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How will you serve Memphis this March? (Photo: Carpenter Art Garden)

19 Ways to Serve Memphis in March

From flexing your green thumb to giving some extra love to local, furry friends, there are many ways to serve Memphis this month!

A group of basketball players from Memphis Athletic Ministries standing in a gym.
Serve Memphis this March: Help young sport stars reach their full potential with Memphis Athletic Ministries

Academics Volunteer

  • Once a month or up to five days a week
  • Founded in 1998, MAM‘s mission is to coach, grow, and lead the youth of Memphis by helping them discover their identity in Christ and their purpose in the community. You’re invited to build relationships with students through homework help, brain breaks, and/or reading or math games and activities. This opportunity is available Monday-Friday from 9:00 am – 4:30 pm and is offered at various locations across the city.

Assistant Coach

  • Scheduled weekly practices and games. 
  • Founded in 1998, MAM‘s mission is to coach, grow, and lead the youth of Memphis by helping them discover their identity in Christ and their purpose in the community. The local org. offers year-round opportunities to serve as an assistant coach for multiple sports. Prior knowledge of the sport is desired, but not required. Come alongside staff and build into the lives of our kids by volunteering with one (or more) of the following sports: basketball, soccer, flag football, volleyball, and cheer.

Arbor Day Tree Bundling

  • March 1st from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
  • Join Germantown Parks and Rec in celebration of Arbor Day! Volunteers are needed to assist staff and park rangers with bundling trees for their annual Arbor Day Tree giveaway! Wear comfy clothes and spend the morning outside as you support the environment this Arbor Day!

Monthly Weed Wrangle

  • March 3rd from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
  • Join the Memphis Botanic Garden to help remove invasive and exotic plants in their wildflower woodland! This area of the garden boasts over 50 different species of native trees and dozens of other species of native shrubs, vines, and perennials all collected within a 4-acre plot. The presence of exotic and invasive plants limits the growth potential of native plants, who compete for the same resources. Their goal is to begin removing invasive plants to revert the area back to a native woodland. Join them!

Spaytacular Gala

  • March 4th with shifts throughout the day and evening
  • The Spay Memphis 15th Annual Spaytacular Gala is Spay Memphis’ largest fundraiser, featuring food, an open bar, silent auction, wine pull, live entertainment, and more. All volunteers receive free entry to the event and are encouraged to attend before or after their volunteer shift to enjoy the fun! Volunteers are needed to assist with set up, registration, bidding for the auction, bussing tables, and break down. 

A group of people serving Memphis in December with shovels in the woods.
Serve Memphis this March: Help keep Camp Pinecrest beautiful.

Trail Maintenance Mondays

  • March 6th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
  • Join Pinecrest Camp in the perfect socially-distanced volunteer opportunity. They are smoothing trails, clearing up and restoring old trails, creating new trails, removing invasive plants and restoring wetlands around campus. They can supply some tools, or you bring your own loppers, trimmers, rake, or shovel. This is a great opportunity to spend time in nature and give back. Volunteers are welcome to stay as long as you like!

Morning Assistant Shift

  • Daily from 8:15 am to 9:15 am
  • Out of the Woods cares for orphaned and injured wildlife of Tennessee, such as raccoons, opossums, squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, flying squirrels, foxes, rats, and mice. Specific daily responsibilities may vary based on the patients they have, but this shift will likely include: food prep, feeding animals, cleaning enclosures, enrichment activities, and more! With a location in Millington and Collierville weekdays and weekends, there is an opportunity for everyone. They also need social media and photography support if that is an area of interest for you!

Challenger Basketball

  • March 6th from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm
  • Germantown Parks and Rec is looking for volunteers for their challenger basketball program which is for kids 6 to 16 years of age that have intellectual or physical challenges. Volunteers do not need basketball experience and will be there for support and to have fun with the participants! This is a wonderful after-work opportunity to engage with kiddos of all kinds as they practice basketball! 

A woman wearing a face mask is sweeping a street in Memphis to make a difference during the pandemic.
Serve Memphis this March: Help Memphis Rox tend to their neighborhood.

Community Clean Up

  • March 11th from 10:30 am to 2:00 pm
  • It’s that time again for Memphis Rox to host the Soulsville Neighborhood Volunteer Cleanup! This is a great way to give back to the community we serve at Memphis Rox. Volunteers will meet at Memphis Rox, and they will disperse from there. They will provide all necessary materials for the cleanup, including trash bags, gloves, high-visibility vests, and water. Participants should wear close-toed shoes and dress appropriately for the weather. All cleanups will occur in any weather, unless it is storming. Please feel free to stay for as much of the cleanup as you are able!

Cat Volunteer Orientation, March 11th from 2PM-3PM

Dog Volunteer Orientation, March 18th from 1PM-2PM

  • To volunteer with Memphis Animal Services, you’ll need to attend one of their volunteer orientations, designed specifically for the type of animal you want to volunteer with. Volunteers are needed to assist with enrichment activities, photography support to ensure they are as adoptable as possible, and more! 

Volunteer Orientation

  • March 14th from 3:30PM-4:30PM
  • Page Robbins Adult Day Center provides unique and uplifting daytime care for adults with memory loss, in a safe environment, while empowering and educating their caregivers and the community. At this volunteer orientation session you will learn more about Page Robbins and the exciting opportunities available to you as a volunteer. You will be able to take a tour, ask questions, and tell them more about you so that you can be best matched with roles that fit your interests.
A black dog wearing a bandana.
Serve Memphis This Month: Have a fun-filled day with a furry friend!

Foster Field Trips

  • Saturdays in February from 12PM to 3PM
  • You can volunteer with MAS from anywhere in Memphis. Help a shelter dog have the best day ever with a foster field trip. MAS will match you with a pup who is ready for a fun-filled adventure. You collect photos, videos, and information from your day to share with the world and help your field trip dog find a forever home. 

Office Volunteer

  • March 16th from 1PM-4PM
  • An afternoon in the Volunteer Odyssey office will consist of tasks like reviewing volunteer reflections, writing thank you notes to donors, researching ways to recruit volunteers, assisting with social media, and other tasks as needed or as your skills allow! This would be the perfect position for a stay-at-home parent who wants to get out of the house for a few hours or for a college-aged person who needs service hours and wants to learn more about the nonprofit sector.

Several bundles of sticks are sitting on a table in March.
Serve Memphis this March: Help Memphians cultivate local horticulture

Tennessee Tree Day

  • March 17th and 18th from 3PM-5PM
  • Join Clean Memphis, in partnership with the Tennessee Environmental Council, to help distribute trees for Tree Day! Each year Tennessee Tree Day engages thousands of volunteers in a fun, meaningful, family-friendly, event that results in multi-generational benefits to our environment, communities and public health. Over two days, they will distribute thousands of native trees to residents and community groups in Shelby County and the surrounding areas. Your help will be invaluable to them due to the scale of the project!

World Water Day

  • March 25th from 10AM-12PM
  • Celebrate World Water Day by volunteering to join Wolf River Conservancy in a pollution prevention cleanup along the Wolf River Harbor and the Wolf River Greenway at Mud Island! To prevent trash from washing into the Wolf River and its tributaries as water pollution, the WRC will be cleaning up littered locations along the Wolf River Greenway at Mud Island. World Water Day highlights the importance of our freshwater resources – our rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands, and aquifers.

Campus Clean Up

  • March 30th from 2PM to 5PM
  • For the Kingdom operates on a 100 acre campus where they host community events, school partners, and student camps and retreats. They are open year round therefore the campus endures a great deal of foot traffic. As a campus clean up volunteer you would be helping keep the campus beautiful by picking up trash, organizing outdoor spaces, and cleaning off their patios and porches. Join in on keeping FTK clean!

A courtroom serving Memphis with a large table and chairs.
Demand justice and fairness from our elected officials at a Court Watch Volunteer

Court Watch

  • Weekday Shifts from 9AM to 12PM
  • Just City works to transform local criminal justice policy and practice to ensure it is fair for all people regardless of wealth, race, or ethnicity. Their Court Watch program encourages transparency, accountability, and community participation in the courts. Just City knows that attendance creates pressure. They watch court proceedings in order to demand justice and fairness by our elected officials. Court watch invites community volunteers into courtrooms to observe proceedings that are typically invisible to the general public. Interested volunteers are required to attend orientation before sitting in on court. 

Campus Clean Up

  • March 30th from 2PM to 5PM
  • For the Kingdom operates on a 100 acre campus where they host community events, school partners, and student camps and retreats. They are open year round therefore the campus endures a great deal of foot traffic. As a campus clean up volunteer you would be helping keep the campus beautiful by picking up trash, organizing outdoor spaces, and cleaning off their patios and porches. Join in on keeping FTK clean!

Community Garden

  • Monday- Thursdays between 1PM and 5PM

Join the Carpenter Art Garden for their daily community programming. Their campus contains several areas of community garden, which requires some maintenance by volunteers! The produce is sold by their neighborhood interns and used in their cooking classes which allows kiddos from the neighborhood to learn how to cook and eat the fresh produce!

Make an Impact in Memphis Schools

Do you believe education is the key ingredient in improving the lives of children?

P.S. If you have a special skill, an unconventional schedule, or simply want a suggestion for where to get started, our team is here to help. Email Grace@volunteerodyssey.com for a personalized list of where to serve.

Guest post by Dannon Thornton, Volunteer Odyssey Director of Community Engagement

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