Service Opportunities
“Our highest priorities in life are to love God and to love our neighbors”
(Russell M. Nelson, “Teach Us Tolerance and Love,” Ensign, May 1994, 69).
Want ideas for how you can serve others? Here is a list of activities you can do by yourself or with others. This list is just a starting point to help you come up with your own ideas for serving. Some activities may require you to obtain proper permission first.
100 Service Ideas
Smile to people as you walk by them.
Give a sincere compliment.
Call a friend you haven’t talked to in a while.
Go through and leave nice messages on Facebook posts.
Donate a little extra to humanitarian aide on your tithing slip.
Leave an encouraging note in the soup aisle at the grocery store.
Go through your closets and look for things to donate.
Visit a nursing home.
Offer to babysit for a couple that could use a night out.
Write thank-you notes for Church leaders.
Pray for peace on earth.
Make a package for missionaries serving from and in your area.
Leave out a basket of addressed, stamped envelopes in your ward building for the missionaries in your ward.
Write your testimony in a Book of Mormon and give it as a gift.
Rake leaves or shovel snow.
Organize a food drive.
Hold a bake sale and donate the money to your favorite cause.
Buy thick, warm socks and stuff them with packaged food. Pass them out to homeless people in your area.
Bring a crockpot to work and make homemade hot chocolate for everyone.
Ask your Bishop and Relief Society President if there is a family who could use your help.
Do your ministering visits.
Pay for the meal of the car behind you at the drive-thru lane.
Leave some extra quarters at the laundromat.
Fast for someone in need.
Donate your talents! Offer a free dance class, photoshoot, meal, or whatever you can.
Leave a big tip when you eat out.
Give someone a hug.
Ask someone how they really are. Listen.
Scrape the ice off someone’s windshield.
Donate blood.
Share your testimony of Christ on social media.
Instead of asking for gifts, ask for charitable donations of money or goods.
Adopt a soldier.
Make fleece blankets and donate them to a hospital.
Invite someone who may be lonely over for dinner.
Extend forgiveness to someone you has wronged you.
Clean your house.
Do chores without being asked.
Go to a local park or community area and pick up litter.
Start recycling.
Help someone decorate.
Ding-dong-ditch treats on someone’s doorstep.
Take a family name to the temple.
Introduce yourself to the people in your neighborhood.
Hold the door open for someone.
Refrain from saying unkind words.
Let your family members or friends have control over the remote.
Give a glowing report of your co-workers to the boss.
Support a local business with your patronage.
Be kind to yourself.
Those who work in the mail and post industry work extra hard. Leave a treat & kind note in your mailbox or deliver a card to your post office or package carrier.
Pray to know who could use your help.
Join (or start!) a local interfaith choir and put on a concert for your community.
Send a package to a missionary serving in the MTC.
Leave $10 (or more) in a dollar store with a small note. Imagine how far $10 might go for a family in need trying to make ends meet by shopping at a dollar store.
Help someone with a home project.
Do errands for someone who is homebound. Getting out can be hard for many people, especially those who are physically or mentally ill. This can be made worse by bad weather. Offer to do some simple errands, such as picking up groceries or offering rides.
Adopt a pet from an animal shelter. If you have the ability, many pets need a loving home.
Bring someone to the airport for their flight.
Visit a nursing home or assisted living community and offer to help the elderly set up social media accounts that may help them connect with their younger family members. You can even come back and teach small classes on how to use social media. This especially great for youth activities.
Donate your unused airline miles to the Make-a-Wish foundation to help cover airfare for needy families.
Volunteer as a “pickup service.” Many people want to donate items, but they have a hard time transporting things. Offer to pick things up and drop them off at the proper donation spots.
Purchase gifts through Amazon Smile. The service allows you to give back while purchasing items as you normally would through Amazon. You can choose certain charities or local organizations can even set up their own give-back accounts.
Share a funding page on your social media accounts.
Leave a jar out to collect change on the counter. Give the change to your Bishop at the end of the month to give to a family in need.
Write your employee a thank you card detailing all the ways they impacted your company for the better this year.
Bring your own bags to the grocery store to help the environment.
Donate your used technology to a community center or non-profit when you upgrade.
Build a curbside food pantry. The idea is to create a small pantry of free food anyone can take at any time. Most mount a small shelf on a post and place it in their communities, outside parks, business, and even homes. People leave food when they can donate and take food when they need it. General items placed inside include canned goods and small toiletry items. Want to learn more? Just search “Little Free Pantry” online.
Let someone go ahead of you in line.
Learn more about mental health and how to support those who suffer.
Purchase an up lifting gospel book and give It to a friend as a gift. They’re especially good for those not of our faith.
Carry some roadside assistance tools in your car, such as chains, cable jumpers, and extra snowmelt. Keep your eyes open for a chance to help someone with car troubles.
Accept service from others. It can be hard to let others do good for us. Accept it with a grateful heart and try to magnify that kindness in your own life.
Start the car for a spouse or family member so it will be nice and toasty when they need to leave.
Offer your seat to someone. Look out for the chance to offer your seat to someone, whether it is on a bus or in an airport terminal.
Donate new or used books to your local school system.
If you go out for a meal and receive excellent service, take the time to note your waiter’s name and tell their manager what a great job they did.
Use a website like this one to create a custom piece of jewelry as a gift.
Visit the sites of LDS bloggers and influencers trying to share goodness. Let them know how much you appreciate their efforts.
Help someone reach a life goal. You can be a workout partner, read someone’s work, provide honest feedback, and a great cheerleader.
Learn a life-saving skill, such as CPR, the Heimlich maneuver, or using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
Study how Jesus Christ served individually.
Interview a family member about their life and experiences for your personal family history.
Call your parents (or anyone who raised you) and thank them for their hard work and sacrifice. Tell them about some specific experiences that touched you and helped you become the person you are today.
Put away your phone for an entire Sabbath day.
Support refugees in your area. Learn about who is in your community, what their needs are, and how you can help them. You can learn more about serving refugees in your area here.
Foster new friendships by throwing a party. Invite those who may feel alone or be new to the area. No matter what you do, try to get to know those you Invite better.
Volunteer to teach in Primary so a sister can attend Sunday School or Relief Society.
Want to donate rice to third-world countries just by playing a game on your phone? Check out this website then!
Sit down and make a list of the things that are most important in your life. Prayerfully ask yourself how you can give more of your time and attention to these things.
Help someone who is unemployed by offering to look at their resume and help them practice with their interviewing skills. You could also offer to give them a ride to an interview to save on gas money or give their name to anyone in your network who may have an opportunity for them.
Ask your local missionaries if there is anyone they are teaching who needs some service. You can offer to have a dinner and lesson in your home or simply reach out in fellowship to any visitors in your ward.
For one day (or another amount of time) offer only prayers of thanks.
Let go of any guilt and shame you may be holding onto. Forgive yourself.
Make the decision to act on promptings immediately, especially those that would benefit someone else.
Prayerfully decide someone in need and ask if you can give them a priesthood blessing.
Make a child’s day extra special by taking them on an outing they would enjoy. At the end of the day, talk about how much fun they had and how other children aren’t always so blessed. Ask what they would like to do to pass on the joy and fun to someone else. Help them act on it.
Create goals to carry the spirit of Christmas with you all year round.
Share uplifting gospel messages on social media and invite others to serve.
Service Page
Click here to go to the Church's Service page.
At JustServe, we believe that nothing should get in the way of organizations and volunteers coming together to do good things for the community, so we help make this happen for free.
JustServe.org is a website where the volunteer needs of organizations may be posted and volunteers may search for places to serve in the community, providing opportunities to help those in need and enhance the quality of life in the community.
JustServe is a service to help link community volunteer needs with volunteers and does not discriminate based on race, religion, gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation in posting projects or in encouraging volunteers to serve.
JustServe and the Carol Adams Foundation Opportunity Throughout the Summer:
Serving breakfast or lunch to children at summer camps: https://www.justserve.org/projects/6a3b08f9-cb3b-4f42-b232-720685608959
Hands On Greater Richmond, handsonrva.org, says their mission is "to support an inspired network of passionate people and powerful causes to make meaningful change in the community." Their vision is "a world where all individuals discover their power to make a difference and are equipped as active, engaged citizens." Please see their about us page for more background information.
The Carol Adams Foundation (CAFI) is a well-vetted local organization making a substantial difference in the lives of families rocked by domestic violence. They are always looking for volunteers who can help. There are many options and the commitment time is extremely flexible. For more information:
Contact Tishaun Harris Ugworji, Carol Adams Foundation Volunteer Coordinator at CAFiVOL19@gmail.com or (804)322-9270.
Contact Information:
Please go to www.churchofjesuschrist.org and Sign In for complete membership directory and Ward/Stake calendar. You can ask the Ward CLerk to print a Ward Directory for church use. You can also use the Tools mobile app. A user account is required. If you do not already have a church user account, you can create one by going here.
JustServe Leaders:
Stake JustServe Specialist: Nancy Waterbury (Glen Allen Ward)
Stake JustServe Specialist: Stephanie Causey (Mechanicville Ward)
Stake JustServe Missionary Specialist: Rebecca Heiser (Chickahominy Ward)
Stake JustServe Specialist: Michelle Alder (Gayton Ward)
Gayton Ward JustServe Specialist: Bethany Brady Spalding
Gayton Ward Assistant JustServe Specialist: Danielle Hellmuth
This website is NOT an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.