With Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and the new year right around the corner, people are searching for holiday volunteer opportunities in DC. While the holiday markets are fun, Washington DC and its surrounding areas offer a plethora of opportunities to give back to the community.
This festive period presents an ideal opportunity for individuals, families, and groups to engage in meaningful volunteer work and social impact activities. Whether it’s hands-on volunteering at local charities or starting at-home initiatives to support those in need, the DC area is abundant with ways to contribute and make a difference.
But it can be hard to find one-off holiday volunteer opportunities in DC. Many charities (understandably) want a longer commitment, and the ones that do offer them fill up quickly.
This blog posts provides a list of organizations that are accepting volunteers for a single day, morning, or afternoon and that still have availability.
Psst! Don’t miss the hunger-related volunteer opportunities I’m hosting this year. It’s a great way to meet people and give back to the community.
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15 Diverse Holiday Volunteer Opportunities in DC
I’ve put together this list of 15 non-profit organizations who open their doors to volunteers eager to lend a helping hand during this special time of year–and that have space open at the time of publishing.
These opportunities are not only a chance to contribute positively to the community but also a way to connect with the culture of the DC area. From setting up apartments for refugees with Homes Not Borders to laying wreaths at military cemeteries with Wreaths Across America, each activity offers a unique way to honor the season’s spirit of giving.
Can’t make it in person? For those who prefer to make a social impact without direct volunteering, there are plenty of creative ideas. Organizing a clothing drive at holiday gatherings, starting a food drive for the Maryland Food Bank, or even participating in a fun run to support local causes like So Others Might Eat (S.O.M.E.) are all ways to involve friends and family in the joy of giving.
Each act of kindness, big or small, contributes to strengthening the communities in and around Washington DC, making the holiday season a time of true joy and generosity for everyone.
This guide provides a variety of options for holiday volunteer opportunities in DC, from food distribution with organizations like Martha’s Table to unique events like diaper bundling with the DC Diaper Bank.
Psst!
Looking for a holiday volunteer opportunity but can’t find one you like? Subscribe to the newsletter to be the first to hear about some special holiday volunteer shifts!
1. Martha’s Table
Locations: Columbia Heights, Kingman Park, and throughout Wards 7 & 8 in DC
About: Martha’s Table supports strong children, strong families, and strong communities by increasing access to quality education, health and wellness, and family resources. They have a wide range of innovative programs supporting the communities they serve, including a no-cost grocery store, no-cost clothing boutique, and healthy happy hours that provide nutritious food, mocktails, and emotional wellness activities.
Martha’s Table partners with Capital Area Food Bank on some initiatives, so it’s a good alternative to volunteering directly if shifts end up full on Capital Area Food Bank.
Volunteer: They have lots of holiday volunteer opportunities in DC to distribute food, distribute holiday gifts, and serve their grocery store, clothing store, and food pantry. They currently have no weekend opportunities for November, but you can reserve your spot for December as they offer slots throughout the whole holiday.
Social Impact Idea: Organize a clothing drive for babies, children, and work-appropriate attire at your holiday get togethers. You can also set up a fundraising page and create your own fundraiser or support their coat giveaway for the coming winter.
Website: https://marthastable.org/volunteer/
2. Food For All DC
Location: Logan Circle, DC
About: Food For All DC provides nutritious groceries to home-bound, food insecure people throughout DC. A volunteer-run organization, they provide food for all who qualify instead of focusing on a certain sub-population. They also make meals that are distributed at the MLK Library for the unhoused.
Volunteer: You can help pack grocery bags on Thursday and Friday mornings and pack lunches on Friday mornings. You can also use your car to make deliveries and meet some of the clients Thursdays through Saturdays. For the holidays, they are opening more morning shifts beyond Thursday and Fridays.
Social Impact Idea: Organize a volunteer session with your office before the workday.
Website: https://foodforalldc.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Shifts full? Don’t miss the upcoming volunteer shift with the Not Bored in DC community!
3. So Others Might Eat (S.O.M.E.)
Locations: Truxton Circle, DC; Arlington and Falls Church, VA
About: Since 1970, SOME has provided meals, housing, education and workforce development, healthcare, emergency & social services, and advocacy for DC residents. Their goal is to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness through a comprehensive approach. SOME has some of the most popular holiday volunteer opportunities in DC, so grab a shift while you can.
Volunteer: You can register for shifts 30 days in advance. You can volunteer for general race day support with their Trot for Hunger 5K on Thursday, November 28 by helping with equipment setup, staff registration, refreshments, and bag check. They also opened new slots for other volunteer opportunities like produce packing, organizing, decluttering clothes, and lunch serving for seniors.
Social Impact Idea: Join the Trot for Hunger 5K with your loved ones on Thanksgiving morning along the Freedom Plaza and Pennsylvania Avenue. There’s no pressure to run it (I’ve walked it in the past), and pets are encouraged. Or, you can put together holiday shoebox gifts of things like hats, gloves, and personal care items for the SOME clients by yourself or with friends.
Website: https://some.org/get-involved/volunteer/
4. Maryland Food Bank
Locations: Throughout Maryland, with available holiday season shifts closest to DC being just south of Baltimore
About: Since 1979, the Maryland Food Bank has sought to meet the immediate needs of food-insecure Marylanders while simultaneously working to find long-term ways to reduce hunger in the state. They have operations through the entire state, from Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore.
Volunteer: You can pack holiday and emergency food boxes, pack meals for kids, hand out deliveries, and more. However, most of their opportunities are during the week.
Social Impact Idea: Start a food drive and ask friends and family to bring a canned or non-perishable item to your holiday party. You can also set up a virtual food drive to help them raise funds for shopping essential food items at wholesale prices.
Website: https://mdfoodbank.org/ways-to-give/volunteer/
5. Capital Area Food Bank
Locations: Throughout Northern Virginia, DC, and Arlington
About: Capital Area Food Bank aims to lessen hunger in DC and surrounding regions by serving food meals and hosting education programs to address the root cause of hunger. They have served more than 50 million meals to 500,000 residents every year.
Volunteer: Shifts fill up quickly, and there are very limited Thanksgiving shifts left. December shifts are available, but fill up quickly.. Volunteers can help by providing emergency groceries, sort and pack donations, and assist with nutrition education to area residents. If you are multi-lingual or know ASL, they need speakers in Mandarin, Spanish, Korean, and Arabic in some markets they host in.
Social Impact Idea: Host a virtual fundraising event through a Thanksgiving basket bike ride where participants can decorate their bikes in fall themes and ride through the community to collect money donations or food stocks which you can drop off at their DC or VA distribution centers.
Website: https://volunteer.capitalareafoodbank.org/calendar
Shifts full? Don’t miss the upcoming volunteer shift with the Not Bored in DC community!
6. Catholic Charities
Locations: Downtown and Mount Pleasant DC; Silver Spring, Landover, and southern Maryland
About: Catholic Charities serves anyone in need, regardless of social, economic or religious background. They provide access to lower-cost medical and dental care, food and nutrition assistance, counseling and housing assistance, and legal services.
Volunteer: You can help by serving hot meals, creating food bags, preparing food for distribution, and distributing food.
Social Impact Idea: Collect extra metro fare cards from friends and family (especially those out of town relatives who have them lying around and no plans to use them any time soon) and drop them off at their headquarters near Metro Center. You can also host a virtual food drive to support their Giving Tuesday program, held on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
Website: https://www.catholiccharitiesdc.org/get-involved/ways-to-volunteer/
7. Manna Food Center
Locations: Silver Spring, Montgomery Country, and Gaithersburg, MD
About: Since 1983, Manna Food Center has been providing access to nutritious food to lessen hunger in Montgomery Country. They aim to eliminate hunger through food distribution, education and advocacy on healthy eating skills. They grew from serving only a few hundred people to distributing around 12,000 pounds of food daily together with 350+ partner organizations and thousands of volunteer hours.
Volunteer: You can help pack nonperishable items into boxes for their Food for Families program. Volunteer shifts are limited and fill up quickly.
Social Impact Idea: Host a themed food drive with their most needed food items and drop it off at their Gaithersburg warehouse. They recommend a kid-friendly collection like cereals appropriate for school season.
Website: https://www.mannafood.org/
8. The Upcounty Hub
Locations: Germantown, MD
About: The Upcounty Hub was just recently founded in 2020. It provides food and essential items to approximately 1,300 families weekly in Germantown, MD. Their volunteer events vary from assembling and delivery food packages, organizing donation drives, and hosting community events.
Volunteer: You can help prepare for the holiday season by packing food boxes or produce bags, organizing distribution materials, and assisting with clean up. They also need volunteers to assist in handing out diapers for their diaper distribution program in November.
Social Impact Idea: Support their Diaper Donation Program by hosting a diaper donation fundraiser where your friends and families can contribute diaper packs of various sizes for Upcounty Hub.
Website: https://montgomerycountymd.galaxydigital.com/agency/detail/?agency_id=121124
9. DC Diaper Bank
Locations: Silver Spring, MD
About: Diapers and feminine care products are expensive. DC Diaper Bank aims to provide a reliable and adequate source of basic baby needs and personal hygiene products. There is a 5.75% “luxury” tax on feminine hygiene products in D.C., making them even more expensive for many women. With diapers not covered by food stamps and assistance programs (SNAP & WIC), it is a major problem with for 33% of female-led homes in the DMV area that live in poverty.
Volunteer: They host a family-friendly warehouse event that includes diaper bundling and organizing the baby pantry. Slots have closed for all November opportunities and during Thanksgiving week, but you can check back every 15th of the following month for December slots as they usually add more sessions.
Social Impact Idea: Hold a diaper drive at your next event. Ask guests to bring diapers, wipes, tampons, pads, and other baby and personal hygiene items. Drop them off at one of the many locations throughout DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Website: https://greaterdcdiaperbank.org/volunteer/
10. Homes Not Borders
Locations: Opportunities in Landover, Silver Spring, and Riverdale, MD; remote; and occasionally Alexandria, VA.
About: Homes Not Borders’ mission is to provide refugees and other forced migrants in the D.C. area with what they need to thrive and feel at home in the United States. They do this through furnishing and setting up apartments for refugees, many of whom are coming from refugee camps.
Volunteer: You can help with sorting and packing donations so they’re set up for new homes to use, or help set up apartments with a bit of household work.
Social Impact Idea: As you celebrate the holidays this year, ask friends and family if they have any home furnishings they’re looking to donate and collect them to furnish a home.
Website: https://www.homesnotborders.org/volunteer/
11. Wreaths Across America
Locations: DC: US Soldiers’ & Airmen’s Home Cemetery in Petworth and Battleground National Cemetery by the old Walter Reed; VA: Arlington, Falls Church, Alexandria, and more; MD: Cheltenham, Laurel, and more.
About: Wreaths Across America lays wreaths on graves at military cemeteries throughout the country, though they are best known for lying the wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery. Their goal is to remember those who have given their lives, and it’s one of the more popular holiday volunteer opportunities in DC.
Volunteer: You can lay wreaths and help with set up on Saturday, December 14, 2024 at any of the cemeteries they support.
Social Impact Idea: This is a great one to do with a group. Bring a thermos of hot chocolate and share with friends. Or, you can sponsor a wreath.
Website: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/About/LocationAndGroupSearch
12. Comfort Cases
Locations: Rockville, MD
About: When children enter foster care, most are given a trash bag to carry their belongings. Comfort Cases aims to provide every child a sense of dignity by providing a special bag that they can call their very own, filled with a cozy new pair of pajamas, a brand new warm blanket, and a new stuffed animal to hug.
Volunteer: Volunteers help in a number of ways, including packing cases for youth entering foster care, sorting donations, and managing the front desk. Volunteer opportunities are weekdays. Slots get filled in fast, especially on Thanksgiving week, but many slots are open for December.
Social Impact Idea: Hold a donation drive for new items to include in a comfort case, or participate in their Bag Busters challenge by using the hashtag #BagBusters.
Website: https://comfortcases.org/volunteer/
13. The Campagna Center
Locations: Alexandria, VA
About: Campagna Center was established in the 1850s and is one of the oldest non-profit organizations in Alexandria. They help children, teens, adults, and families receive educational and social development programs. Through their cause, they wish to help children become productive adults with campaigns powered by community resources.
Volunteer: You can help prepare for their annual holiday fundraising event or assist on the day of the event from Friday to Saturday, December 6-7 at the Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend, one of the top holiday festivals in the DC area. They do have volunteer opportunities for admin tasks like data entry, filing, mailings, and special projects, but they prefer availability on weekdays.
Social Impact Idea: Organize an essentials drive for kids and encourage your friends and family to donate new educational resources for their various children programs. They accept new diapers, books, toys, school supplies, and art materials.
Website: https://www.campagnacenter.org/alexandria-scottish-christmas-walk-parade/
14. StreetWise
Locations: Downtown DC and remote
About: StreetWise helps unemployed and underemployed adults build professional networks, gain career skills, and access to middle-wage job opportunities by offering networking events, workshops, and mock-up interviews. They operate in both New York City and the DC Metro area and have since been operating with 15,000 volunteers, helping over 10,000 adults in their career success.
Volunteer: Volunteers can help in speed networking sessions remotely, in person mock interviews, and one-day navigation events. Provide feedback to mentees on their elevator pitches and networking skills, help with mock interviews, or give advice on job search skills.
Social Impact Idea: Talk to your company about hiring StreetWise graduates through their Talent Services.
Website: https://www.streetwisepartners.org/volunteers
15. Humane Rescue Alliance
Locations: NW, NE, and SE, Washington DC; Remote
About: Since 1870, Humane Rescue Alliance has been helping homeless, undernourished, and uncared-for animals through direct rescues, care, and community-based animal services. They serve over 60,000 animals annually by gathering volunteers in animal care and rescue programs.
Volunteer: Volunteers can help the animal care team with general and kennel cleaning tasks or participate in Dog Field trips to help keep animals happy (slots will be open for available pickup times) without going through orientation. You can check the HRA website, though they’re still working on their volunteer onboarding system and you may want to email them about these specific options.
Social Impact Idea: You can help gather fosters for homeless rescues or become a foster parent yourself for 7 to 30 days. You can also spread the word and set up a donation drive for various animal supplies and old vehicles (running or not) that others are no longer using.
Website: https://www.humanerescuealliance.org/
Wrapping Up the Season of Giving
As the holiday season comes to Washington DC and its neighboring communities, many embrace the spirit of giving and volunteering. There are many organizations where your time, effort, and resources can make a significant impact, from Martha’s Table’s food distribution to the creative social impact ideas for DC Diaper Bank and Homes Not Borders. Each of the holiday volunteer opportunities in DC present a unique way to contribute to the well-being of our community and share the joy of the season with those in need.
A special thank you goes to the ladies of the Junior League of Washington (JLW) for their invaluable suggestions and insights into many of these volunteer opportunities. Their dedication to service and deep connection with the community have been instrumental in curating this list of impactful activities. If you are a woman in the Washington, DC area and looking for a longer term commitment for volunteering, I would recommend looking into joining JLW.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and welcome the new year, there are plenty of opportunities to give back. Whether it’s through direct volunteering or organizing a group activity to give back, every contribution counts. Volunteering strengthens our community, spreads love, and ensures that everyone can enjoy a season filled with hope, joy, and generosity. Happy Holidays!
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