Impactful Volunteer Opportunities for Seniors in the Woodland Hills Community
March 11, 2025Retirement may be one of the most eagerly anticipated milestones in adulthood. Some envision leisurely days dotted with tee times, lunch dates with friends and afternoon get-togethers to play mahjong or bridge. Others look forward to more time with family, especially if they have grandchildren. And some plan to see more of the world once they have the time.
While some retirees embrace a slower pace of life, others can find it challenging to adapt — particularly those who live alone, have no family nearby and a small circle of friends. Some may eventually feel as though they’ve lost their sense of purpose.
Fortunately, there’s something nearly all of us can do, regardless of age, to make a difference and feel better about ourselves while we’re at it.
Volunteering Can Change (and Maybe Even Save!) Your Life
Although some people take solitude in stride and may savor having time alone, not everyone does. Eventually, feelings of loneliness or isolation can set in. For older adults, this can increase their risk of:
- Anxiety
- Dementia
- Depression
- Heart disease
- Premature death
- Stroke
- Suicide
We’ve written about the health benefits of connecting with others in our blog post on the importance of friendship.
How Do You Get Started?
If you’re looking for volunteer opportunities, Los Angeles offers a multitude — including plenty in and around Woodland Hills. One way to find choices in your vicinity that appeal to your specific interests is to do an online volunteer search on sites like L.A. Works or Volunteer Match.
Both of those sites are designed to help you quickly zero in on a distinctive set of volunteer organizations and activities. If you want a broader range of ideas for volunteering, you could try a more generalized online search using words like “volunteer Los Angeles.” (Substitute the name of your city if you want to keep the results closer to home).
Another way to find out about volunteer opportunities in your area is to ask at your place of worship, a nearby school or hospital, or the local community center or senior center. In Los Angeles, volunteer opportunities are abundant — but with a little research you can find them no matter where you live.
Volunteer Organizations Serving the Woodland Hills Area and Beyond
Many residents here at The Variel volunteer their time and energy. Below are several options, like the food bank in Woodland Hills, that seniors in this area might want to consider.
- For Goodness Cakes — volunteers in this nonprofit organization’s “Sprinkle Squad” bake and deliver birthday and graduation cakes to other nonprofit agencies that work with children and young adults in, or transitioning out of, foster care.
- Los Angeles Public Library — offers options such as one-on-one and walk-in tutoring, including virtual sessions, for volunteers to help adults learn to read and write; you can use the site to find library branches near you.
- Operation Gratitude — an L.A.-based nonprofit whose mission is to thank and honor military and first responder communities through “hands-on volunteerism.” Anyone can volunteer from anywhere to write a letter or craft a handmade item to include in care packages sent to deployed troops, veterans, wounded heroes and others.
- Reading to Kids — a grassroots organization dedicated to inspiring a love of reading in underserved children to enrich their lives and increase their opportunities for success in the future.
- Rescue Me Corp. — a nonprofit corporation in Woodland Hills dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, re-homing and training dogs, cats, birds, pot-bellied pigs, pygmy goats and other animals.
- West Valley Food Pantry — works to end hunger in the San Fernando Valley by providing food and supporting services for individuals and families in need.
Why Does Volunteering Make Us Feel Good?
From an altruistic point of view, just knowing that we’re helping others can give us those warm and fuzzy feelings, even if we never get to see the end result of our effort.
According to this article by Mayo Clinic, volunteering releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter sometimes called the “happy hormone.” This release of dopamine reduces stress and helps us feel relaxed.
The article notes that research has shown volunteering provides both physical and mental health benefits for adults age 60 and older. And, people who volunteer have lower mortality rates when compared with those who don’t.
Volunteering Has Other Benefits, Too
As the Mayo Clinic article mentions, volunteers often gain a sense of purpose from the work they do, particularly if that work is in an area that holds meaning for them. Seniors who volunteer “experience greater increases in life satisfaction and self-esteem,” the authors of the article point out.
Those who are looking for ways to form new friendships will find that volunteering gives them a chance to meet people who share their interests, whether it’s working with children to improve their learning skills, helping people within the community who’ve hit a rough patch or spending the afternoon giving love to animals in a shelter.
Want To Learn More About The Variel?
If you’re interested in finding out more about our community, whether for yourself or someone dear to you, we’d be happy to show you around. We offer two quick and easy ways to request an appointment: You can fill out our brief contact form or call us at 818.651.0168.
Featured Image: PeopleImages.com – Yuri A / Shutterstock