Food – Food Collection

• This can include collecting nonperishable foods to take to local food drives or during seasonal food drives. 

• Remember that this can also include food collection or drives for animals, either pets or wildlife rehab centers. Any Petsmart or local animal shelter will always accept new unopened pet food. 

• Check out Urban Roots, which is farm which grows food for needy families

Food – Meal Delivery

• As a unit, you can volunteer to take a food delivery run, where the unit will need to deliver food regularly.

• For a one-time event, you can work with food groups to help take out food on special holidays.

• A good place to check is Meals on Wheels 

Food – Food Serving

• Groups like Salvation Army, Mobile Loaves and Fishes, Angel House Soup Kitchen, and Carnitas all offer free meals but need volunteers to help serve. 

• Some nursing homes need help serving food and visiting with homebound residents.

• Helping serve food at a church, community, district, or council event can all count for service hours.

Shelter – Home Building

• Numerous churches have a mission or building projects.

• Scouts can work for Habitat for Humanities 

• Make sure to check in with sponsoring organization and the Guide to Safe Scouting to make sure Scouts are old enough to work onsite.

Shelter – Personal Care Collection

• You can collect and even volunteer to help create care kits for organizations 

• During any natural disaster, kits of personal care items are always needed.

• Remember, personal care may not only be for people. Consider donating Dawn dish soap or making bird nest liners for animal rehab centers

• Collect personal care items for babies and kids

Shelter – Blanket Collection

• Almost all-natural disaster centers, homeless shelters, and animal shelters need basic, clean blankets.

• Consider making or decorating blankets to give to children’s hospitals or homeless shelters.

Shelter – School Supply Collection

• Contact your local school, libraries, or house of worship for local school supply drives.

• You can drop off school supplies to organizations like Salvation Army (http://salvationarmyaustin.org/get-involved/back-to-school-drive/), United Way (https://www.unitedwayaustin.org/get-involved/volunteer/)

Shelter – Book/Magazine Drive

• Donate books to libraries, school, homeless shelters.

• Consider also donating books and/or creative materials to Austin Creative Reuse (https://www.austincreativereuse.org/)

Healthy Living – Fun Run/Walk/Hike/Etc.

• Hosting or helping host any fun run/walk/hike/ride, etc.

• Serving water or fruit at such an event

• See https://www.runguides.com for a list of these in your area

Healthy Living – Bike Safety Event

• Hosting or helping host any bike safety event

• Serving water or fruit or manning check-in at such an event

Healthy Living – Tree Planting

• Hosting or helping host a tree, shrub or native plant planting

• Serving water or fruit or manning check-in at such an event

• Planting trees or shrubs as part of a community project (planting a tree in your yard does not count)

• If you want to plant local, consider planting around your neighborhood through a program with your HOA or Neighborhood Association.

• Consider planting anything at your local camps 

Healthy Living – Litter Cleanup/Beautification

• Hosting and helping host a litter or ecosystem cleanup.

• Any amount of cleanup or beautification, which can include picking up trash, removing exotic or encroachment flora or fauna, clearing overgrown areas, putting in recreation items or habitat improvement.

• Consider working at any public park or one of our camps.

Other

• Teaching merit badges at council or district level

• Serving as a NOVA or SuperNOVA mentor to other unit

• Serve as a Distinguished Conservation Award Advisor

• Serve as an Eagle Advisor or District Advancement Chair