The Best Places to Volunteer in New Orleans on Thanksgiving
Over the last few years, the city of New Orleans, Louisiana has been hard-hit by a number of natural disasters, the most notable of which was the devastation incurred by Hurricane Katrina. Efforts are ongoing to rebuild the city of New Orleans and restore order, prosperity, and hope to the thousands of displaced residents of one of the United States' most historic areas. Thanksgiving is an especially powerful and poignant time to offer volunteer services to residents of New Orleans who have lost everything and are struggling to get back on their feet. Learn about the best places to volunteer in New Orleans on Thanksgiving and give of your abundance to those who are in need.
The YMCA of New Orleans Thanksgiving Day Meal Delivery Program
The New Orleans YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) spends every Thanksgiving Day delivering hand-prepared meals to residents in the area of greater New Orleans who are aged or shut-in due to illness or infirmity. The YMCA starts very early on Thanksgiving Day morning to prepare the meals in their facility in City Park at Delgado Community College, and then coordinates with hundreds of volunteers. Each volunteer commits to donating one hour of time on Thanksgiving Day to deliver a group of meals to the shut-in or elderly recipients of the YMCA meal program. Volunteers will conclude by 10:00 am on Thanksgiving Day to give you plenty of time to spend with family and friends in celebration of Thanksgiving. To learn more, contact the New Orleans YMCA online.
The New Orleans Mission
The New Orleans Mission is another non-profit organization that spends each and every day preparing and serving meals to New Orleans residents who are homeless or without the resources to feed themselves and their families. Thanksgiving day is a time of special need, when families and individuals are seeking meal support as temperatures drop. The New Orleans Mission is located near downtown New Orleans and the French Quarter, and needs volunteers who are willing to either cook or serve meals, or both, on Thanksgiving Day, all day long. You can learn more and sign up to serve by visiting them at their website.
CCSTB (Community Center of St. Bernard)
The Community Center of St. Bernard has a long-standing tradition of providing Thanksgiving Day meal baskets or individual meal items to needy families near and on Thanksgiving Day. The plans for this year include giving out cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, and other traditional Thanksgiving Day foods in conjunction with their Mustard Seed food pantry service. They are hosting a Thanksgiving Day food pantry drive and the CCSTB website has a full list of the items that are still needed to prepare for the Thanksgiving Day food giveaway. If you are able to conduct your own food drive or recruit larger food donations from area food manufacturers, suppliers, or restaurateurs, the Community Center also needs your help. Food distribution will take place all during the week of Thanksgiving, and volunteers are also needed to help with this enormous task. You can learn more and find out how to volunteer by visiting the CCSTB website.
