5 places to volunteer in Vancouver this holiday season

There are a number of ways to get out and get involved this holiday season (Image: Shutterstock)

As the old saying goes, ’tis better to give than to receive, and with the Christmas season now in full swing, opportunities to give back to your community through holiday volunteering are abundant.

Here’s five ways to get out and do a little good this month.

Concord’s New Year’s Eve Vancouver

Help Vancouver celebrate New Year’s Eve and register as a volunteer. A number of positions need to be filled, including:

Guest Experience – Ticket taking, wayfinding
Traffic Marshals
Set up crew
Games Attendees
Talent Runners
Production Team Assistants

Volunteers must be at least 16 years old and commit to volunteering past midnight.

Image: Jenn Chan / New Year’s Eve Vancouver

Greater Vancouver Food Bank

If you are outgoing, energetic, enjoy interacting with crowds and have basic cash or credit handling skills, this is the right volunteering opportunity for you. The minimum age requirement is 16 years old and shifts vary depending on event (although they are typically between 4 to 6 hours long)

If you are interested there is an opportunity to contribute in a variety of ways.

Food bank/ (Darryl Brooks/ Shutterstock)

Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau

The Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau (LMCB) was originally established in 1930 as the Christmas Exchange. Today it serves as a centralized, year-round toy warehouse for toys to be gathered, sorted, stored and shipped to Christmas Bureaus and Community agencies, across the entire metro Vancouver area. As a registered non-profit organization, the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau relies on volunteers and a number of fundraising events throughout the year

The LMCB continuously accepts applications for those looking to help out from Monday to Friday, and seasonal opportunities to get involved are available as well.

Christmas decorations (Image: Gorenkova Evgenija/Shutterstock)

The Salvation Army

For more than 130 years, The Salvation Army has helped vulnerable people in communities across Canada. Last year, they helped over 1.8 million people. The annual Christmas Kettle campaign always needs volunteers to collect donations outside many of Vancouver’s busy shops and services. Other volunteer opportunities also include store support, packing food hampers, and assisting seniors.

Person makes donation to The Salvation Army’s Annual Christmas Kettle Campaign

AIDS Vancouver

AIDS Vancouver opened its doors in 1983, as the first AIDS service organization in Canada and in response to the growing need for community health organizations to support vulnerable individuals. Today, more than 7,000 people from all over the world are annually accessing some form of service provided by AIDS Vancouver. And from grocery delivery, to the helpline, there are a number of ways to get involved.