work outdoors (gardening, construction)

ANGELA HOUSE

What Is It?

A transitional home for women coming out of incarceration. “Through comprehensive programs and partnerships, Angela House residents are given the opportunity and tools to maintain a positive lifestyle.”

Help Needed:

Projects could include helping organize the clothing room or other areas, tutoring women in GED topics or basic computer skills, helping with special events or holiday decorations, helping with administrative tasks, or collecting needed items. Contact Angela House for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

14 with a teacher/parent/guardian, and 16 and up without an adult

ARTIST BOAT

What Is It?

A non-profit organization “protecting our Gulf Coast through land conservation and fun, educational, inspiring adventures that spark creativity, awareness, and action.”

Help Needed:

Help out at regular volunteer workdays, assist with special events like World Oceans Day celebration, or volunteer in the office. Please contact Artist Boat for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

11

AVONDALE HOUSE

What Is It?

A non-profit organization that provides educational services to children and young adults with autism. Services include a year-round day school, a smaller day program for young adults, and three residential group homes.

Help Needed:

Help with activities such as games, crafts, and celebrations; assist with special events; help spruce up grounds or facilities; or collect needed items. Please contact Avondale House for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

There is no specific minimum age, but all volunteers under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult (a parent, or their teacher/adult volunteer if they are on a class field trip).

THE BALLARD HOUSE

What Is It?

A nonprofit that provides “temporary housing in our community with a warm, safe environment for individuals and their families who are hospitalized or receiving treatment for a serious medical condition.”

Help Needed:

Projects could include bringing a meal to share, collecting supplies, helping with landscaping, or helping with decorating or organizing.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

None. Volunteers of all ages are welcome, but volunteers under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

BLODGETT URBAN GARDENS

What Is It?

A 2.3 acre community garden, founded in 2014 by Texas Southern University to address food insecurity by supplying fresh fruit and vegetables and to provide a space to teach sustainable gardening techniques in an urban setting.

Help Needed:

Help maintain the garden on Saturday mornings. Tasks can include fertilizing, pruning, weeding, harvesting, assisting farm stand customers, and other activities.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

No minimum age.

BUFFALO BAYOU PARTNERSHIP

What Is It?

A non-profit organization that is revitalizing and transforming Buffalo Bayou, Houston’s most significant natural resource. Work includes addition of major destinations, landscaping, water features, and pedestrian bridges in Buffalo Bayou Park.

Help Needed:

Groups or individuals can help with gardening, invasive species removal, trash pickup, trail work, special events such as KBR Kids Day, or administrative tasks. Please contact BBP for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

Volunteers ages 9-17 years are welcome with a chaperone 21 years of age or older. There must be one adult per ten youth present.

CASA DE ESPERANZA DE LOS NIÑOS

What Is It?

A safe place for children in crisis due to abuse, neglect, or the effects of HIV. Casa de Esperanza provides residential care, and coordinates medical and psychological services according to the needs of each child.

Help Needed:

Collect basic needs or items for welcome packages; students may propose other projects.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

In general, volunteers must be 18 to participate in hands-on activities with the children, but volunteers of all ages may collect items. The agency may also consider one-time group projects with volunteers under 18.

CASA EL BUEN SAMARITANO

What Is It?

A free, non-profit health clinic that “shares the love of Jesus Christ while providing whole-person — body, soul, spirit — healthcare to the low-income and uninsured population in our community.”

Help Needed:

Projects could include computer work, child care, patient education materials, website updates, organization, and building maintenance. Please contact the clinic for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

16 to volunteer independently; 14-15 year olds are considered for specific tasks on a case-by-case basis.

THE CENTER FOR PURSUIT

What Is It?

A nonprofit organization that provides “residential, vocational, and day services that promote individual choice, personal growth, and independence for persons with developmental disabilities.”

Help Needed:

Assist with campus beautification projects, engage with clients, collect needed items, and/or package gingersnaps and other baked goods for sale. Please contact the Center for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

15 to volunteer independently. Any volunteer younger than 15 years old must be accompanied by a parent/guardian/teacher.

COLLEGE MEMORIAL PARK CEMETERY ASSOCIATION

What Is It?

An historic five-acre cemetery that was founded in 1896 and served as the burial site for Houston’s freed slaves who lived in the historic Fourth Ward. The cemetery was neglected for many years.

Help Needed:

Restoration began in 2007 and is ongoing. Volunteers are needed to help with work such as mowing, trimming weeds, and cleaning up litter. Please contact the Association for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

All ages may help, but children must be accompanied – and well supervised by – an adult. All volunteers must submit a volunteer waiver.

CZECH CENTER MUSEUM HOUSTON

What Is It?

A museum that provides “unique educational experiences based on authentic objects, art, music, stories, and lives of Czechs, Slovaks, and people of all cultures who left their country to seek liberty and democracy in America.”

Help Needed:

Help with seasonal celebrations, stuffing envelopes and other office work, gardening, cataloging items, organizing and cleaning, and more. Please contact the museum for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

13. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must sign your volunteer application.

DESCENDANTS OF OLIVEWOOD, INC.

What Is It?

A nonprofit organization that is working to clean, beautify, and revitalize the 6-acre Olivewood Cemetery, Houston’s first incorporated African American cemetery, which had suffered decades of neglect.

Help Needed:

Tasks include mowing grass, clearing weeds and brush, and planting flowers. Please contact the organization for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

None. All ages are welcome, but children must be accompanied by an adult.

DON GREENE NATURE PARK

What Is It?

A one acre neighborhood pocket park near the edge of Bellaire that “Eagle Scout, Outfitter, Outdoor Educator, and Conservationist” Donald Greene left to Harris County at his death in 2014.

Help Needed:

Help restore the park by attending a monthly workday, or scheduling a planting/restoration project.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

None.

FISHER HOUSE – MICHAEL E. DeBAKEY VA MEDICAL CENTER

What Is It?

The Houston Fisher House provides a “home away from home” for families and patients receiving medical care within MEDVAMC. It is available free of charge to families of Veterans being treated for long-term illnesses.

Help Needed:

Provide meals or snacks, decorate for various holidays and bring holiday treats, collect needed items, help enhance the landscaping, and other projects. Please check with Fisher House for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

None, but volunteers under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

FORT BEND WOMEN’S CENTER

What Is It?

The primary provider of assistance services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Fort Bend County, offering a shelter and a range of other services.

Help Needed:

Help at the Center’s four resale stores, collect needed items for the Center’s clients, help with landscaping or other projects. Please contact the Center for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

12. Students must be 15 to volunteer without a parent or guardian present. Students ages 12-14 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

FRIENDS FOR LIFE

What Is It?

A no kill shelter and adoption agency that offers other services, including free spay/neuter services for animals in low-income communities, an animal food bank, and free behavioral services.

Help Needed:

Care for cats and dogs, work at adoption centers, help with administration/reception, assist with “Fix Houston” programs in local communities. Please contact the agency for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

16

GALVESTON BAY FOUNDATION

What Is It?

A nonprofit that works “to preserve and enhance Galveston Bay as a healthy and productive place for generations to come” though advocacy, conservation, education, and research.

Help Needed:

Help with Abandoned Crab Trap Removal (February), the Armand Bayou Trash Bash (March), Marsh Mania marsh grass planting (April), or the Bay Day Festival (May), or assist in other ways. Please contact the GBF for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

None. All ages are welcome for most activities.

GENERATION ONE

What Is It?

A nonprofit ministry committed to the spiritual growth & physical rebuilding of the impoverished areas of the Third Ward. Programs include a school, home repair and other neighborhood revitalization programs, mentoring, and a children’s summer program.

Help Needed:

Help with after school or summer programs, mentor students, help with lot clearance and home painting, or collect needed items.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

No minimum age.

HABITAT FOR HORSES

What Is It?

A not-for-profit equine protection agency committed to the prevention, rescue, and rehabilitation of neglected, abused, and homeless equine. It operates a rehabilitation ranch, an adoption/education center, a 160-acre therapy center, and an equine retirement facility.

Help Needed:

Help with ranch work, yard work, or construction / repair projects, or collect needed items. Please contact Habitat for Horses for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

13. Youth aged 13–17 must have a parent or guardian present and volunteer with them.

HERMANN PARK CONSERVANCY

What Is It?

A nonprofit organization dedicated to the stewardship and improvement of Hermann Park – today and for generations to come.

Help Needed:

General park care such as weeding, planting, caring for picnic tables and benches, and repairing trails, or helping with special events. Please contact the Conservancy for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

Varies. Job shadow participants must be 13-17. Special event volunteers may need to be at least 16. In general, applicants under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult, or a parent/guardian must give written permission to participate.

HOUSTON ARBORETUM & NATURE CENTER

What Is It?

A 155-acre non-profit urban nature sanctuary that provides education about the natural environment to people of all ages, and plays a vital role in protecting native plants and animals in the heart of the city where development threatens their survival.

Help Needed:

Help with conservation and maintenance of the trails and grounds, summer and school break camps for children, holiday parties and other special events, and/or administrative tasks.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

15

HOUSTON AUDUBON

What Is It?

A conservation, education, and advocacy organization that focuses on protecting the natural environment for birds and people. It owns and manages 17 nature sanctuaries to protect habitat for birds and to give people recreational opportunities in nature.

Help Needed:

Trail maintenance, invasive species removal, filling bird feeders and baths, litter pick-up, native gardening, and other habitat improvement projects. Please contact Houston Audubon for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

Varies. For most events, everyone is welcome, but volunteers under 14 must to attend with a parent or other adult. Volunteers must be 15 to work on trails.

HOUSTON BOTANIC GARDEN

What Is It?

Opened in Fall 2020, the HBG is intended to become “an oasis of great beauty allowing for contemplation, learning, inspiration, and research,” offering displays and programs, serving as a model for sustainability, and inspiring visitors to be stewards of the natural world.

Help Needed:

Volunteer projects include horticulture & gardening support, administrative work, cultivating the community garden, and helping with classes and special events. Please contact the HBG for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

5. Volunteers under 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian while volunteering. Students must be 18 to volunteer independently.

HOUSTON COMMUNITY TOOLBANK

What Is It?

A nonprofit tool lending program that serves other nonprofits by providing fast and easy access to large volumes of high-quality tools to increase the impact of service projects and community revitalization efforts.

Help Needed:

Organize, repair, and/or paint tools; help fulfill tool orders; assemble disaster readiness kits; help with data entry or photography. Volunteer opportunities are limited during the pandemic; please contact the ToolBank for updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

16

HOUSTON HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

What Is It?

A nonprofit that, with thousands of sponsors and volunteers, helps build homes for low-income Houstonians. Future homeowners contribute “sweat equity” and complete home maintenance and financial training to buy homes with zero interest mortgages.

Help Needed:

Assist with home construction or help at ReStore, Habitat’s donation-based retail store.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

16 or older to work on the build site, and at least 18 to use power tools and to participate in roof work.

INTERFAITH MINISTRIES FOR GREATER HOUSTON – CHORE CORPS

What Is It?

An Interfaith Ministries program that matches volunteers with homebound clients to help with chores and tasks that the clients may be unable to do on their own.

Help Needed:

Lawn care such as mowing and weeding, laundry, kitchen help, and more. Volunteers choose the services they want to provide. Please contact Interfaith Ministries for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

17, to volunteer independently. No minimum age to volunteer off-site (at food pantry or a client’s home) with a parent.

KATY PRAIRIE CONSERVANCY

What Is It?

A nonprofit that “works to protect greenspace for its conservation and recreational benefits, enhance wildlife habitat, restore tallgrass prairie and wetlands, sponsor scientific research, and offer public programming and activities.”

Help Needed:

Work at the Indiangrass Preserve (remove invasive species, plant native grasses and other plants, work in plant nursery, collect or package seeds, help maintain trails, and more) or help grow plants at home. Please contact the Conservancy for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

16, to volunteer independently. Volunteers age 12 and up are welcome when accompanied by a responsible adult.