Global Volunteer Month is a time to celebrate volunteers as well as inspire volunteerism around the globe. Volunteers, you are the heartbeat of strengthening communities, and we’re celebrating you all month long as well as calling on people everywhere to take action, because we know that every act of service builds a more connected world. Throughout April, lend your time, talent and passion to making a real difference in your own backyard and cause a ripple effect around the world. Thanks to Governor Tim Walz for recognizing April 2025 as Volunteer Month here in the State of Minnesota.

Learn

To be an effective volunteer, it's essential to have a thorough understanding of the history that shapes our current situation, the ongoing needs, and the dynamics of our community. As you think about your volunteer service, please utilize these resources to reflect on your motivations for helping others and how to approach your service with a focus on inclusivity and awareness of social issues.

Volunteer

There are thousands of ways to take action during Global Volunteer Month! Explore a variety of options to uncover an opportunity that aligns with your passions, talents, and availability. This section also features environmental opportunities for Earth Day (Monday, April 22, 2025).

Recognize

Millions of people act on their power to do good every day, using their hearts, hands and minds to help strengthen communities and solve persistent problems. We recognize their individual stories, and lift them up to inspire others so we may each, in our own way, answer the call to make a difference. Nominate an outstanding volunteer for a Daily Point of Light Award.

Member Highlight:

  • Celebrate National Volunteer Week with Second Harvest Heartland, April 21–25! Whether it’s your first time or your fiftieth, every volunteer shift helps get food to more families across the community. Join them in the fight against hunger! Grab a friend, coworker, or family member and spend two hours sorting and packing food at their Volunteer Center. Ages 8 and up are welcome, with shifts available throughout the week.

    Learn more.

  • Bring your team for a fun relaxing day working outside gardening, building and enjoying each others company while supporting a great cause! 

    Volunteer here.

  • Looking for a meaningful way to connect with youth in your community? Project for Pride in Living (PPL) is seeking energetic volunteers to support its Youth Enrichment Series! This is a great opportunity for people passionate about working with diverse communities and encouraging exploration. Volunteers commit to the spring semester (January–May 2025) to build consistency and relationships with youth ages 5–18. Each series focuses on different topics: art, science, music, cooking, social justice, and more. If you’re ready to inspire and engage young minds, learn more and get involved today!

    Learn more about this opportunity.

  • Everyone can do something good, be it large or small, to improve the lives of others. Celebrate Good Deeds Day by sharing a book and a kind note in a Little Free Library near you! You’ll be joining a global day of doing good across 115 countries. Learn more.

  • The Sanneh Foundation’s Nutritional Services team is on the front lines of fighting hunger and food insecurity in the Twin Cities. Volunteers support weekly food distribution events across the metro area, helping to ensure that hundreds of households have access to fresh, nutritious food. From sorting and packing grocery boxes to assisting with on-site food distributions, your time directly supports neighbors in need.

    This work also creates real-life training opportunities for youth and helps build stronger, healthier communities—rain or shine. Whether you’re an individual or a group, your participation makes a lasting impact. Join us in making sure no one in our community goes without the food they need.

    Volunteer shifts are available Monday through Friday.

    Find opportunities here.

  • Turn hunger into hope with your own two hands by packing nutritious meals for hungry children around the world. You’ll hand-pack rice, soy, dried vegetables and a nutritionally complete blend of vitamins and minerals into bags which are then sealed, boxed, placed on pallets and shipped to our incredible partners working hard to reach the neediest children around the world. You can pack meals on your own or with a group — friends, family, business, school, church, etc. — at any of FMSC’s three Minnesota permanent packing sites or a MobilePack™ event in your area. Please note that reservations are required please visit https://www.fmsc.org/get-involved/volunteer/

  • St. Anne’s Place (SAP), People Serving People’s emergency shelter, needs your help. They provide private family bedrooms and shared bathrooms, personal care items, and meals for up to 16 families each night. St. Anne’s Place is incredibly low on essential items needed by our families and is calling on our community for support.

    There are a few ways you can get involved:
    1. View our Needed Items List at loom.ly/MQCD3tE and shop for in-kind gifts at your favorite local stores.
    2. Use our Amazon Wish List at loom.ly/C6-U8Js to shop and ship your donations directly to SAP.
    3. Contact Kathy at kmoe@peopleservingpeople.org to plan a donation drive!

More ways to get involved