It’s no secret that there’s a loneliness epidemic in America.  In 2021, Harvard found that at least 36% of American adults feel “serious loneliness.” That includes 61% of people aged 18-25 and 51% of mothers of young children. And those numbers have definitely risen due to the COVID-19 — 43% of respondents reported feeling increasingly lonely during the pandemic. 

Getting involved in your community and helping others can help cure feelings of isolation. It can help you feel a sense of purpose in something greater than yourself. And working with others to get a larger task done always helps build camaraderie and a sense of community. 

A 2019 study suggests that doing moral good deeds for others can help improve our moods, help us feel more grateful, relieve anger, and feel less isolated. The study found that even though taking time to care for ourselves can boost our moods, only helping others helps boost other feelings like gratitude. 

Venn works hard to create communities where neighbors feel a sense of belonging and responsibility to help one another out. 

“For a long time we studied different models of communities in neighborhoods,” said Chen Avni, Venn co-founder. “We saw a clear common characteristic of thriving neighborhoods — the neighbors in it feel involved and take responsibility for life in the neighborhood. This leads to a growing sense of belonging that reinforces the sense of involvement and so on. It’s like a flying wheel.”

When neighbors feel connected to their neighborhood, they’re more likely to help out and get involved — and vice-versa. 

Avni shares that he’s seen Venn Neighbors help out in their communities in both small and big ways. Neighbors have taught teenagers how to code, set up food stockpiles during the peak of COVID, and help nonprofits in their community. 

“I must say that the big actions are very impressive and sometimes it is difficult to grasp the level of involvement of people, but what excites me especially is the small gestures as neighbors meet people and help others [such as single mothers or veterans],” Avni comments.

Here a few ways you can get involved in your community without taking on a large time commitment or becoming overwhelmed:

Check your library for opportunities

Your local library is a great place to start for volunteer opportunities. You may be able to volunteer as a tutor to students, or help senior citizens use computers and other technology. Many libraries are also becoming community hubs during the pandemic, helping to administer COVID-19 tests, masks, and other supplies. See if your library needs your help!

Volunteer at a food bank

Look up your local food bank and see if they need any volunteers. They may just need more donations, in which case you can organize a drive in your neighborhood. Make a flier or post in an online group that you’re collecting donations for the food bank. Who knows, somebody might want to chip in and help!

Help a neighbor with groceries

If you know of any older or home-bound neighbors in your community, don’t hesitate to reach out to them and see if they need anything. Offer to shovel snow in the winter or mow their lawn in the summer. They may also need help getting basic necessities like groceries or medication. If you don’t feel comfortable knocking on the door, you can always leave a note with your contact information. 

Find opportunities online

No matter what your skill set is, there are people out there who need help. You can use Facebook and other social media websites to find opportunities. Or try Idealist.org to find organizations in your area that need volunteers. Sometimes organizations will seek volunteers for a specific event, which is a great way to dip your toes in without a regular time commitment.