Volunteering fulfills the promise of unity within families, social circles and larger communities across the commonwealth.

“You’re doing good for others while you’re doing good for yourself,” said Samantha Jo Warfield, spokesperson for AmeriCorps. “You don’t have to choose one or the other.”

Warfield shared that Pennsylvanians involved in volunteering tallied 3.5 million in 2018, contributing 341 million hours of services, worth $8.2 billion, to the project communities.

She suggests individuals and families consider volunteering in the 2020 holiday season, whether by reaching out to a local organization or through ideas of their own.

Warfield says checking in on elderly or disabled members of the neighborhood or community, picking up trash along the streets or in local parks and sending cards or letters to residents in assisted-living communities in the area are all great, safe options for service.

She says these activities can bring unity in families during the winter season and into the new year.

“Maybe your family used to have a football game before the Thanksgiving meal, but now they’re spread across the state. Make volunteering your pre-meal ‘event’ this year,” says Warfield.