Serve for Good

Volunteer Opportunities for Houston Teens

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January 2021 Volunteer Projects

January 18, 2021: Volunteering during the pandemic has been tricky, but Houston’s nonprofits have been working hard throughout the past year. Food still needs to be packed and delivered, and shelter pets still need to be walked. We can take care of our parks and organize medical supplies while wearing masks and social distancing.

As far as we know, the following organizations are open for teen volunteers now. Check the ServeforGood.org listings for more information about each charity, and please contact the organization to confirm they are accepting help and to make arrangements to volunteer. We will update our listings as we get more information. Please let us know if you have corrections or updates to this list.  Thank you!

Bayou City Blessings in a Backpack
The Beacon 
Books Between Kids (groups of 5-7 people)
East Spring Branch Food Pantry
Emergency Aid Coalition
Galveston Bay Foundation (events like Crab Trap Removal in Feb.)
Harris County Pets
Hermann Park Conservancy
Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
Houston Audubon
Houston Botanic Garden
Houston Food Bank
Houston Furniture Bank
Houston Pets Alive (cat care at PetSmart stores, for example)
Houston SPCA
Houston Tool Bank (on a case-by-case basis; contact them)
Interfaith Ministries Animeals on Wheels
Interfaith Ministries Meals on Wheels
Jewish Family Service
Kids Meals
Lawther-Deer Park Prairie Preserve (workdays twice a month)
Medical Bridges
Memorial Park Conservancy 
Nature Discovery Center
Northwest Assistance Ministries
Project C.U.R.E.
SIRE Therapeutic Horsemanship
Sleep in Heavenly Peace (NW Houston Chapter)
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Storm Water Inlet Marking Program
Target Hunger
Urban Harvest
Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy (individual cleanup and Scout projects)

Open to Experienced Volunteers Only
Clothed by Faith
Freewheels Houston

Projects That Can Be Done From Home
Dress a Girl Around the World
Project Linus
Conduct a Supplies Drive  (Many organizations need supplies, including all animal shelters and food banks, Houston Area Womens Center, SEARCH Homeless Services, Star of Hope.  Some organizations also welcome books.)
Harris Health System  – hospital supplies / kits
SEARCH House of Tiny Treasures – tablecloths
SEARCH – prepare snack kits for the homeless, make key chains, paint mugs
Star of Hope – notes of encouragement, drop off food / snacks (no client contact)

Kitten fosters needed – BARC shelter

June 9, 2019: BARC animal shelter needs your help! This past weekend the shelter received 672 dogs and cats, including many kittens.

“The kittens cannot survive in the shelter and must have foster homes to help them. We are greatly in need of kitten fosters (and other fosters as well) to help these little ones out! Care needs range from neonatals (must be kept warm and bottle fed every few hours) to “mush” kittens (already eating soft solids and just need a space to grow and thrive for a few weeks).”

If you’re interested in fostering, email BARCFoster@HoustonTX.gov and/or follow the BARC Foster Facebook page.

If you’re at least 13, you can volunteer at BARC (with an adult), but need to sign up for an orientation here, or email BARCVolunteers@HoustonTX.gov.

Fix bikes for refugees with Freewheels Houston

June 7, 2019: Do you know how to fix bikes – or do you want to learn? Freewheels Houston‘s volunteers repair donated bicycles and distribute them to refugees and others through partnerships with nonprofit social service agencies.

The bikes help the recipients get to work or school. You need to be at least a high school junior to repair bikes, but younger students can help in other ways.

Sign up to volunteer on the Freewheels Houston site here! For more news about Freewheels, check out their Facebook here.

Freewheels mechanics make sure everything is operating as it should.

Houston volunteer opportunities

Lymphoma Walk!

May 12, 2019: On Saturday, May 18th, the Lymphoma Research Foundation is hosting a walk/run to raise awareness and funds for research for this common blood cancer that affects children as well as adults.  They need help with set up, break down, staffing water stops, and cheering people on along the walk; shift times are flexible. Volunteers 8 and up –including student groups — are welcome.  (Young kids must have adult supervision.) Location: Stude Park in the Heights.  Contact Robin at walkmanager@lymphoma.org for more information.

Serving Meals at Nora’s Home

March 29, 2018: Yesterday evening, I went to volunteer at Nora’s Home along with my friend Katherine. The non-profit organization serves as an affordable home away from home for transplant patients and their families who travel to the Texas Medical Center for their surgery.

While Nora’s Home appreciates volunteers gardening or doing art activities with guests, one of the best ways you can help is by preparing a hot, delicious meal for those staying at the house. These guests are either undergoing transplant surgery themselves or helping a family member through the process, so with all of these medical worries, the guests really appreciate not having to worry about cooking dinner.

Katherine and I started preparing right after school, when we drove to Cosco to pick up some cooking essentials. We got several hot roasted chickens, ingredients for salad and pasta, a small vanilla berry cake, lemonade, and plenty of fresh fruit.

Important tip: focus on fresh & healthy foods. Hospital food is never very appetizing, and I’ve learned over the years that patients and their families really appreciate fresh fruits and vegetables, which are harder to get in the hospital.

The Nora’s Home volunteer coordinator will email you several hours before you serve to let you know how many guests to expect. In our case, we bought food for 14-18 people, the usual number, but only about 8 people ended up eating. (Expect to have leftovers.)

Katherine and I started preparing food in the kitchen around 5:20 pm, then served dinner from 6-7:30 pm. To make the meal more cheerful and festive, we bought a bouquet of flowers to decorate the serving table (check out our spread above). It’s just a small gesture, but if it helps to brighten the patient’s day, then it’s worth a try! All of the guests were so appreciative of the meal, and many stopped us to say thank you.

If you’re looking to help very deserving patients and their families, I’d recommend volunteering at Nora’s Home. By clicking here, you can sign up for a night to cook dinner. And if you’d like to learn more, please visit their site or check out our Nora’s Home charity profile.

New Listing: Angela House

March 26, 2018: I just learned about this organization and am excited to add it to the site.  Angela House is a residential program for women who have just been released from prison.

These women are working hard to turn their lives around. However, they typically don’t have a place to live and have few resources to help them move toward stable, productive lives.

Angela House offers them a safe place to live with support services, referrals, job readiness training, twelve step recovery groups, and tools for healthy living. “Residents receive emotional and spiritual support as well as professional counseling, as they are encouraged to set realistic and attainable goals for their future.”

Volunteers age 14-15 (with an adult) or 16 and up (independently) can help in many ways, including helping with holiday celebrations, gardening, performing for residents, helping organize donations, collecting needed items, helping with office work, or other projects.  You can come for one day or many.  The site listing is here.