5 Ways to Earn Community Service Hours for Students

Community service allows you to connect with your school, your town, and the people around you. By volunteering in your community, you can make a lasting, positive impact. Community service can benefit your personal life too.

Through community service, you’ll learn to be aware of relevant issues and how to take initiative to fix them. This sense of responsibility will set you up to be a lifelong change-maker.

In addition, volunteering in your community can reduce your stress and give you a sense of purpose. From where I’m standing, it looks like volunteering is a win-win situation!

Whether you’re a middle schooler or a recent high school graduate, it’s never too early or too late to start giving back to your community. There are countless ways to engage in community service, but in this blog, we’ll go over just 5 ways to earn community service hours as a student get you started!

How to Get Community Service Hours as a Student

1. Volunteer at a Food Bank

There are hundreds of food banks across the US where you can help eliminate food disparities. Check where your local food bank is located! Many offer flexible shifts throughout the week, so you can provide your service while maintaining a busy school or work schedule. Checking expiration dates, sorting donations, and bagging fresh produce are some of your possible duties. 

If you don’t live near a food bank, you can run your own food drive! By spreading flyers through social media or community forums, you can collect items and donate them to any local non-profit organization.

You can even host one right on your school’s campus and directly distribute necessities to your peers in need. Organizations and schools are usually grateful for more volunteers, so never be afraid to reach out and offer your help!

2. Tutoring

Do you enjoy working with kids? Tutoring is a great way to do this! Education is integral to kids’ lives, so you’ll truly help them grow by tutoring. Whether it’s math, English, or history, your expertise will soon be an asset. The little extra guidance you give is exactly what a child needs to thrive.

One place to find volunteer tutoring positions is after-school programs at elementary schools. Or, you can become a virtual tutor through UPchieve! It’s easy to sign up, and there’s no time commitment, so you can support students whenever you’re available.

3. Attend a Beach Clean-up

A beach clean-up is the perfect event to attend over a weekend. You’ll help to reduce plastic pollution and protect marine habitats. Doing this with your family and friends makes the experience both fun and fulfilling. Beach clean-ups are a great opportunity to learn about environmental consciousness too!

Organizations like the Surfrider Foundation have chapters across the US where you can get involved and remove trash from your city’s beaches. However, beach clean-ups can also be organized informally, such as through a high school club.

4. Make Your Community-Service Career Oriented

Community service is a great way to explore a career path you’re interested in. For instance, if you’re thinking of becoming a doctor someday, why not contact a nursing home or hospital? By volunteering at these facilities, you might gain some valuable insights! 

If you want to pursue an art or science-related field, volunteer at a nearby museum! You’ll be surrounded by fascinating exhibits and artwork.

Along with learning something related to your ideal career, you’ll be bringing your community together by assisting with educational workshops, cleaning exhibits, and guiding tours. 

5. Start Your Own Passion Project

Cleaning up beaches and packaging food items are incredible volunteer tasks to take on. However, if you’re looking for something else, community service doesn’t have to be limited to this. You can develop a service project of your own creation.

For example, do you enjoy baking? Perhaps, you can find a way to share your baked goods with senior centers or underprivileged kids. Are you a skilled dancer? You can establish and teach free dance classes at local schools.

Dig deep and think about your core values. If there’s anything you are passionate about, we believe that you can bring it to life through community service. Whether it’s social justice, painting, or gardening, there’s something you can bring to the table.

Final Thoughts on Community Service

Are you ready to take up community service? We hope that you’ve been inspired by some of these ideas. You should be proud of yourself for wanting to improve the world. Soon enough, you’ll feel the joy that spreads throughout your community!

Looking for an online volunteer opportunity? Sign up to be a tutor through UPchieve!