Best Places to Volunteer in Flint, MI

Suppose you’re looking for a nonprofit organization in Flint, Michigan, to volunteer or intern. You might be a resident looking to add some charity work to their daily routine or a visitor who wants to know the best places to volunteer whenever visiting the city. Regardless of the category you belong to, the good news is that Flint has hundreds of nonprofits you can volunteer in. Whether you want to donate your money or time, you won’t be short of options. Here are six of the best places to volunteer in the city and make an impact on the community:

Flint River Watershed Coalition

Image via Unsplash by Elissa Garcia

Flint River Watershed Coalition (FRWC) is the leading community-based advocate for clean water in Flint. The organization works to promote and protect a clean river ecosystem here through collaborative problem solving, environmental education, and cooperative interrelations between participants in programs and activities.

The Flint River Watershed Coalition operates on four major principles: community health, ecosystem health, economic health, and education/recreation. Located at 1300 Bluff St., Suite 114, Flint, the coalition aims at promoting the cleanest water for the entire city. FRWC accepts donations from the community and also offers hundreds of volunteer opportunities.

For instance, the organization holds the annual Flint River and Community cleanup. Its main purpose is to clean selected sites along the Flint River to improve its overall appearance and ecology. FRWC requires 200 to 300 volunteers to help on this day alone.

Genesee County Habitat for Humanity

The Genesee County Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1990, and its main purpose is to bring people together to build hope, homes, and communities for those in need. Located at 101 Burton St., Flint, the organization has built or renovated over 152 homes. The organization is dedicated to alleviating rundown housing and homelessness in Flint and worldwide by constructing houses for the poor in more than 100 countries. There are many opportunities to volunteer here, either part-time if you’re looking for a summer commitment or a full-time program if you’re a resident of the area.

You can also encourage homeless people to become volunteers for this organization. Suppose you know a homeless person who can offer their time and needs housing. In that case, their income must be within the 30% to 60% range of the annual median income right here in Genesee County, and they must agree to work for over 250 volunteer hours before moving into their new house. Helping other homeless people own their houses this way is a fulfilling task indeed.

Food Bank of Eastern Michigan

Located at 2300 Lapeer Road, Flint, the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan was founded in 1981 to become a food source for those in need. This nonprofit organization works to alleviate hunger and other needs for the residents of Flint by soliciting, storing, and distributing food items to charitable agencies serving the less fortunate, ill, and infants.

As the name suggests, the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan mainly services the eastern part of Michigan, from Genesee County. If you’re looking for volunteering opportunities in Flint, you’d be glad to learn that the Food Bank has plenty of them.

For instance, you can volunteer to package and transport the food from the Food Bank to needy families or distribute food in schools.

Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation is a nonprofit organization that aims to help the residents of Flint and the organizations that have contributed to its ever-growing economy. The organization has a foundation-administered project that aims at advancing after-school technical assistance.

Located at 503 S. Saginaw St., Suite 1200 Flint, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation is on the front lines to help increase access to high-quality after-school programs that will support the success of children and youth in Flint and surrounding areas. In the wake of the Flint water crisis, this organization has expanded its efforts to better the lives of its residents.

The foundation is also fighting for a just, equitable, and sustainable society in Flint. With its environmental program, the Charles Stewart organization has also helped plant hundreds of trees in Flint to protect water sources. Every year, the organization presents the community with plenty of volunteer opportunities. You can volunteer as an educator and motivational speaker for the children and youth in the area or plant trees around the city.

Greater Flint Arts Council

Greater Flint Arts Council is an organization that utilizes a network of nonprofit organizations to distribute small arts and cultural project grants commonly known as Minigrants. The organization’s main purpose is to advocate for increased artistic and cultural enrichment for Flint, predominantly an ethnically diverse community.

The best part is that every Regional Regranting agency operates within its service area, composed of several counties. The Greater Flint Arts Council mainly represents Lapeer, Genesee, and Shiawassee Counties.

The organization is rich in information about arts and cultural opportunities. This is because all the educational, cultural, and arts agencies in greater Flint usually inform the organization about the events and cultural programs.

Located at 816 S. Saginaw St., the Greater Flint Arts Council relies mainly on volunteers to produce three annual festivals and 12 second Friday Artwalks each year. Therefore, if you’re looking for volunteering opportunities, you can always choose to get involved in organizing some of these events or other specific tasks.

Metro Housing Partnership Inc

Located at 1174 Robert T. Longway Blvd., Metro Housing Partnership Inc., is committed to expanding and enhancing quality housing, community initiatives, and a partnership for Flint and Genesee County residents. This organization acquired a partnership interest in Metawaneenee Hills Limited Partnership for the sake of building high-quality and affordable housing opportunities for low and moderate-income families in the region. The organization usually has hundreds of volunteer opportunities to help construct houses for the homeless and many needy families here in Flint and Genesee County.

So there you have it. Our experts at Applegate Chevrolet just informed you of the six best places to volunteer in Flint, Michigan. Did you find our list satisfactory? Did we miss a favorite organization of yours—one that Flint residents and visitors love to volunteer? If we did, let us know! Contact us today and we’ll be sure to add it to our list.