Volunteer Organizations

As you peruse TLC Cooking to pick out dinner for tonight, there are many men and women out there who wonder if they will have any food at all to serve their families. This is where food banks come into play -- and they need your help.

By Sara Elliott

Many of us associate the Junior League with high-society refinement, but these women are right in the thick of volunteerism. A legacy steeped in myth and some famous members make the Junior League a fascinating organization.

By Gallagher Flinn

Are you interested in helping preserve the environment, but you're not quite sure how or where to get started? The Student Conservation Association offers hundreds of conservation service opportunities to high school and college students.

By Sarah Siddons

Being a doctor is no easy task -- someone with an M.D. behind his or her name has survived several years of rigorous training and schooling. But only a few sign up to work in a war zone.

By Molly Edmonds

If there's one thing the developing world (and war-torn countries) need, it's medical supplies -- surgical gloves, needles, heart monitors. So who gets it to them? Project C.U.R.E.

By Molly Edmonds

Project HOPE started in an old Navy medical vessel and grew into an international health aid organization that has saved millions of lives and has trained millions more to do the same.

By Dave Roos

While it wasn't their explicit mission, ladies' aid societies gave women a leg up in the struggle for equal rights. And you could say their platform was squeaky clean: It was all about sanitation and good health.

By Jane McGrath

Donating money or volunteering for distant, unfamiliar organizations can make you feel a bit detached from your charitable intentions. A great way to get directly involved is to join your local United Way.

By Libby Little

When you think of the word "club," you might imagine a group you were part of as a child or teen. Rotary Club is one organization that recaptures that spirit in an organization for adults.

By Libby Little

Kiwanis Club is an international organization that's based on the Golden Rule. But it's not just a social group for kindness -- the organization aims to improve health and literacy around the world.

By Sarah Siddons

Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Lions Clubs International has a simple motto: "We serve." Today it's one of the world’s largest service organizations, with 1.3 million members in more than 200 countries including China, Ethiopia and Iraq.

By Sarah Siddons

In FDR's first 100 days, he created the Civilian Conservation Corps. This program gave young men a work ethic and a paycheck while bolstering the economy and infrastructure, as well as combating crime and illiteracy.

By Jane McGrath

After witnessing German Luftwaffe bombers' terrible effect on London, President Roosevelt decided America needed extra protection at home. The Office of the Civilian Defense was one of the biggest wartime volunteer efforts.

By Stephanie Watson

Joining the Peace Corps has always seemed like a dream opportunity -- except that you wish you could serve in the U.S. instead of another country. Well, your wish could come true -- as an AmeriCorps volunteer.

By Eleanor Duse

Gone are the days of scouring church newsletters and community bulletin boards. Today, finding volunteer work is a lot like trying to find a love interest online -- complete with profiles that include pictures, testimonials and reasons why you’d be t

By John Barrymore

Volunteers of America is a trusted and respected organization that's been helping people rebuild their lives for more than 100 years. How can you lend a hand?

By Libby Little

Want to save the planet? You're not alone. There's an almost endless list of organizations dedicated to making the world a greener place.

By Sarah Siddons

There are animals everywhere -- whether they're being abused, exploited or neglected -- that need to be saved. Animal rescue organizations help the helpless and find them loving homes.

By Eleanor Duse

Hundreds of organizations throughout the country are working to help the more than 37 million Americans who are currently living in poverty. So how do you choose one to volunteer with?

By Elizabeth Abbess

All people are born with the capacity for conscience and therefore deserve to be treated with dignity -- this is the premise behind human rights. So how do we protect our inalienable rights?

By Gallagher Flinn

When it comes to monitoring food safety, the enforcers range from international operations like the World Health Organization to huge domestic organizations like the FDA and USDA to your local health inspector.

By Sarah Siddons

In the last four decades, hundreds of gay rights organizations have sprung up to win the right to work, go to school, get housing, have children, serve in the military and receive medical care without fear of discrimination or violence.

By Sarah Siddons

Faith-based charities like the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, Volunteers of America, Lutheran Social Services and Jewish Family & Children's Service provide a huge array of services to the nation's sick, elderly and poor.

By Sarah Siddons