‘Tis the season of giving! And what better way to give during the holidays than to give back to your community. The benefit of volunteering go beyond just helping make yourself feel better, it can change the course someone’s whole day through your kind acts. Although Denton may seem like any average college town, contrary to popular belief, there is a multitude of volunteering opportunities all over this small town. Life is more than just receiving, make it a point to get out there and do something for someone else this season. Here are some places to volunteer in Denton!
Meals on Wheels has been operating in Denton county since 1974, helping provide food to the elderly, veterans, and others who cannot afford to get it themselves. Last year alone the organization delivered more than 76,000 meals. As they are delivering the food, they also check on the well-being of the recipients. This organization also goes as far as to feed their pets too! Meals on Wheels also brings food to your furry friends if you are a part of the Senior Paws Program. Most people who receive meals from the service are also on a meal plan that comes with nutritional facts and helps educate them on what food is best for any sort of condition they may have such as heart disease, diabetes, liver problems, or anything else like the sort.
While also having a variety of services, they also have a multitude of ways you can contribute. You can donate money directly to them to help keep the facility running or to fund a meal for someone. Another way to help is by signing up for the program and offering your services as a delivery person.
If you are an animal lover, what better way to spend some time volunteering than with some helpless little cats and dogs. The Denton Animal Support Foundation works tirelessly trying to find the animals in their care forever homes. Most of the animals that get taken in are strays, and DASF is doing their best to raise them back to both good physical and mental health. Advocating for the humane treatment of animals sounds like a no-brainer but the problem is many people do not realize how much work caring for a pet is, especially a young one like a puppy or a kitten. The adoption process is not strict but it does have some requirements like a fee.
You can volunteer directly at the shelter by taking care of some of the animals there. That can range from taking out the trash to feeding them all the way to simply just spending time with them and letting them get adjusted to having nice humans around them. DASF also allows for monetary donations at places like Kroger or Amazon. When you shop, you could leave an extra dollar or two.
The main purpose of the United Way of Denton County is to make a contribution to Denton. They play an active role in trying to raise awareness and make all aspects of the city better. They advocate for the mental health and betterment of others. This organization also works with veterans and their families by helping them readjust to normal life back at home and any other things they might need like transportation. Another topic that they heavily advocate is raising awareness for the homeless. They want to help people transition out of that phase in their lives and make sure it does not occur again. United Way wants to make an impact on Denton county.
The organization is very accepting of any donations you can give. Toys, blankets, food, money. Anything that can be used to help someone or brighten their day just a bit more is welcome. Volunteering is also very needed during the holidays. There is an abundance of holiday volunteer positions open such as ringing the bell at a kettle location or distributing gifts from an Angel Tree.
Serve Denton is one non-profit organization that strives to be a one-stop-shop for all of those in need. They are the largest non-profit center in all of Denton county. Since organizations tend to pay a significantly lower rent rate for places like buildings, they are able to send a lot of money to places that truly need it such as Serve Denton Center. Serve Denton believes that community is what makes great things thrive so that is why they partner with other projects in the area such as the Wheeler House to help make Denton a better place.
For the month of November, Serve Denton is partnering with Barley & Board to deliver Thanksgiving meals to those in need. They are in need of volunteers to help them cook, prepare, and deliver those meals. Volunteering there is a very hands-on experience because at times you will be directly working with people who need our help the most. These experiences are often very eye-opening.
This nonprofit organization encourages the whole city to get involved in making and keeping Denton beautiful. From neighborhoods to schools to businesses, everyone can join in and help out. Keep Denton Beautiful has been around for almost 30 years and in that time it has done so much to make sure our city remains clean and well-kept. Volunteering here is a great wait to participate in making the environment a better place, even if it just locally.
The organization has many programs that are involved in doing different things to clean up the city such as Meetup Cleanups, which helped remove over two tons of litter in Denton last year alone! Keep Denton Beautiful also has gardens you can volunteer at and monthly events to be a part of. KDP does a fantastic job of getting the whole family involved with things like Children’s Arbor day which is a day packed with learning more about your environment and how to take care of it. At the end of it, the kids are given Redbud seedlings to take and plant at home!
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