How to safely volunteer this holiday season

You might have heard it before but volunteering doesn't only help those in need. It also benefits you.

"Volunteering is a great way to both amplify your mental and physical wellbeing...and, obviously, it's a great way to help people who really need some extra support," says Laura Plato, chief solutions officer at VolunteerMatch, a U.S. based nonprofit that helps people find both online and virtual volunteer opportunities.

And while it's always important there's a special emphasis on volunteering as the year comes to an end. Plato thinks this time period prompts people to reflect on the past year and ask themselves if they've done enough to help their community.

Although volunteering might look different this holiday season due to safety precautions to reduce COVID-19, in a year full of crises, the itch to roll up your sleeves and help someone in need may be stronger than before. Luckily, you don't necessarily need any special skills and you don't even need to leave your home.

But if you do, organizations should post the health precautions they're taking and any personal protective equipment they provide volunteers, says Plato. You'll want to make sure organizations have updated their volunteer descriptions on their websites to acknowledge safety guidelines they've taken in light of the pandemic, like incorporating masks, hand sanitizer, and social distancing. If they don't, ask them how they're protecting volunteers and the people they serve.

Nonprofits have also adjusted roles to accommodate COVID-19, she says. For example, pre-pandemic, an organization might put you face-to-face with people, but now you might work online or in the organization's office and away from the public.

You'll need to be flexible given the challenges of the pandemic, but there are still plenty of chances to volunteer, even if they're not what you envisioned.

Mashable spoke with Plato and Lizzy Cooke, marketing coordinator at the nonprofit Idealist, to get a diverse range of ways to safely volunteer, this holiday season and beyond. While this list isn't exhaustive, it's a good place to start.

1. Help people who are food insecure

Before the pandemic, food insecurity affected about 35 million people, according to the hunger-relief organization Feeding America. Now, COVID-19 has caused millions of people to become food insecure and is likely to reverse the progress on food security achieved over the past decade, writes Feeding America on its website. More than 50 million people in the U.S. don't know where their next meal will come from, but you can help.

Become a meal packer or a meal delivery driver, suggests Plato. Meals on Wheels, for example, delivers meals to senior citizens while also combatting the social isolation many seniors face Volunteers can do contactless meal drop-offs and well as chat via telephone with seniors to check on their wellbeing and help boost their moods. You can find more information here.

You can also volunteer with Feeding America to sort and pack food, deliver meals, and assist drive-thru pantries. Find your local food bank on Feeding America's website to see what they need.

Additionally, Cooke suggests checking out the nonprofit Hunger Free America, which advocates for policies and programs to end hunger in the U.S. It's seeking volunteers to virtually track food assistance resources in their communities.

2. Aid homeless families

Cold weather typically increases the population in homeless shelters, which means they often need more volunteers, says Plato.

Plato recommends the organization HomeAid, which builds homes for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness and provides essential items to homeless people like diapers, meals, coats, and toothpaste. Check if there's a chapter in your area and contact them directly to see what they need during the pandemic.

You can also check out Chrysalis, says Plato, which helps homeless and low-income people find jobs. All opportunities are virtual. You can help people gather job leads, improve their resumes and cover letters, and practice their interview skills. Fill out a volunteer application here but know, due to to an increase in applications, all potential volunteers are placed on a waitlist.

Additionally, you can search online for your local homeless shelter or plug your zip code into VolunteerMatch's "Volunteer Opportunities" search tool on its front page. From there, you can filter by cause areas. Choose "Homeless and Housing" and "Hunger" for best results.

3. Keep senior citizens company

The pandemic has been especially hard on senior citizens, who're at increased risk getting seriously ill or dying from COVID-19. They might also be confined to senior-care facilities, which could contribute to loneliness or, if they live in their own home, might limit trips out.

To keep seniors connected with the outside world, consider chatting with seniors via phone, writing them letters and sending them coloring and activity books, suggests Cooke. You can find these opportunities and others on VolunteerMatch by choosing the filter "seniors" under "cause areas" and clicking the "COVID-19" filter to help narrow your search.

4. "Adopt" a child or a family

If you want to help a child or a family in need this holiday season, consider adopting one, which involves buying them warm clothes, a meal, or holiday gifts. You can shop online or go out in person if you feel comfortable. It can be a solo activity or you can team up with your own family or neighbors (virtually).

To get started, Plato suggests the charity Soldiers' Angels. You'll send wrapped presents and dinner (in the form of a grocery gift card) to a military or veteran family who can't afford to celebrate the holidays.

The organization offers other volunteer opportunities throughout the year such as writing cards or letters with encouraging messages to active military members or veterans and sending care packages with feminine hygiene products and other items to female military members. Check out all of Soldiers' Angels virtual opportunities here.

You can also get involved with Toys for Tots, which runs a toy donation and distribution program for kids during Christmas, suggests Plato.

5. Support frontline workers

Workers on the frontline of the pandemic need your support and help. You can ensure nurses, doctors, and other healthcare employees get fed while they work to save lives as their workplaces overflow with COVID-19 patients.

"It's a great way to support your local restaurants and also get a nice, warm meal into the bellies of our frontline workers," says Plato.

Consider volunteering with the organization Frontline Foods, says Plato, which has delivered more than 500,000 meals throughout the pandemic to frontline workers like nurses, doctors, and firefighters. The organization has a variety of volunteer opportunities, including marketing, fundraising, writing grants, and acting as a primary contact for participating restaurants.

6. Tutoring and mentoring

Tutoring and mentoring children during the holiday season (especially given remote learning's challenges) is a great way to give back.

Plato suggests the national nonprofit Reading Partners, which is looking for volunteers to help underserved students improve their literacy skills. Sign up to volunteer here (there are both in-person and virtual opportunities).

Adults also struggle with literacy, and you can help them learn computer and basic literacy skills, says Plato. "I think that's particularly important now as so many people are out of work or experiencing unemployment sometimes for the first time."

To find opportunities to help adults, hop onto VolunteerMatch's website and choose the "Education and Literacy" option under "cause areas." You can also help people brush up on their job-seeking skills, like through resume and interview practice and teaching job-search strategies, by selecting either "Education and Literacy" or "Computer and Technology" along with keywords like "job search."

Kids and adults struggling with literacy aren't the only ones in need. If you have business skills, you can mentor entrepreneurs with the organizations MicroMentor and SCORE, suggests Plato.

No matter what cause you're interested in, there are plenty of ways to help. In addition to the ideas above, you can use Idealist's volunteer search page. You can also subscribe to Cooke's Idealists in Action newsletter, which she started in May to connect people with opportunities to help others amid the pandemic. It's sent out every other week.

"If there's ever a time to get more involved, it's now," says Cooke.