Holiday Charity: Where And How To Volunteer In Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM, AL — During the holidays, the concept of giving seems much more prevalent than any other time of the year, and that is also when people look to volunteer their time and resources to local charities and causes. The Birmingham metro area has several organizations in need of volunteers this holiday season.

Here are some of the organizations in the Birmingham area seeking help for Thanksgiving and beyond:

Community Kitchens of Birmingham: The Community Kitchens of Birmingham provides nutritious meals to the homeless and hungry all 365 days of the year. The kitchens, operating at St. Andrews Church and Grade Episcopal Church in Woodlawn, feed 65,000 people each year, and Thanksgiving is their biggest day. If you can take time out of your holiday to help, sign up at thecommunitykitchens.org or visit any other local soup kitchen or food pantry.

ExpectCare: Birmingham’s ExpectCare is a family-owned hospice service provider, employs licensed caregivers year-round—including on the holidays. Patients still need care, but caregivers deserve to spend time with family on Thanksgiving. As a Caregiver Companion, you’ll be volunteering to support patients for a short period on Thanksgiving, allowing caregivers to enjoy the holiday. If you’d like to become a Caregiver Companion volunteer, go to expectcare.com.

Family-to-Family: During Thanksgiving, the organization asks for donations that will give Thanksgiving turkeys and dishes to poorer families, veterans, homeless, and Holocaust survivors. They also seek donations to provide winter pajamas to children, Christmas gifts to families, and school supplies. Check family-to-family.org for volunteering opportunities.

Give an Hour: Volunteer through Give an Hour, an American nonprofit whose goal is to provide emotional and mental health support to military members and their families, veterans, retirees, at-risk populations, and those in need. The organization accepts donations as well as experienced volunteers to help assist with event planning, outreach, and more. If you are a licensed mental health doctor, you can also register as a Give an Hour provider. Visit giveanhour.org for additional details.

Jimmie Hale Mission: On Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, the Jimmie Hale Mission delivers hot meals to local seniors and shut-ins in the area. For each holiday, they need about 70 to 80 volunteers willing to deliver these meals. They also ask for another 10 special volunteers, willing to come as back-up drivers. If you’d like to sign up to help deliver meals, please email our volunteer coordinator at volunteer@jimmiehalemission.com

Jefferson County Meals on Wheels: Volunteers from the Jefferson County Meals on Wheels program help by delivering hundreds of meals to those homebound seniors on Thanksgiving Day. Learn how you can become a Meal Delivery Driver at mowjeffco.org.