With uncertainty around SNAP benefits flooding our newsfeeds, we’re seeing more and more people looking for ways to help neighbors facing food insecurity. In fact, Google Trends show an all-time high in searches for volunteer opportunities at food banks. It’s a sign that neighbors are eager to step up for one another.
In moments like these, local action becomes more important than ever. And one of the easiest ways to start is by using your Ways to Connect community page to find a path to helping locally. This might mean volunteering with a food bank, joining a mutual aid network, or stocking a Little Free Pantry in your neighborhood.
Explore Your Community Page
Every Ways to Connect community page brings together local resources and organizations that make it easier to get involved. Take Morgantown, WV as an example. On its community page, you’ll find everything from volunteer platforms like VolunteerMPC, which has filters for “Food Insecurity & Hunger” opportunities, to grassroots groups distributing recovered food in the community.
If you’re looking to help fight hunger locally, explore the volunteering websites, prominent local organizations, and mutual aid groups listed on your own community page.
Use Volunteer Websites to Find Food & Hunger Opportunities
Local volunteer-matching websites are a great starting point. Many of them allow you to filter by cause area, so you can quickly find opportunities related to “Food,” “Hunger,” “Meal Delivery,” or “Nutrition.”
Maybe you want to help pack boxes for a local pantry, deliver groceries to homebound neighbors, or serve meals at a community kitchen. These platforms make it easy to find where your time is most needed and sign up for shifts.
Connect Directly with Local Organizations Fighting Food Insecurity
Many impactful hunger-relief efforts happen through local nonprofits that may not appear on volunteer websites. These could include small or large organizations running food banks, school pantries, and community meal programs.
For example, Pantry Plus More in Morgantown mobilizes students, educators, and volunteers to make sure children have access to nutritious food all year long. Other community pages might feature regional food banks, Meals on Wheels, etc.
Organizations listed under “Prominent Organizations” on a Ways to Connect page rely on interested volunteers to check out opportunities listed on their website or to reach out to them directly.
Find Mutual Aid & Grassroots Groups
Not all hunger support happens through formal nonprofits. Many communities and neighborhoods also have mutual aid groups – informal networks of neighbors helping neighbors. These groups might coordinate grocery deliveries, share resources through Facebook, or organize community potlucks for those who need a meal and some company.
Ways to Connect community pages often include listings for mutual aid or grassroots efforts that you might not find through a standard search. These networks are quick, flexible, and deeply personal. They remind us that making a difference doesn’t always start with an organization. Sometimes, it’s as simple as showing up for each other.
A Simple, Everyday Way to Help: Little Free Pantries
Another hyper-local way to make a difference is through the Little Free Pantry movement: small outdoor boxes stocked with nonperishable food and essentials that operate on a “take what you need, give what you can” basis.
Little Free Pantries are a zero-barrier option for anyone facing food insecurity. They’re also a simple, low-commitment entry point for those who want to help. You can find nearby boxes using the Little Free Pantry map, donate items like canned goods or hygiene products, or even start one yourself with a neighbor, business, or faith group.
It’s a powerful reminder that small actions, stocking a few cans or checking in on a pantry down the street, can ripple outward into something much bigger.
Start Where You Are
The uncertainty around food assistance is daunting. Still, every small act of kindness, stocked pantry, and delivered meal strengthens the web that connects us all together. Whether you have ten minutes or ten hours to give, there’s a way to support your neighbors this week.
- Visit your local Ways to Connect community page
- Explore volunteer websites for “Food & Hunger” opportunities
- Connect with grassroots and mutual aid groups supporting neighbors
- Check the map for a Little Free Pantry near you
Know about a local food pantry, meal program, or grassroots group that isn’t listed on your community page yet? You can help by contributing your knowledge. Every new resource strengthens the network and helps more people find ways to give and receive support.
Did you find a volunteer opportunity through Ways to Connect? Let us know!
