Volunteer Opportunities for Teens
With adulthood just around the corner, you might be looking for the perfect community service opportunities for your teenager. Between the endless social and emotional benefits of volunteering and the positive impact teens can make on their community- it’s no wonder colleges, industries and organizations look for volunteer experiences in resumes and applications! Whether your teen plans to enter the workforce, military, go to college, or is undecided, there is a community service opportunity in the Gig Harbor area with your teen’s name on it!
FB4K is beloved charitable organization that has been serving our community since 2009. They operate year-round to ensure that families are nourished. The volunteers here work to fill backpacks full of food for younger children to take home, week after week. They provide access to snacks and meal options in Care Cupboards for middle and high school students, and adults can benefit from their food pantry where over 200 families shop for groceries and receive home delivery. FB4K is expanding with a Food 4 All program with that will help people learn to grow, cook, store and preserve food. Your teen can sign up for Farm Fridays or Community Saturdays to help on the farm or check out their delivery services. There are also summer lunch programs where many helping hands are needed to prep lunches and pass them out. This rich volunteer experience has benefits to last a lifetime.
Harbor WildWatch is dedicated to inspiring stewardship for the Salish sea through education and environmental monitoring. They offer training, so no experience is necessary. WildWatch is looking for volunteers to commit 15 hours a year to help spread the message of stewardship. A $30 annual fee helps cover the cost of your teen’s training, name badge, t-shirt, annual commemorative pin, and membership to the Steward Club. Your teen will learn so much and have fun while giving back to our beautiful environment!
This volunteer led and run organization began in 1976 with the ongoing motto “Neighbor Helping Neighbor.” Since then, they have continued to lend a neighborly hand and supportive smile. They serve food to over 650 families per month. They also collect gently used clothing and household items that are open to clients to take home on their regular shopping days. The foodbank also maintains a “wish list” so that items continue to be filled as needed for their clients. There is always room for more volunteers to help out in big ways!
S.A.V.E (Seahawk Academic & Vocational Education) is not just your ordinary thrift store. All profits from this store benefit one of the largest high school scholarship programs in the state, the Peninsula Hawks Scholarship Fund. It provides as much as $400,000 per year in awards to graduating seniors! This thrift store offers rich volunteer opportunities for teens, and they are always looking for extra helping hands!
This organization helps to promote independent living for senior citizens in Key Peninsula. They help with transportation, information and referral, health and wellness, senior housing options, community education and nutrition. If your teenager would like to volunteer outside of the center, such as home and yard care, then a parent or guardian needs to be present. Volunteering together could be a great bonding and shared experience! However, if your teen wants to volunteer at the center they can be supervised by staff members.
Libraries across Pierce County are currently inviting teenagers to volunteer as teen council members. Gig Harbor specifically will begin to host 2 meetings every month, beginning in February. If your teen prefers Zoom, there are also virtual Teen Council Meetings on Zoom every week, beginning in October.
Teen Council members receive mentorship from library staff, leadership experience, and opportunities to steer library programs and services. Teenagers enjoy volunteering their time as they: assist library staff in creating and hosting teen programs, design book displays, create social media content, assist in library activities and special projects, meet new people and play games.
Teen Volunteer League is an annual summer volunteer opportunity. Applications for the 2025 Volunteer league open this spring! Your teen will receive at least 15 hours of community service, resume support and job training skills, mentorship, access to community resources and leadership experience. They get to meet and work with other local teens while assisting in library activities and working on engaging community services.
There aren’t many organizations that focus on the mother-son bond quite like the YMSL. And this nation-wide organization has a branch right here in Gig Harbor! Moms and their teenage sons volunteer together to serve their community throughout all 4 years of high school. 20 hours of volunteering is required, and half of those hours are served as a mother-son team. You can help strengthen your bond as you assist and serve those who need the most support in your community!
Humane Society for Tacoma & Peirce County
The Humane Society is the perfect way for a compassionate animal loving teen to volunteer. This is one of the state’s largest animal welfare agencies. They find loving homes for pets, and provide care, programs and resources for pets and their loving owners. To join this team, your teen must be 16 years or older and able to drive to Tacoma for volunteer shifts.
Communities In School of Peninsula
If your teenager is 16 or older and has a passion for literacy and helping kids, this might be the perfect place to volunteer. Several local elementary schools are looking for reliable volunteers and mentors in their after-school program once a week. Your teen would be helping elementary age students improve their reading skills, and work on basic math. This would be such an impactful experience for a teen seeking a career in education!
I know the teenage years can seem so busy as it is. But hopefully your teen can squeeze in some time to volunteer at one of these incredible organizations. They will learn how good it feels to make such a positive impact on their community. That’s a win-win for all of us!
