5 Ways to Volunteer This Summer

Gaby Jones, Managing Editor|May 17, 2022

There are many local spots to volunteer in Tampa. Compiled here are a few resources to facilitate easy access to service opportunities.

Whether you need service hours or just want to devote your time to giving back to the community this summer, here are a few Tampa-based options that are all accepted by Bright Futures.

OASIS (Outreach Assisting Students in Schools): OASIS is a volunteer-based organization that works to serve both at-risk and low-income students in Hillsborough County Schools by providing them with clothes, shoes, hygiene items etc.

As a Teen Volunteer you can…

Pick up donations

Sort through donations
Launder Clothes

How to Volunteer: https://www.oasisopportunities.org/volunteer#form

Trinity Café: Under Feeding Tampa Bay, Trinity Café is a free, full-service restaurant that provides those in need of a nice meal with precisely that. They are open 365 days a year.

As a Teen Volunteer (Minimum age 16 without an adult) you can…

Assume the role of “wait staff”

Serving tables
Bussing tables
Hosting tables

Assist in the outdoor drive-thru distribution

How to Volunteer: https://volunteer.feedingtampabay.org/trinity-cafe

Feeding Tampa Bay (Warehouse and Mega/Mobile Pantries): These facets of Feeding Tampa Bay are what assist in their fight to end hunger. They provide food to more than 1 million food-insecure families in the region and bring nutritious foods to food deserts.

As a Teen Volunteer (Minimum age 16 without an adult) you can…

Help inspect perishable and nonperishable items
Package usable food into boxes
Set up and breakdown the mobile pantry sites
Direct traffic and hand out food at pantry sites

How to Volunteer: https://feedingtampabay.org/volunteer

Tampa Bay Watch: Tampa Bay Watch is a restoration organization with the goal of preserving the watershed of Tampa Bay’s bodies of water. They host community-drive restoration projects, education programs and outreach initiatives.

As a Teen Volunteer you can…

Take part in cleanups
Take part in plantings

Sign up for their Bright Futures program that offers one project per week during the summer
Oyster Reef Ball Construction (Minimum age 15)

How to Volunteer: https://tampabaywatch.org/volunteer-main/volunteer-faqs/

Sweetwater Organic Community Farm: The community farm is a nonprofit community-supported urban organic farm and environmental education center located in Tampa.

As a Teen Volunteer (Minimum age 16 without an adult) you can…