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A good question from a nice reader:

Does the Stranger staff have any suggestions for volunteering opportunities in the Seattle community? I'm really pretty clueless about where my rapidly atrophying skills can best be applied to repay some of the opportunities I enjoyed in my recently abandoned career. Some indication of merit/need/skills required would be great. I already know about the Rainier Valley Food Bank, Bailey-Boushay, and my neighborhood pocket park.

Sincerely,
Retiring and Curious

Off the tops of our heads:

Green Plate Special: "Do you have a green thumb? Can you cook well and show what you know? And do you love to work with middle school youth? Then Green Plate Special has many wonderful opportunities to help strengthen Seattle’s local farm-to-table movement and empower youth in the garden and kitchen!"

Reel Grrls: "We welcome Mentors with a wide variety of skills and experience, including specialized filmmaking skills such as cinematography, lighting, audio, editing, but also in youth development, media literacy, women's studies and media arts."

Northwest Harvest: "At our Cherry Street Food Bank, you’ll be sorting and distributing food to our clients. Some volunteers also make sandwiches for our sack lunch program. At our Kent Warehouse, you’ll be sorting food and repackaging bulk food into family sized portions for distribution to food banks and food programs. At our Special Events, you’ll be collecting donations, holding signs, and answering phones. With our Speaker’s Bureau, you’ll be speaking about the work and impact of Northwest Harvest." Oh, and this is happening today.

Sawhorse Revolution: "Sawhorse Revolution seeks to foster critical thought and a sense of self-reliance in Northwest individuals by providing holistic, hands-on education in construction, carpentry, and the trades... Sawhorse Revolution welcomes new students, volunteers and professionals, and is always looking for new partnerships and building projects." More here.

Treehouse: "Volunteers expand Treehouse’s ability to serve youth impacted by foster care by answering phones, helping with administrative projects, staffing program and fundraising events, sorting and tagging donations in the Wearhouse, helping youth shop for the perfect outfit, serving on the Board of Directors or a committee, and much more."

DESC: "Volunteers are at the heart of DESC's connection to the community. Last year, over 200 volunteers performed 10,000 hours of service. Volunteers help us in ways ranging from providing a resident or shelter guest a listening ear and a kind smile to nuts-and-bolts tasks—all of which support DESC in ending homelessness, one person at a time."

826 Seattle: "We love help. We pride ourselves on the wide variety of skills and experience in our volunteer pool. Most of our [nonprofit writing and tutoring center] programs occur during weekday mornings and afternoons, so we are often looking for volunteers available during those times. However, we do have needs for all kinds of assistance including (but not limited to) carpenters, web-site gurus, and accordion players."

There's so much out there, and so many people in need... what else can/should Retiring and Curious do, Slog?