volunteering – Thoughts from the Underground

The Joys of Volunteering: Reasons 6-7

Introduction

I’ve been writing about something that has become a regular part of my life: volunteering. I started regularly volunteering in 2024. I’ve been thinking about the reasons I volunteer — and I have found that there are some not so obvious benefits that volunteering provides. Instead of sharing all of my ideas at once, I’ve been sharing a few at at time. (Less pressure!) Following that approach, here are reasons 6 and 7.

A description of the feature image is at the end of the post.

Reason 6: Volunteering is kryptonite for your haters

We all have our haters. I’m willing to admit it. You know you do. And I’m sure there are people out there, right now, who could list off at least 5 things they dislike about you. Some grudge they’ve been holding onto for years….

Maybe in the past you might have internalized this hate and asked yourself…am I a bad person? The answer is: NO! As long as you’re volunteering, you get to say, with the type of documented evidence employers say they love to see on a resume, that you are NOT a bad person. You volunteer at senior homes. You deliver Meals on Wheels. You are not a bad person.

Are you still flawed and imperfect? Yes, most definitely. But a bad person? No.

Not anymore, haters!!

Reason 7: Am I…✨better than everyone?✨

Do you play BINGO with seniors or deliver food to home-bound seniors?
Do you volunteer at soup kitchens or support the food insecure?
Do you volunteer with the physically or cognitively disabled?
Do you volunteer with children?
Do you do park clean-ups, urban farming, or something similar?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you might be…✨better✨ than everyone else. *tucks hair behind ears*

Sometimes I think this perspective is a little bit selfish and pretentious but, if you volunteer, I think you might be a little bit entitled to ask this question of yourself and answer in the affirmative.

A young white goat on a picnic table — Sleepy young goat on a picnic table

Two chickens in a chicken coop — Sleepy young goat on a picnic table

I admit, both reasons 6 and 7 might be THE main, “selfish” reasons to volunteer. No matter what else you’re doing in life, being able to say to yourself, “I deliver Meals on Wheels” really makes you feel like…maybe you’re…✨better✨.

I was remembering some disagreements with someone in my past. I can come back and say to them: I am not a bad person. No one who does as much volunteering as I do, doing the activities I do, helping people as much as I do…. Nope! You cannot accuse someone who does all that of being a bad person.

So if you were looking for any kind of ammunition against haters and negative self-talk volunteering might be your way to go.

The images for this post are from a project where volunteers cared for chickens and goats. The featured image includes a hen on some shelves. She was apparently trying to “brood” or become a mother. But there were no roosters, so that wasn’t going to happen. The goats were dairy goats about 4-6 months at the time. As for the chickens, we cleaned a lot of poop and we got to collect eggs.

The Joys of Volunteering: Reasons 3-5

I’ve been regularly volunteering and I’ve decided to share some of the not so obvious benefits. In this second post, I talk about experiencing new activities.

Introduction

As I wrote about in my first post on this topic, I’ve decided to write about something that has become a regular part of my life: volunteering. I started regularly volunteering in 2024.

I am writing about this because I’ve been thinking about the reasons I volunteer — and I have found that there are some not so obvious benefits that volunteering provides.

Instead of sharing all of my ideas at once, I’m sharing a few at at time. (Less pressure!) Following that, here are reasons 3-5: Getting to see the city, Finding something to do, and Exploring a range of activities.

Reason 3: Getting to see the city

This might be specific to New York, but as I just mentioned, I like to pick activities all over the city. I get to see new streets and neighborhoods I may have never been to before, or maybe just a place I would walk right on by. Sometimes I go to neighborhoods I moved away from and it’s interesting to see what’s changed. So, if you’re into urban exploration, that’s a benefit.

Reason 4: Don’t just sit there! Finding something to do…

Sometimes I’ve gotten up and I’ve been so surprised that suddenly 5 or 10 years have gone by and I don’t know how that happened.

Or maybe I want to meet up with friends, but they’re all busy and have other things going on. Or maybe I wasn’t invited to a party and feel left out. And even just being introverted…not feeling like I even need to get out.

Volunteering gives me an activity I can plan ahead for and it’s all my own. I like that I can make plans for an activity weeks ahead of time. It feels good to know I have something I can look forward to. Now I’m the one with the plans. And…it’s free!

Reason 5: Explore a range of activities

I may be unusual from some of the other volunteers because I like to rotate the type of activities I do. From my small talk with the other volunteers…it seems like many people tend to return to the same activities again and again.

For what it’s worth, there are 3 types of activities I choose from: something outside, working in a soup kitchen/food support, or directly working with other people.

Outdoor stuff

The outdoor activities are things like working in a community garden, park, or urban farm. These are definitely more spring, summer, and fall activities. Usually we’re weeding, pruning, or some other type of working with your hands in nature activity. I learned at some point that humans find gardening extremely satisfying, so I try signing up when I can.

Volunteering at an urban farm in the Bronx, for International Rescue Committee

Photos from a volunteer project in the Bronx at an urban farm. Showing sunny day, lots of growth, plant boxes in rows. — Volunteering at an urban farm in the Bronx, for International Rescue Committee

Food stuff

The food support/soup kitchen activities are related to feeding people. It might be meal prepping, which could be as simple as making sandwiches or as complicated as cutting up raw chicken. I have also delivered prepared meals and packed fresh produce to be given away. Once I signed up at a church where they cooked and passed out food that day, so everyone was really rushing. But typically I’m doing prep for a future meal and it’s not too crazy.

People stuff

The direct service activities are those where you’re working directly with the people who benefit, like seniors, the disabled, or kids and their parents. It can be the most fulfilling but also the most emotionally taxing. I recently signed up for a seniors-focused activity. I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect. I considered dropping out. But I stuck with it and it turned out better than I expected. I’ll write about some of what I’ve learned with that in a later post.

In summary, volunteering can provide opportunities to explore your city, try a new activity, and find new interests. Maybe try something you haven’t tried before — like meeting some fancy chickens! 🐔

The Joys of Volunteering: Reasons 1-2

I’ve been regularly volunteering and I’ve decided to share some of the not so obvious benefits. Two reasons I’m sharing in this post are improving small talk and practicing punctuality.

Introduction

I have really been remiss in updating this blog. I have about 7 draft blog posts that I’ve started and just haven’t come back to. In one of them, I have something like, “Time has been really relative since 2020.” Ain’t it the truth!

Well, one thing about this blog is that I’ve really moved away from blogging about tech, which was one of the original purposes of this blog. Actually, a big reason was to document projects for a Master’s program. But lately, I’ve found more interest and joy in writing about things related to the arts and culture, and my life in general: movies, museums, etc.

For this post, I wanted to write about something that has become a regular part of my life: volunteering, which I started doing a lot last year.

When I talk about it with other people, they typically say something like, “That’s great!” But truthfully, down inside, I always cringe a little bit. Not because they aren’t right. Volunteering is great — but sometimes I feel like my motivations for volunteering aren’t really all that generous and altruistic. In fact, sometimes they feel a bit selfish.

I’ve been thinking a little bit about the reasons I volunteer and what I get out of it. I decided to list some of the not so obvious reasons that volunteering provides that aren’t just doing nice things for other people. (I will share some obvious reasons, eventually!)

I initially planned to share all of my reasons all at once, but I’ve found that with more to write about, there are more opportunities to re-read and edit. This just delays publishing. So I’ve decided to share them one at time, or maybe more, so I can think about each part in more depth.

Joys of volunteering: reasons 1 – 2

Reason 1: Improve your small talk

Most of the time when I volunteer, it’s with people I’ve never met and often won’t meet again. Each project or session date is about 2-4 hours. I find it’s much more pleasant to introduce myself and get to quickly know the people I’ll be working with than to keep quiet and not say anything to anyone.

The most common topic we often talk about is asking each other if we’ve participated in the activity before. If the activity is outside, we might talk about the weather. Once, another participant had a T-shirt with a well-known logo, so I asked her about her shirt. Another person might mention their spouse, kids, pets, or their neighborhood and that leads to conversation. Or maybe we comment on the work itself.

Sometimes, the activity involves serving other people, like working with seniors or kids. This is also another chance to talk with people who are different from you and find ways to connect. I’ve learned that seniors and the differently abled are really the same as everyone else, but the way they express themselves is different because of their cognitive or physical differences.

Repeatedly volunteering has been a really good way to practice small talk and learn how to break the ice. I feel more comfortable making small talk now than before.

Reason 2: Practice punctuality

I am a card-carrying tidsoptimist. This means I tend to overestimate how much time I have or underestimate how much time a task takes, so it can lead to lateness or maybe a task takes longer to complete than I initially estimated.

Although my time optimism is in my nature, its not good to be late all the time, especially when meeting with other people. I made it a point in 2023 and in 2024 to focus on my punctuality. Not only to improve how others saw me, but also to shut up that voice in my head that berates me for being late all the time.

Part of my solution for this has been to make early morning doctor or dentist appointments and volunteer for activities that start early. It’s been an excellent motivator for me because…who wants to be late to a soup kitchen?

I’m someone who signs up for different activities vs picking the same one over and over, so the volunteer activities have occurred all over the city. Sometimes more than an hour away. I’ve learned to plan ahead by actually mapping out the route ahead of time rather than assume I know the route. So far, my plan is working. I recently joined a volunteer activity that had an 8:45 AM start time!

And I made it. Go me! Here’s a nice photo from that day.

Tree blossoms on Governor's Island, the location of a recent volunteer activity. — Tree blossoms on Governor’s Island, the location of a recent volunteer activity that started at 8:45 AM.

In summary, reasons 1 and 2 are improving small talk and practicing punctuality. Check back again for additional reasons to volunteer and, if you’re so motivated, get out there and volunteer!