Volunteer in the Triangle: 25+ easy ways to make an impact in Raleigh-Durham

If you're looking for volunteer opportunities in the Raleigh area – either with your family or company, as an individual or with a group – there are dozens of social causes that could use your help and specific talents.

Volunteering in Raleigh: Good for your physical, mental, social well-being

Volunteering is good for your mind, body and soul, according to a recent article from WakeMed. Volunteering for a cause you love can reduce stress, provide a sense of purpose and even help people struggling with loneliness and isolation.

Some volunteer opportunities in the Triangle area can give a boost to physical fitness – imagine working in a community garden, cleaning up a local waterway or park or helping build a new trail. Even sorting and delivering groceries for the Interfaith Food Shuttle can provide quite a workout!

How do I find a good volunteer opportunity in Raleigh, Durham or surrounding areas?

If you aren't sure where to start, some local non-profits specialize in 'volunteer matching.' They take into account things like:

• Your personal skills and interests
• Whether you want to serve alone or in a group
• Whether you want to serve long-term or just once
• What social causes you are personally passionate about
• Whether you need a volunteer opportunity for teens or kids

Activate Good lists dozens of service opportunities across the Triangle, connecting you with non-profits with causes ranging from helping animals, serving seniors, helping at shelters, making artwork, beautifying parks, building trails and many others.

List: Local MLK Day events, day of service projects

Activate Good also connects volunteers for special events, such as the MLK Day of Service and the 9/11 Day of Service.

Activate Good hosts weekend of 9/11 service projects

United Waycan also connect you with individual or corporate volunteer opportunities and special volunteer events.

Where are volunteers most needed in Raleigh and surrounding areas?

Many Triangle-area non-profits, hospitals and other programs offer long-term volunteer opportunities, but you can also go help out for just one session if you want to learn more about the organization.

There are many non-profit organizations in the Triangle that offer one-day or long-term service opportunities for individuals, groups, teens, kids and corporations.

There are dozens of causes to be passionate about, where your specific skills and talents could help. You can provide direct impact for social causes like these (click any cause to be taken to a related volunteer opportunity):

• Children and adult literacy
• Helping families with food insecurity
• Providing clothing or coats for kids
• Disaster relief
• Helping survivors of domestic violence
• Delivering food and social time for home-bound seniors
• Bringing toys to hospitalized children
• Working to help in local hospitals
• Creating art to brighten rooms at nursing homes
• Working with animals in shelters
• Serving our local unhomed population
• Cooking and serving food at a local shelter
• Cleaning up rivers and parks
• Building or cleaning Raleigh-Durham hiking trails
• Providing services for young members of the Triangle's LGBTQIA+ community
• Recycle affordable furniture for families in need
• Growing sustainable food on urban farms
• Provide basic hygiene necessities for women and children
• Creating beds and toys for shelter animals
• Organizing donations at a food pantry or thrift shop
• Preserving Raleigh-Durham historic sites
• Support mental health and wellness
• Build housing for those in need
• Make local art a priority in the community
• Help those recovering from addiction
• Fix up bicycles and provide affordable bikes for the community
• Provide affordable meals for those in need
• Sorting or delivering clothing donations for kids
• Help bridge the digital divide for those who struggle with new technology
• Home-cooked meals for families with children fighting long-term illnesses in hospitals

Where can I volunteer in the Triangle area?

There are dozens of non-profits and programs in the Triangle that support nearly every social cause you may be passionate about. Here's a list of some specific organizations and links to their websites that can get you started in your volunteer journey.

1. Note in the Pocket - Volunteers and donors provide quality clothing to homeless and impoverished children and families with dignity and love. Note in the Pocket believes that it is unacceptable that children are limited in their educational and social development because they do not have appropriate clothes for school. Volunteers can help sort or deliver clothing donations for kids.

2. Interfaith Food Shuttle - Volunteers can help end hunger in the Triangle with service opportunities like working outdoors on the farm, driving to deliver and distribute food, or working in the warehouse to sort and bag food.

3. Raleigh Rescue Mission - Volunteers can help people who are working to transition out of homelessness. Service opportunities include working with youth in the children's ministry, pack bagged lunches for people experiencing homelessness, serve food, help as a job training mentor or even help with administrative tasks.

4. Diaper Bank of North Carolina - Volunteers help provide equal access to diapers or hygiene products for women through service oppoortunities like wrapping diapers in prep for distribution to families.

5. Safe Haven for Cats - Volunteers help homeless and stay cats by helping clean cages, beds and litter boxes, as well as socializing with cats, fostering and helping with adoption events.

6. SPCA of Wake County - Help animals find comfort, safety and homes. Volunteers can help clean living areas for animals, provide play and socialization, help sort donations, help with adoption events and more.

7. WakeMed - Volunteers can help spread joy to WakeMed patients by serving as a courtesy cart driver, sewing cozy blankets for patients or assisting with animal visitation.

8. Meals on Wheels - Passionate about helping seniors remain independent and in the comfort of their own homes? Volunteers can driver to deliver meals, help pack snack bags or even bring Birthday Box deliveries to a smiling senior. On the second Saturday of each month, volunteers as young as 5 can join the family-friendly fun at a volunteer event. They also need pet food packers to help the beloved pets of seniors.

9. Green Chair Project - Volunteers help create a future where every child has a bed and every home is stocked with essentials by providing resources to individuals overcoming homelessness or disaster. Hands-on volunteers can work on-site processing donations, assembling home bundles, curating decor and greeting guests.

10. Wake County Public Libraries - Volunteers can provide support for library operations as a library ambassador.

11. Red Cross - Want to be prepared to volunteer after a disaster? The Red Cross provides disaster relief training for their Disaster Action Team. Volunteers can also serve as Blood Donor Ambassadors.

12. InterAct - Volunteers can help individuals and families escaping domestic violence through service opportunities like working as a crisis line volunteer, a sexual response advocate, a children's advocate and guests services. Bilingual talents are also needed.

13. Mental Health America of Central Carolinas - Volunteers can support mental wellness by serving as a Compeer, a friend and companion to someone with mental illness. Persons matched with a Compeer often experience fewer hospitalizations, increased self-esteem and other benefits, according to the non-profit's website.

14. Habitat for Humanity - Volunteers are needed to help build homes, as well as serve in the ReStore, where you can organize donations and sell used furniture, cabinets, appliances and building materials.

15. Oak City Cares - Volunteers are needed to help provide and serve meals to people experiencing homelessness.

16. ArtSpace - Passionate about community art? Volunteers can help with fun community events like First Friday and the Summer Art Camp, as well as offering classes or guided tours. Adminsitative tasks and quarterly clean-ups are also needed.

17. Preservation NC - Want to protect and preserve North Carolina history? Volunteers are needed to help photograph historic sites, research historic information about sites and help clean up historic properties. Preservation NC also hosts Volunteer Workdays to improve endangered historic properties.

18. Salvation Army - Volunteers can help in the kitchen to sort donations, help out in the food pantry, provide a meal for the shelter, or help at the program thrift store to turn donations into funding.

19. A Place at the Table - Volunteers staff a 'pay-what-you-can' restaurant to help everyone in Raleigh access a delicious meal. Volunteers work on a lot of tasks, including delivering food to tables or helping prepare meals or lead shifts. Spend an hour volunteering and receive a meal of your own.

20. LGBT Center of Raleigh - Volunteers help provide support for the LGBTQIA+ community, helping welcome visitors, answering phones, assisting in the library or helping with special projects.

21. Healing Transitions - Volunteers help people working to overcome addiction by serving meals on campus, helping in the thrift store, or driving people to and from recovery meetings.

22. Durham Bike Co-op - This all-volunteer organization helps repair and provide bikes to the community. Volunteers can learn about bike repair, work with a mechanic to fix up a bike, or help repair bikes for others.

23. Adopt-a-Trail in Raleigh - Work alone or with a group to adopt a local trail and keep it clean for others to enjoy!

24. Haw River Assembly - Help keep our rivers clean and healthy for future generations to enjoy. Volunteers come on specific dates to help clean rivers and streams, stabilize banks, and mitigate stormwater pollution.

25. Special Olympics - Volunteers serve as coaches, trainers, officials, event organizers, fundraisers and managers -- or even just cheer from the stands!

26. Zach's Toy Chest - Fighting cancer, one toy at a time! Volunteers help collect donations, sort and box up toys to bring to hospitals, and help hand out toys to brighten the days of children fighting cancer.

27. Ronald McDonald House of the Carolinas - Help create a home away from home for families with children hospitalized long-term. Volunteers cook meals, wash dishes, take coffee to guests, set the table and clean up after meals.

28. Raleigh City Farm - Volunteers can join for specific workdays on this urban farm, connecting and nourishing the community through regenerative agriculture.

You can also check Activate Good's website for currently active volunteer opportunities, or contact them to be matched to specific volunteer opportunities that match your interests and skills.