With a city the size of Chicago, volunteer opportunities abound. But, for those juggling their time between the demands of a career, the needs of a family, or the pursuit of higher education, it can leave little time for anything else. Here are some local organizations that provide great volunteer opportunities with flexible schedules and different levels of commitment.
Founded in 1991, Chicago Cares, is a volunteer mobilization organization that identifies areas of need in Chicago and develops programs to address those needs. Their mission is to “respond to the critical human service, educational and environmental needs of Chicago by creating, managing and leading effective and innovative volunteer service programs which foster the ethic of volunteerism, promote a sense of community and support our partnerships with community organizations”. Chicago Cares makes it simple to volunteer-just create an account online, search through their calendar or database of more than 200 volunteer projects available each month, and click the “sign up” button. You can also filter your search by area, days of availability, issues, type of volunteer activity, and population or group you would like to serve. After clicking the “sign up” button, you will receive an email with specific information pertaining to your project, including the address and directions to the project site, as well as the name of your group leader. When you are ready or have time to volunteer again, you can log on to your account and sign up for a different project or the same one (if it is a recurring one).
The Greater Chicago Food Depository is an organization founded in 1978 that not only distributes donated food to pantries, soup kitchens and shelters throughout Chicago and its suburbs but also provides training programs and initiatives to the hungry and poor to help them rise above their current condition. This is clearly reflected in their mission statement of “providing food for hungry people while striving to end hunger in [the] community”. Volunteers can help in many ways, such as repacking bulk products to individual or family sizes, delivering food to their network of food centers, preparing and serving meals at their soup kitchens and shelters, and tutoring. Individuals or groups who are interested in repacking can sign up for any of the available 3-hour sessions listed on their calendar by clicking the “sign me up” button at the bottom of the page. Those interested in volunteering at one of the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s member soup kitchens, pantries or shelters, can contact those agencies directly to schedule a time to volunteer.
Though not strictly based in Chicago, In2Books offers a way for Chicagoans to mentor young students through correspondences. In2Books matches third to sixth graders with pen pals, caring adult mentors who will exchange letters throughout the school year for each of the five books assigned to the student and corresponding e-pen pal. In the letters, the volunteers discuss important issues in the books with the student and reinforce important lessons in literacy. Students in participating classrooms are located in many parts of the United States, including Illinois. Volunteers can sign up online and must submit to a background check before being paired up with a student. Afterwards, approved mentors can access the Pen Pals’ Lounge, where they can find out more about the book and author the student is currently reading, as well as write to and read letters form the student.