where to volunteer for Thanksgiving in SD, CA?

Question

i was looking for something like a soup kitchen for the homeless in san diego, but i want to be home for dinner, but maybe help set up at a shelter. i looked at a lot of volunteer sites but nothing really came up.

Answer 1

Volunteering on Thanksgiving Day is extremely difficult, because organizations are overwhelmed with requests from people wanting to do such on that day. To volunteer on Thanksgiving Day, you need to starting thinking way in advance. It's too late for 2007, but it's never too late to start thinking about 2008.

Firstly, you need to establish a relationship with an organization you want to volunteer with on Thanksgiving Day 2008, and to do that, you need to volunteer *now*. Sites like VolunteerMatch can help you find an organization that needs volunteers year round -- animal shelters, food pantries, hospices, assistive living facilities, homeless shelters and hospitals and on and on and on. Decide what you are interested in, how often you could volunteer, what time of day you can volunteer, and then start applying for appropriate opportunities. Remember that finding a volunteering opportunity is a lot like finding a job -- you have to present yourself very well, and you have to contact many organizations before you are ultimately chosen.

Volunteer regularly for an organization or two throughout the year -- even just a couple of afternoons a month -- and when Thanksgiving 2008 comes around, you will have a place waiting for you to volunteer that day.