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25 volunteer opportunities in Tampa Bay

This guide will help you give back to the Tampa Bay area, including outdoor spots, veteran assistance, and mental health aid.

A close-up of a water bottle on the beach. Someone is picking it up and putting it in a trash bag.

You can keep our Tampa Bay area beautiful.

Table of Contents

Maybe you have some extra time on your hands, or maybe you’re just in the giving spirit. All we know is there are more than enough great causes in the Tampa Bay area to support with your time.

Whether you’re an animal lover, an artsy type, a natural mentor, or a healthcare enthusiast — there’s a volunteer opportunity near you. Here are 25 ways to get involved in TBAY:

If you love the outdoors

  • Keep Pinellas Beautiful | Sign up for cleanups at spots like Clearwater Beach and the Intracoastal, take part in a garden workday, become an ambassador, or Adopt-a-Mile.
  • Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful | Take part in the After Gasparilla Clean Up, Great Port Clean Up, or Hillsborough River Coastal Clean Up as a volunteer.
  • Tampa Bay Estuary Program | Clean and restore parks in our area by removing exotic vegetation and creating living shorelines.
  • Tampa Bay Watch | Build oyster reef balls, clean up fishing lines, or sign your high schooler up for a summer service program.
  • Tampa Bay Waterkeeper | Become an outreach and education ambassador, help patrol water quality, and report pollution, and endangered wildlife.

Natural-born teachers and mentors

Support the vulnerable

  • Crisis Center of Tampa Bay | Listen, support, and connect to people who could use a friend or community.
  • IDEA Exchange | Reduce the spread of harmful diseases among the vulnerable by providing clean syringes in exchange for used ones.
  • NAMI | Join the NAMI team and help families, friends, and individuals whose lives have been affected by mental illness.
  • The Life Center of the Suncoast | Help with counseling, events, and grief support groups.
Volunteers work at IDEA Exchange. They are sat a table with laptops.

IDEA Exchange uses a harm reduction philosphy.

Photo via IDEA Exchange

If you’re an animal lover

  • Friends of Strays Animal Shelter | Sign up from Jan. 1, 2024 to volunteer at this shelter to care + find homes for its furry residents.
  • SPCA Tampa Bay | Commit three hours per week to become an SPCA volunteer, after completing online registration requirements.
  • The Humane Society of Tampa Bay | Assist as a volunteer with in-taking and handling animals, adoptions, animal education, and special events.

For the old souls

For the handy individuals

Habitat for Humanity workers are putting up a house. People are wearing hard hats and raising a wall.

Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976.

Supporters of veterans

If you want to help your neighbors in need

  • Home Makers of Hope | Volunteer for pickups, home visits, warehouse duties, or donate some of your household goods for families struggling with poverty.
  • Meals on Wheels of Tampa | Drive delivery routes and provide your neighbors with a hot meal + positive interaction.
  • St. Luke’s United Methodist Church | Bring dried goods or other foodstuffs to help keep your neighbors well-fed at the weekly Central Oak Park Church’s drive-thru food pantry.

City Guides are presented by Water Street Tampa.

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