as well - cleaning a yard, putting on a new roof, moving someone, etc. I also work with the women's shelter here by doing fundraisers, doing the night time sitter - where you help kids with projects an homework while their mom's are working. And then we are both volunteers for Animal Rescue. The really sad thing is that Wednesday night when we got home from the shelter we were talking about having to give something up. It is getting so hard to do it all, our bodies just don't want to do it. I have always been very fortunate in my life and really believe in giving back and work hard to try and do so. It is going to break my heart to have o give something up.
Oh and I almost forgot the mission trips Deb and I went on. Until you do not have a bathroom to use or take a shower in, I strongly suggest that the bag shower is not a good thing! Cold water, or course if you hang it in a tree to get warm it is somewhat better but let me assure you not much! I am a girly girl and I would sometimes have to go days without a bath. ICK!