Volunteering is the best way to give back to the community, but it can become difficult when it comes down to scheduling and finding a place that is perfect for service. Also, with NHS in the picture for juniors and seniors, students may be looking for an organization to volunteer for. While a local church may be one’s go-to, there are many other different ways to serve that fall into each individual person’s passion. This is the go-to guide on some of the varying volunteering positions in local areas that all give back to the community and its members.

“I love volunteering because it feels good to give back to the people,” sophomore Julia Stone said. “I love that I can be able to help a community that has been so great to me.”

If you like dogs and other domestic animals, pet adoption is the way to go! The West Suburban Humane Society provides many different ways to help care for the animals by giving chances to foster, donate, or to simply volunteer to assist the animals in the shelter. There are a variety of volunteering positions available and shifts flexible to each person’s needs. All members of the community should be cared for; even the furry ones.

“I love helping animals,” said sophomore Jen Hirt. “It’s amazing to hang out with all the cool pets all day.”

Contact [email protected] if you are interested in helping the fuzzy friends in your neighborhood.

If you are interested in helping the less fortunate directly, assisting at the Yorkfield Food Pantry is the perfect place to volunteer. At the facility, you can donate, stock shelves, unload trucks from local grocery stores, or even help interact with the customers. The pantry is stocked so that clients may come in and find items that they need, and the volunteers help them along the way.

“I find that volunteering at Yorkfield is extremely rewarding,” freshman Charlie Kungl said. “There are so many kind people who volunteer and help out and it feels good to know that I am helping my community. It’s really cool to help out all of the clients, and their smiling faces make my time worth it.”

Contact 630-975-1149 if you would like to volunteer to help at Yorkfield Food Pantry.

At Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, there is a volunteering program that is specially targeted to teens. The volunteering team figures out different opportunities based on each person’s passion and experience that range from working on nursing units to indirect patient care. This program is the ideal way to give back, while also learning more about the medical field for future careers. A student must be at least 14 to apply.

“I’ve learned about giving patients the best possible experience,” sophomore Amy Vincent said.

If you are interested in volunteering in the medical field, send in an online application.

In the Elmhurst area, there are so many ways to reach out and help the community. By giving up a Saturday to volunteer, or to simply donate to one of these non-profit organizations, you can give back to your community.

“The benefit of volunteering is that there is no personal benefit at all,” sophomore Madeleine Hughes said. “There is no pay, and there is no physical reward; but instead, you are blessed to see the smiling faces of the people you get to interact with, and that in itself is that best reward I could possibly receive.”