One of the great things about our city is the sense of community present in its inhabitants. The City of Brotherly Love isn’t just a nickname, it’s a way of living that defines us. And while people who haven’t been fortunate enough to live in this great city may think we’re a little rough around the edges, the reality is we care about each other and want to make our communities as strong as possible. But to do that, we all have to do our part. From our local politicians, teachers, parents and ordinary citizens, we all have a responsibility to chip in and help where we can. And for many, that help can be in the form of volunteer service.
Whatever your favorite cause, there is no shortage of service opportunities if you look around. But luckily, you don’t have to because we’ve compiled a wonderful list of Philadelphia volunteer opportunities!
For Nature Lovers
If you love the outdoors, gardening, farming and agriculture, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities in Philadelphia. Here are just a couple:
Bartram’s Garden
Do you love nature and the outdoors? If so, you probably appreciate the fact we have such a wonderful botanical garden in our city. But the fact is it’s beauty is only possible with the help of volunteers throughout the year. As a bonus, if you volunteer for more than 10 hours in a year you get a complementary membership for the year!
Wyck
The Wyck Historic House, Gardens & Farms needs volunteers to help with a variety of things, from mentoring young children to helping teach horticulture and gardening during its summer camps.
The Spring Gardens
Ready to get your hands dirty? The the Spring Gardens might be just the place for you! They need help on the grounds with a variety of things including composting, painting fences, construction work, and maintaining the grounds and public spaces. Allergic to manual labor? No problem, you’re still needed to help with special events!
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation
Philadelphia has dozens of parks within our city limits. They’re wonderful spaces that we’ve grown up enjoying and that kids and adults can use to get away from the urban environment and exercise or just sit under a tree and relax. But there’s no shortage of work that can be done to help keep these parks beautiful. If you would like to get involved by helping maintain the park in your area, visit their site to learn how you can get involved!
TreePhilly
This is a really cool initiative spearheaded by the Parks and Recreation Department that was launched due to Mayor Nutter’s Greenworks goal of making every Philly neighborhood has at least 30% tree canopy coverage. Explore their site and get in touch, as they need volunteer help with a whole host of tasks!
The Food Trust
If you’re passionate about healthy foods, then this is the cause for you. The Food Trust’s mission is to make sure everyone has access to nutritious food as well as the information they need to make healthy eating choices. If that’s a cause you believe in, then they could use your help. Volunteer opportunities range from one-off projects to weekly or monthly service work!