Why Volunteer at a Homeless Shelter?

Why Volunteer? Three people talk about their experience volunteering Why Volunteer? Three people talk about their experience volunteering Load video

Suppose a person named Shana Green, a middle school teacher in Memphis, Tennessee, starts her Saturdays each week volunteering at a homeless shelter.

Shanna helps out in the kitchen. There she helps the kitchen staff prep meat and veggies. After cleaning up her workspace, Shana then usually leaves the kitchen and spends an additional couple of hours preparing meal boxes for the outreach team.

Suppose also that Shana's friend Jordan Stiles, who is also a volunteer for the outreach team, then takes the food that is prepared by Shana and her crew and hands it out along with hygiene packages to needy homeless people who sleep under the bridges and behind park bushes in the beautiful bristling city.

Jordan says he's been a volunteer at the homeless shelter for about 5 years now. He, like Shana, also volunteers one day a week on his day off.

Jordan says that helping the homeless is the most rewarding thing he can do when he has free time. Both Shana and Jordan agree that more people should volunteer at a homeless shelter for at least three reasons: homeless shelters need all the help they can get, homeless people need homeless shelters, and volunteering at one is a rewarding experience.

Here is each reason explained in more detail:

3) HOMELESS SHELTERS NEED HELP

The first reason why someone should volunteer at a homeless shelter is homeless shelters need help. The reason is they are often understaffed. Relying primarily on funding from donations and government grants to employ staff, homeless shelters don't always have enough money to hire the employees that they need. This means that homeless people in them may be underserved.

Homeless shelters often need help with giving out food and other helpful items like hygiene kits and food bags to the homeless, serving and packaging meals, preparing food and meals in the shelter's kitchen (if they have one,) help with fundraising, assistance in office work, building maintenance and building preparation, home furnishing, cleaning, and landscaping projects for needy families, and help with events for children on shelter grounds among other things.

Thus, one reason why someone should volunteer at a homeless shelter is most of them could use the extra help.

2) HOMELESS PEOPLE NEED SHELTERS

Another reason why someone should volunteer at a homeless shelter is homeless people need shelters. This is true for many reasons.

Ask any homeless person you encounter what the worst thing about being homeless is and they'll likely say the inability to stay cool, warm, and dry. Homeless people need homeless shelters because shelters provide relief from the heat, rain, and snow.

Second, homeless people need shelters because shelters provide other items and services that people need when homeless. One such item is deodorant. One such service is finding more permanent transitional housing.

Third, shelters provide food to the homeless. For some individuals, without a free meal, the only way to eat is to dumpster dive.

Thus, because shelters need help, another reason why someone should volunteer at a homeless shelter is homeless people need shelters.

1) VOLUNTEERING AT A HOMELESS SHELTER CAN BE A GOOD EXPERIENCE

The final reason why someone should volunteer at a homeless shelter is it can be a great experience. This is true for at least two reasons.

For one, volunteering feels good. Knowing that what one is doing makes a difference and that the people that one is doing it for benefit from the act of selflessness makes volunteering at a homeless shelter worthwhile. One can gain an invaluable sense of joy in feeling like what they do matters to others.

Second, by volunteering at a homeless shelter one can make new friends. When volunteering, one meets new and interesting people. Some of these people may turn out to be long-term friends or romantic partners.

Thus, the final reason why someone should volunteer at a homeless shelter is doing so can be a good experience for the volunteer.

FINAL THOUGHTS

It might be said that volunteering at a homeless shelter is not a great use of one's time. One might be better off instead putting in an extra day of overtime at work if permitted and donating that money to a homeless shelter.

While homeless shelters can always use more monetary donations, this is not always true. In some cases, homeless shelters have an abundance of donated food received from grocery stores, but too few people to help prepare the food for the homeless.

Whatever the case, homeless shelters can almost always use more help.

summary

One should volunteer at a homeless shelter for three main reasons.

First, homeless shelters need help. Many of them are understaffed and could use more volunteers.

In addition, one should volunteer at a homeless shelter because homeless people need shelters. Homeless shelters provide the homeless with housing, food, and other items and services. Shelters serve the homeless best when they have enough manpower to do so.

Finally, volunteering time can be a good experience. It feels good to make a difference. Plus, volunteering is also an excellent way to meet new people.

conclusion

So the next time you have a day off you have this week, make a few calls to homeless shelters in your area. Ask them if you can volunteer. Many of them would be grateful for your help, and the homeless will be better helped because of you.