One of the best things you can do for your community as well as yourself is get out there and volunteer. There are so many different volunteer areas you can explore. Make it fun by getting a group of classmates together and wearing your favorite high school apparel to show the town that your school has students that care about your neighborhood.

Aside from being great for the community, volunteering looks good on college applications and job résumés. There are opportunities both in your community and abroad, and it’s worth exploring all of them. You might learn that you have a new passion that will continue on after this volunteer option. Volunteering is a great way to learn about you while helping others. A few popular volunteer options include:

Neighborhood clean-up – picking up trash around town is a great way to make your city look and feel great for those who live there and are just passing through.

Walking dogs at the local animal shelter – the animals in shelters need human contact and love. Taking them for walks to stretch their logs is a great act of kindness. Plus, maybe someone around town will see the cute pooch and adopt it!

Painting fire hydrants or other shabby items around the city – you want your town to look nice and welcoming, and sometimes there is more that needs to be done than there are people to do it. Grabbing a group of friends and working to spruce up the community can be a great way to bond and give back at the same time.

Food drives – collecting food to donate to local charities is an easy and effective way to help the community.

Serving food at a food bank – serving to those in need at a food bank will help you see how lucky you are to have what you do. Plus you’ll get to meet some wonderful people!

Whatever volunteer opportunity you choose, you will always feel better about yourself after you give back to those who need help.