The holiday season is a time for thankfulness and gratitude. The best way to show your gratitude is by finding a way to give back. As a minor in the midst of a global pandemic, you may be at a lack of ideas on how you can help. This article can help you see how other teens are getting involved and hopefully inspire you to help someone else as well. 

A rewarding way to nurture connections and show compassion is through fostering animals. Although there aren’t any volunteering options at the SPCA due to Covid, this is a great way for animal lovers to give back. Fostering a puppy or kitten is a big responsibility, but if your parents give you the OK, it is an extremely worthwhile endeavor. The Charlottesville Albemarle SPCA is the closest shelter in the area, and has lots of opportunities to take in animals for a short period of time or as a permanent situation. 

Meals on Wheels in Charlottesville is another great organization that is currently looking for volunteers. Meals on Wheels packs and delivers meals to people who can not acquire food on their own. After speaking with Allie Dudley, the Assistant Director of Meals on Wheels, I found out that students under 18 can volunteer; you just need a drivers license, or you could participate in packing the meals. Meals on Wheels has really flexible hours making it a perfect organization for high school students to work with. Here is what Allie Dudley had to say about Meals on Wheels: “Here at Meals on Wheels of Charlottesville/Albemarle, we always need help delivering meals! If you have a valid driver’s license and a car to deliver meals, we would love your help. Our routes run from Monday – Friday, begin between 10:30-11:00 am and typically take an hour to complete. You can drive the same route each week, or help us every now and then as your school schedule allows.” If you are interested please contact, Allie Dudley at [email protected].