Volunteer Opportunities in Winston-Salem

Looking to give back and make a difference? Join us as we explore volunteer opportunities in the Winston-Salem area. Learn about different organizations, how to get involved, and how you can make an impact!

*This list is not intended to be comprehensive. We encourage you to check out the many wonderful organizations around Winston-Salem for additional volunteer opportunities!

Updated November 2024

Samaritan Ministries

MISSION | Samaritan Ministries provides food, shelter, and hope through its soup kitchen, homeless shelter for men, substance abuse recovery program for men experiencing homelessness, and street outreach program.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | Samaritan Ministries needs volunteers to serve in its soup kitchen, pick up donations from partner grocery stores, and fulfill wish lists.

HOLIDAY VOLUNTEERING | Samaritan Ministries’ Annual Penny Campaign runs from November 1 – December 31. The campaign helps spread awareness and raise funds for the hungry and homeless in Winston-Salem. Volunteers can donate online/mail a gift, pick up a jar at Samaritan Ministries’ location to help collect funds, and/or set up an online giving page.

City Lights Ministry

MISSION | City Lights meets the needs of children facing poverty and food insecurity through mobile trucks that bring food, clothes, toys, beds, and an early learning program to their neighborhoods.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | City Lights needs volunteers year-round for clothing closet sorting, its food pantry, building beds, hosting food drives, and more.

HOLIDAY VOLUNTEERING | City Lights needs volunteers to host Christmas Toy Drives.

The Salvation Army

MISSION | The Salvation Army seeks to meet people’s needs by providing shelter, food assistance, rent and utility assistance, elderly care, and worship services.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | The Salvation Army needs volunteers year-round to tutor, mentor, and read to children. It also needs volunteers to help with its food pantry in Kernersville and its Center of Hope Shelter, the only family homeless shelter in Forsyth County.

HOLIDAY VOLUNTEERING | The Salvation Army needs volunteers to assist with packing toy bags for Angel Tree Children, distributing those bags to families, and ringing bells for its annual Red Kettle Campaign.

Habitat for Humanity

MISSION | Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope by assisting families who do not qualify for traditional mortgages.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | Habitat for Humanity needs volunteers to construct Habitat houses or assist in one of its ReStores.

Second Harvest Food Bank

MISSION | Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC engages with the community and countless dedicated partners to increase food security and create pathways that build a stronger Northwest North Carolina.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | Second Harvest has volunteer opportunities nearly every weekday. Whether you (and your team) help sort dry goods and produce, prepare and pack meals for seniors and children, or help out in the teaching garden, your time helps local families set their tables…because everyone deserves to eat.

HOLIDAY VOLUNTEERING | When you volunteer at the annual Running of the Balls in Greensboro, you’re supporting Second Harvest because all proceeds from this well-known, family-friendly holiday event benefit their mission.

Love Out Loud

MISSION | Love Out Loud is a network of non-profits, businesses, and faith groups showing love to the community by partnering with other local community organizations to impact Winston-Salem.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | Love Out Loud partners with numerous organizations with volunteer opportunities you can view on its website.

HOLIDAY VOLUNTEERING | Love Out Loud needs volunteers for its annual Christmas for the City event on December 21. Numerous volunteer opportunities are available, such as greeting, taking photos, praying with guests, and much more.

SECU Family House

MISSION | SECU provides affordable lodging and support services in a caring environment for referred adult patients and/or their caregivers who travel to Winston-Salem for medical treatment.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | SECU needs volunteers year-round to host wish list drives, prepare and serve meals, assemble welcome bags, play music, and more.

HOLIDAY VOLUNTEERING | SECU needs volunteers to provide cozy care packages and to sing Christmas carols in its Family House living room.

Senior Services

MISSION | Senior Services helps older adults remain at home for as long as possible and leave with dignity by delivering meals, providing personal care in their homes, helping disabled adults, and much more.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | Senior Services needs volunteers year-round to help deliver meals, do one-on-one visits, assist older adults in creating art, maintain the grounds and interior of the Williams Adult Day Center, and more.

HOLIDAY VOLUNTEERING | Senior Services needs donations for Remember in December, its holiday item drive. Senior Services will begin accepting donations on November 30 at its building or any Forsyth County Piedmont Federal Savings Bank branch (look for the big red box).

Ronald McDonald House

MISSION | Ronald McDonald House provides a “home away from home” for families with children receiving treatment in Winston-Salem’s medical facilities.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | Ronald McDonald House needs volunteers year-round to prepare food, assist with hospitality and household chores, interact with families/help with programming, sort donations, and more.

HOLIDAY VOLUNTEERING | Ronald McDonald House needs donations by the first week of December for Santa’s Workshop, a free shopping experience available to any guest family staying at the house during the weeks leading up to Christmas. It also needs volunteers to assemble Luminary Kits and Street Captains to take Luminary orders, pick up kits, and distribute them.

Crisis Control Ministry

MISSION | Crisis Control assists people in crisis to meet essential life needs and to become self-sufficient by providing short-term emergency services including rent/mortgage payments, utility bill assistance, food, and medication.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | Crisis Control needs volunteers year-round to advocate for clients, prepare Crisis Control’s grocery store, help fill orders at Crisis Control’s pharmacy, serve at special events, help in its poverty simulations, and more.

City With Dwellings

MISSION | City With Dwellings helps people move from trauma and homelessness to healing and housing stability through street outreach, day services, a winter emergency shelter, and supportive housing services.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | City With Dwellings needs volunteers year-round to assist with hospitality/events, preparing meals, supporting the recently housed,  fundraising, and more.

Forsyth Jail & Prison Ministries

MISSION | Forsyth Jail & Prison Ministries shares Christ’s love and compassion with thousands of incarcerated men and women as a path to new life by providing worship services, Bible studies, a Transition to Work program, and literacy programs.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | The ministry needs volunteers year-round to assist with worship services and life skill classes, lead Bible studies, tutor, and attend Yokefellows.

HOLIDAY VOLUNTEERING | The ministry needs donations of gifts for the children of inmates for its In the Name of the Father program, which allows inmates to select donated gifts for their children.

World Relief Triad

MISSION | World Relief helps refugees and other immigrants in vulnerable situations rebuild their lives in a new country through immigration legal services, refugee resettlement, job placement, financial literacy training, and ongoing career counseling.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | World Relief needs volunteers year-round for home set-up, interpreters, transportation for clients, citizenship and job classes, and more.

The Shalom Project

MISSION | The Shalom Project serves and supports those in the community who have been systematically disenfranchised and oppressed by providing outreach programming, education, and advocacy.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | Shalom Project needs volunteers year-round to set up and distribute the food in Shalom Project’s pantry, sort clothing donations, serve meals, help with the medical clinic, and assist with fundraising events.

greeNest

MISSION | greeNest provides a vital link in the journey from homelessness to independent living by partnering with agencies in Forsyth County that have case management programs.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | greeNest needs volunteers year-round to sort, organize, and tidy up donations, move and arrange furniture, load and unload household furnishings, plan and help with fundraising events, and more.

The Shepherd’s Center

MISSION | The Shepherd’s Center of Greater Winston-Salem promotes and supports successful aging by providing direct services, volunteer opportunities, and enrichment programs for older adults.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | The Shepherd’s Center needs volunteers year-round to drive older adults to medical appointments or grocery stores, do home visits, perform minor home repairs, help with fundraisers and special events, and assist in the office.

Winston-Salem Rescue Mission

MISSION | Winston-Salem Rescue Mission helps hurting neighbors by providing basic necessities, work training, Biblical counseling, addiction recovery programs, and chapel services.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | Winston-Salem Rescue Mission needs volunteers year-round to provide medical and dental services, help in the food pantry and thrift store, host food and clothing drives, and more.

H.O.P.E. of Winston-Salem

MISSION | H.O.P.E. distributes nutritious meals for children and fresh fruits & vegetables for families struggling with food insecurity.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | H.O.P.E. needs volunteers year-round to help with food sorting and staging, garden work, meal preparation, meal delivery, and more.

HOLIDAY VOLUNTEERING | H.O.P.E. is collecting new, unwrapped gifts for children for its annual gift drive, which runs through December 9. Find a list of drop-off locations here.

Family Services

MISSION | Family Services helps children, families, and individuals make positive, lasting changes in their lives through childhood development programs, counseling, and services for those who have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault, child maltreatment, or elder abuse.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | Family Services needs volunteers year-round to read to children, support Family Services’ teachers, assist with landscaping & facilities maintenance, and help with events.

LEAD Girls of North Carolina

MISSION | LEAD Girls provides tools and resources to low-income/at-risk preteen girls to help them become productive citizens and active community leaders.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | LEAD Girls needs volunteers year-round to support program facilitators, help with office/administrative work, and host tables at community events.

HOLIDAY VOLUNTEERING | LEAD Girls needs volunteers to host donation drives or individually contribute items directly to its November Meal Boxes and December Boutique-Style Shopping Event.

United Way of Forsyth County

MISSION | United Way of Forsyth County brings the community and its resources together to solve problems that no one organization can address alone.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | United Way connects those looking to volunteer with organizations that have volunteering needs, so there are various opportunities!

Cancer Services

MISSION | Cancer Services serves cancer patients and their families by providing financial assistance, physical and emotional support, resources, and more.

YEAR-ROUND VOLUNTEERING | Cancer Services needs volunteers year-round to make follow-up calls or write encouraging notes to clients, help with office tasks, enter data, serve at the front desk, and perform landscaping work.

HOLIDAY VOLUNTEERING | Cancer Services needs volunteer groups to collect and assemble festive holiday hygiene kits/care packages.