Go Do It: Ways to Volunteer Your Time This Holiday Season

The Idaho Foodbank: The Idaho Food Bank provides food to thousands of Idaho families each year. To support this mission, you can donate time by helping sort and pack food and supplies. Volunteer shifts can be booked in advance on the Idaho Foodbank website and reserved for individual volunteers or groups.

Corpus Commons: From preparing and serving food in the kitchen to sorting mail, clothing and donations, there are multiple ways to volunteer at Corpus Commons (formerly Corpus Christi) – Boise’s only year-round day shelter. Whether you want to volunteer a few hours or help on a regular basis, you can apply on the Corpus Commons website.

Boise Rescue Mission: Vacation volunteer applications are now open at Boise Rescue Mission, which provides shelter and addiction recovery programs in the Treasure Valley. If you would like to volunteer individually, as a family or in a group, there are several ways to give back. To learn more about volunteer guidelines and to complete an application, visit the mission’s website here.

Salvation Army: From packing Christmas food boxes to ringing the red kettle bell to packing toys for children, The Salvation Army offers over 15 volunteer opportunities at locations from Boise to Caldwell. For a full list of ways to donate your time, visit the Salvation Army website here.

Idaho Humane Society: If you’re an animal lover like me, the Idaho Humane Society offers several ways to give back to our furry community members who need shelter, food, medical care and ultimately a forever home. Volunteer opportunities at the Idaho Humane Society are available to people of all ages and groups.

Just cats: Simply Cats in Boise rescues and cares for over 1,000 cats and kittens each year. There are short- and long-term volunteer opportunities here, including helping clean and maintain the shelter, training and playing with cats, and taking photos and preparing adoption materials. For more information about volunteer opportunities, visit the Simply Cat website.

Rake up Boise: Each year, thousands of volunteers collect vacations for hundreds of senior, disabled and veteran community members in Boise and beyond. Even though Rake Up Boise took place earlier this month, there are still yards that need to be raked. To sign up, you can email the organization directly at (email protected).

Horizon Home Health and Hospice: Horizon Hospice, which provides end-of-life care for terminally ill patients, has a variety of volunteer opportunities to support patients and their families and caregivers. There are over a dozen volunteer listings on the Volunteer Match website, from being a music and arts volunteer to a patient care volunteer.

For additional volunteer opportunities in the Treasure Valley, the Volunteer Match website is a helpful resource that connects volunteers with organizations in need of a helping hand.