Volunteer Opportunities In and Around Jackson, MS

February 3rd, 2022 by

Volunteering your time is a great way to share your skills with others, help those who are in need, and give your time and effort to the community at large. Not-for-profits of all kinds rely on volunteers to help people gain skills, give support when needed, feed people through kitchens and food pantries, and help connect animals with people. Volunteering can be something that helps you feel better about yourself, gives you a sense of purpose and belonging, and offers you educational opportunities.

At Herrin-Gear INFINITI in Jackson, MS, we feel that volunteering for an organization in need is something that can benefit every person. We encourage our staff to volunteer at local organizations to show our customers we care about the community, and we asked them to come up with a list of their favorite organizations with which they’ve volunteered. Following is a list of the top four organizations that need volunteers and why they need help. We at Herrin-Gear INFINITI want to be more than a dealership for your next new or used INFINITI. We want to be a part of the community.

Community Animal Rescue and Adoption (CARA)

CARA is always in need of volunteers to help with the running of the shelter. Volunteers have to be at least 16 years old, attend an orientation with a parent and have a permission slip signed by a parent. This is an excellent opportunity for high school students who need volunteer hours as part of a project or just want the opportunity to work with cats and dogs in need of training and socialization. Volunteers are needed to help with daily care, such as bathing and grooming, cleaning kennels, doing the laundry, and helping with exercising the animals.

Volunteers are asked to participate in fundraising events and generate sponsorships to help support CARA. They’re also needed to help at adoption events and transport pets to the vet’s office and events.

Mississippi Children’s Museum

The Mississippi Children’s Museum has volunteer opportunities for ages 16 and up. The youth volunteer program is designed to offer real-world work experience to teenagers who want to learn valuable leadership skills and give back to the community. Youth volunteers work with children who come to the museum for day camps and other learning opportunities.

Adult volunteers also work with children and assist museum staff with various activities throughout the day. Other volunteer opportunities include cleaning props and replenishing supplies used in exhibits. Volunteers are asked to work a minimum of 10 hours per month, and there is no training required to help with museum maintenance.

The museum also has a volunteer organization known as MCM-Meridian Partners. The organization consists of members from throughout Mississippi who perform tasks such as:

  • Presenting a financial gift to MCM-Meridian when funds are available.
  • Promoting MCM-Meridian and helping grow its membership in the state of Mississippi.
  • Increasing community awareness of the museum.
  • Planning and staffing special events and/or annual fundraisers.

Stewpot Community Services

Stewpot Community Services offers a variety of charitable services to the community at large and relies heavily on volunteers to help deliver the different services. The organization has a clothing closet, community clinics for legal and health needs, Meals on Wheels, an emergency shelter for women and children, a food pantry, a community kitchen, and more. Each of the services welcomes volunteers who can help in various ways that include:

Drivers for Meals on Wheels

Drivers are needed once a week to drive a route. One route takes about 45 minutes to complete.

Food Pantry

Volunteers perform duties like bagging groceries, organizing food storage, picking up donations, and organizing food drives in local communities.

Matt’s House Emergency Shelter for Women and Children

Volunteers help with child care while their mothers are in group meetings or classes, assist in arts and crafts classes, landscape and maintain yards and play areas, and tutor kids during the school year. They also help transport mothers and help staff on weekends.

Billy Brumfeld Men’s Shelter

Volunteers at the men’s shelter house sit the shelter while residents go to meetings and help protect belongings. They also help with poetry classes and bingo by delivering prizes or snacks to winners. Volunteers also help coordinate and help assist with field trips and computer tutoring.

Clothing Closet

Volunteers can help sort, size, and hang clothes, coordinate teamwork exercises, and assist with organizing donations.

Children’s Program

Here, you can teach children art, dance, or theater, help them with homework, or read books to the children. Typically, a volunteer is asked to help once a week.

RideABILITY Therapeutic Riding Center

Do you enjoy or have experience working with horses and want to help the disabled do the same? RideABILITY, located 15 minutes to the east in Brandon, MS, offers therapeutic riding lessons once a week and relies on volunteers to walk the horses as instructors help the riders. The riders have special needs, including physical, mental, and emotional needs. The act of riding a horse helps them develop their physical strength and coordination while engaging their minds. Horseback riding requires a rider to focus their minds and use their bodies to influence the horse, making it an excellent therapeutic exercise.

Volunteers help get horses ready for riding or assist riders who are capable of performing grooming and saddling activities. They may assist riders with mounting the saddle, and they may also help stabilize the rider while another volunteer leads the horse during the therapy session. The horses used for therapeutic riding have calm temperaments and extensive training, which makes the job of leading them around the arena easier. You can help the rider experience the freedom of horseback riding through volunteering.

This is our list of the top four volunteer opportunities that our staff members have participated in themselves as volunteers. Do you have a charity that needs volunteers and could use a boost in visibility to more people? Get in touch with us at Herrin-Gear INFINITI and let us know! We’ll be sure to include the organization in our list the next time we do an update.

Posted in Local Activities