Where to Volunteer in Chicago Right Now
Spread the love at park clean-ups, animal shelters, eco-friendly shops, and more.
The most important thing you can do, as a proud Chicagoan, is try to make a difference in your own community. Things like supporting local businesses, donating food, and even just venmoing a buddy who’s having a hard time $30 so they can treat themselves to a nice dinner really help. Still, for people who want to make more of a difference, there are plenty of organizations in Chicago that are in need of volunteers to help make this city a better place.
Food Not Bombs is a global volunteer network that connects with local businesses to arrange donations of unsellable food in order to provide healthy meals to people in need. The Humboldt Park branch of Food Not Bombs has been helping to feed Chicago’s northwest side through the entire pandemic, and they always need folks to help them collect groceries and pack meals. You can sign up easily online here.
Birds are such important members of our ecosystem, and many Chicagoans may not realize that supporting birds is a crucial part of bettering the city’s environment. Not only do birds help with pollinating, seed-dispersing, and insect and pest control, but they’re also downright beautiful. Chicago is home to around 300 species of birds, and each spring and fall, roughly 8 million birds migrate through the Chicagoland area. Suffice it to say, the health of native habitats in and around the city is key for their continued survival. If you want to get involved, you can become a conservation volunteer with Audubon Great Lakes doing things like educating students about their local bird habitat, undertaking conservation projects, or even taking part in the 15-minute backyard bird count.
Aside from enjoying the great outdoors and adopting a ‘leave no trace” mentality, Chicagoans can spend time in nature while promoting environmental responsibility by volunteering. Park enthusiasts can make a difference in their local communities by volunteering for any one of Chicago Park District's parks, conservatories, and greenhouses, which offer opportunities for every interest and varying levels of time commitment. Enhance the quality of life for your fellow Chicagoans whether just for a day or on a regular basis by planting gardens, mulching trees, and making other important improvements. The Lincoln Park and Garfield Park Conservatories are also always looking for energetic, dedicated adults and families to lend a hand.
There are many ways to get involved with Friends of the Chicago River, an organization that helps restore and protect the Chicago River. Dedicated Chicago River Eco-Warriors (aka CREW) remove litter, remediate gullies, and improve and monitor wildlife habitat projects in and along the Chicago River. Volunteers can also pitch in at special events like Chicago River Day and lend a hand at the McCormick Bridgehouse and Chicago River Museum, helping spread the word by tabling at community functions and other public happenings.
Deploy your green thumb at one of the city's many community gardens and urban farms through Urban Growers Collective, where volunteers can dig their hands in the soil, learn what it takes to grow food, and give back to their community by growing food for them. Depending on the season, you'll prepare beds, shift compost, plant, harvest, or clean up the space—rain or shine. Volunteer applications are closed at the time of posting, but will be reopened this coming April for the 2023 growing season.
Become a champion of trees at The Morton Arboretum by volunteering at the visitor center or for special seasonal events, working alongside a horticulturist in one of the collections or garden areas, preserving and studying plants from the Chicago area and elsewhere at cutting-edge research labs, and keeping track of trails, plant and tree blooming stages, and migratory and native bird species. You can contact them here to apply to volunteer for the 2023 season, and the Arboretum will contact you as the volunteer season begins.
Chicagoland Habitat for Humanity is building a better Chicago—literally. Volunteers construct homes, complete repair projects, assist at job sites, and work with dedicated employees in Habitat ReStores, where used home goods, appliances, and furniture are sold to help give back to the community (you may even find something you can’t live without among the diverse inventory).
Howard Brown Health is one of the nation’s largest health networks firmly rooted in LGBTQ+ liberation, and they’re always looking for volunteers to help with all aspects of the care they give. From staffing health clinics to helping organize community events, volunteers can help ensure Chicagoans have access to necessary and affirming healthcare. Howard Brown Health also offers a sliding scale payment schedule for low income, uninsured, or under-insured patients, so you can be confident that you’re making a difference for those who really need it. Just as a note, because of the sensitive nature of healthcare work, volunteers will have to undergo a few trainings and certifications in order to help out.
PAWS Chicago is one of the city’s preeminent animal welfare charities, helping to fulfill the dream of a “No Kill Chicago” where every pet without a home can receive medical treatment and find a loving family. Volunteers can get involved at the medical center to help our furry friends get healthy and happy, pitch in at the adoption center to ensure they find a loving home, or get involved off-site to help spread PAWS’s mission.
Still can’t decide on where to volunteer? Volunteering Untapped Chicago has your back. They partner with different organizations every month, holding volunteering events on the second Saturday. Previous organizations have included SparkShop Chicago, a non-profit that helps inspire the next generation of STEM leaders through their programming, as well as Share Our Spare, a community resource group for folks living in poverty.