With over 100,000 homeless living in just the greater Los Angeles area alone, and unemployment hovering around 13 percent, it’s not hard to understand why the number of homeless is growing nationwide.   Shelters are being over run and need much more than  an annual holiday visit from well-intentioned volunteers in the kitchen to meet their increasing demands.

 

If you really want to doing something about helping the hungry and homeless in your city, here are a few tips to keep in mind that will make it easier to do:

 

Beyond The Ladle:

We all remember old episodes of [insert favorite after school special], where the family learns the true meaning of Christmas after visiting that Homeless Shelter one evening. While every homeless shelter can sure use a help in the kitchen, there a number of other options available.

-   Childcare: Many Shelters offer meetings and programs for parents to plan their recovery, but much of the time they are unable to attend because they have nobody to watch their children.

-   Clothes Sorting: Sometimes receiving boxes and boxes of donations a day, they often need help sorting, repairing and distributing clothing. Maybe it’ll inspire you to reorganize your closet when you get home.

-   Administrative Work: It isn’t glamorous but shelters often need help filing paper work, planning special events and answering the phones.

Use Your Natural Skills

Whether it be fitness, science, knitting or art, everybody has a thing. Find yours and figure out how you can use it to help those in recovery. Did you spend 8 years in Law School? Great, offer your skills a day once a month to provide those at the shelter with legal advice. Are you one of those savant tax gurus? Awesome.  Bring those skills to the table. Be creative, you’re unique, let others take advantage of it.

 

Rally The Crew

If you’re fortunate enough to be involved in some sort of large group or community (basketball team, work friends, family), meal service is the best way volunteer together. Nothing promotes team work better than cooking dinner for 800 people a night, just make sure to watch the fingers when you’re chopping vegetables.

 

Too many Cooks in the Kitchen?

And if you are interested in helping out in the meal department, keep in mind that there is more to be done that chop vegetables.

-   Gathering and Sorting: The process starts with donations; that means they need help collecting and sorting all of the canned goods, rice and shipments from the local foodbank.

-   Packing: Many shelters pack lunches and distribute meals around the city for those who are unable to come to meal service that evening.

-   Delivery: Hop in the shelter van or your trusty pick-up and set out amongst the city to deliver meals.

-   Preparation: Chop veggies, stir the soup, bake the cookies and prepare the mash potatoes.

-   Service: This is the best option if you really want to get to know those you’re serving.

 

Shane Martin, iVolunteer Los Angeles Editor

photo credit: Flickr/Tmuna Fish

 

 

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