Did you know… April is National Volunteer Month?
In this blog, co-host Michelle (from LA) shares her adventures volunteering in Nashville, TN!
There’s been lots of changes this past year… they didn’t call 2025 the year of the Wood Snake* for nothing! But, as Bonnie reminded me, “one of the best ways to make yourself feel happier is to help others.” And, Nashville, I am so happy to have experienced your (figurative) warmth and volunteer-spirit first hand!
Since my schedule was completely clear due to being FUN-employed** - I knew I wanted to try ALL the things–any new experience or outdoor activity. So, I went on the hunt to fill my “Be Useful” Bucket.
A few notes that provide context: I drove from LA and arrived right before the ice storm (!!), and I went to most of these volunteer opportunities by myself. I cannot stress enough how welcomed I felt and how nice and helpful people were. I never felt like an outsider and I bonded with so many different people that I would not ordinarily have contact with–and I am grateful for all the connections made!
Litter Pick Up - Old Fort Park in Murfreesboro with Jo from Outdoor Murfreesboro (1/21)
My first trash pick up! I met with Jo from Outdoor Murfreesboro and other volunteers at Old Fort Park in the Lytle Creek area. Jo provided gloves, a grabber tool, and a bucket with the direction that we would spread out (within sight of each other) and pick up any trash along the way. Sounds easy! I thought we would encounter maybe some cans, cigarette butts, plastic bottles, etc. In the end, our little group of 6 collected over 500 lbs pounds of trash!
Weirdest finds: 11 car/truck tires, a full container of Irish Spring bodywash, and waterlogged Apple wireless earbuds. For more info: https://www.murfreesborotn.gov/203/Outdoor-Murfreesboro
Kitchen Prep - Mercy Chefs (1/22, 1/29, 1/30, 2/05, 2/12)
Full transparency: my skills in the kitchen are basic. So I signed up for this opportunity to see if I could absorb any tips and tricks in the kitchen… and to live out a milder version of The Bear. Everyone here was SO welcoming, friendly, and kind!! Shout out to Lisa, Chef Rachel, Chef Trevea, and Chef Raleigh for making this one of the most enjoyable and educational experiences I’ve had in a kitchen.
I learned how to season vegetables (reiterating that I have basic kitchen skills), cut a honeydew, slice a pineapple, season chicken, bake biscuits, and come up with meal ideas. This experience truly provided insight to how physically rigorous this profession is. I kept completing over 10k steps in the 3-4 hour shift I did, but it was never noticeable because of how rewarding and fun it was. For more info: https://mercychefs.com/
Sort and Organize Art Supplies - Turnip Green with Brittany (2/03, 2/11)
I LOVE Turnip Green. One man’s trash is another man’s art project–and I wish there was something similar like this back in LA! The vibe was relaxed, and there were multiple tasks to complete. I was organizing the books, sorting yarn, and cutting and organizing fabric. My favorite was organizing the books–I found a book on Ecuador & a lovely cat coloring book. For more info: https://www.turnipgreencreativereuse.org/
Downtown Winter Canvassing with Kelly from Open Table Nashville (2/03)
Did you know that the warming shelters open when temperatures hit 32 degrees or below for more than 3 consecutive hours? I sure didn’t! So when winter was blasting Nashville with snow and ice, I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone and volunteer with Open Table Nashville.
During this volunteer activity, we went to South Broadway in groups and provided unhoused folks with supplies such as sleeping bags, blankets, beanies, gloves, food, or rides to the warming shelters. I felt a little uncomfortable scanning for people who were unhoused, but Kelly and the rest of the volunteers set me at ease with their knowledge and experience. The compassion and vulnerability everyone shared was eye opening and I am so happy to have been a part of that. For more info: https://www.opentablenashville.org/
Conexión Américas Food Distribution: Storm Response (2/04)
Where are my Latino people?! I needed to connect with my Latino roots, so I specifically sought out Conexión Américas, which is a non-profit that helps Latino families with finding community and economic programs. That day, we serviced the southeast area and we handed out hot food (delicious burritos!) and water to families affected by the ice storm. I don’t remember how many burritos we handed out, but it was great to see a great turnout and I got to practice my Spanish! The volunteers from this event really made my day–everyone was so friendly and made standing in the freezing weather so much fun. For more info: https://www.conexionamericas.org/what-you-can-do/volunteer-and-internship-opportunities/
Skechers Hot Chocolate Run (2/20)
I have to admit… I came to this volunteer opportunity with ulterior motives: hoping to either get a free entry to the 5K on 2/21 OR get free chocolate. I ended up with the latter–a win-win! It was fun running around from table to table, congratulating excited participants and providing them with their swag bag. I loved seeing how organized the event was, and the other volunteers were so friendly! Plus, I got to check out the new Nissan stadium and it is fancy. For more info:https://hotchocolate15k.com/city/nashville/
Invasive Plant Removal - Friends of Shelby with CD (2/24)
Listen, I do NOT have a green thumb so I figured “plant removal” might have been best for my wheelhouse. Turns out, it’s a great exercise! CD from Friends of Shelby led us to an area off the trail, and was thorough in explaining how to identify the invasive plants and how to go about removing them. We focused on 2 main types: bush honeysuckle and privets. Both grow well in the winter, which causes them to crowd + block sunlight to the actual native plants–but that also means it was relatively easier to identify! I was not comfortable with the sharp loppers and definitely not the weed wrench/root puller, so I put on a sturdy pair of gloves and pulled the weeds by hand. I felt like I kept asking lots of questions before making the pull–but with CD’s knowledge and the support of the other volunteers, I felt encouraged and comfortable with identifying the pesky plants! For more info:https://www.friendsofshelby.org/volunteer
Storm Clean Up - Friends of Radnor Lake with Ranger Steve (2/25)
Bonnie took me to Radnor Lake State Park last year and l remembered how beautiful and serene it was… come to find out, they closed to the public on 1/25 due to extensive damage from the ice storm. So, since I was fresh off helping Friends of Shelby Bottoms, I thought I would help out Friends of Radnor!
When I arrived, they had a room ready with gloves, volunteer shirts, and a presentation. The ranger talked about how the park closed because it was so dangerous–the trees that fell down uprooted huge chunks of the trails or created “widowmakers” which are broken/severed tree limbs suspended in the canopy that could be fatal as an unpredictable falling hazard to people walking below. Our project was to help rebuild the trails so that it could be safe for hikers. In our group of 5, we were given a shovel, a pick, a hand saw, a lopper, and a digging bar. Once equipped, we heigh-ho’d our way to the trail to dislodge the dirt from the rootball, pack it back into the trail, and create a smooth, gently elevated surface. It was all hands on deck! Those with experience helped others (like me) figure out all these foreign tools and with a hawk as foreman, we were done in a few hours! For more info: https://radnorlake.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Warehouse Sorting - Soles4Souls with Shawn and Daniel (2/26)
Not going to lie–I was hoping to scope out a few coffee places in Berry Hill, so I chose this volunteer opportunity because I was already going to be in the area. When I arrived, Daniel introduced me to the organization and explained what we were going to do. This organization receives shoe donations and disperses them to communities in need. There were SO many donations and it was anywhere from gently used shoes to brand new in the box! The task was to make sure the pairs got into the same boxes and recycle the cardboard boxes/bag they come in. Since I was the only one that morning, he gave me full control of the music–and once I had the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch blasting, I was ready to go!
Fun fact: I felt bad when I couldn’t find the sole-mate (get it)...and when I mentioned this to Shawn, he said that the organization works with amputees to get these donated to them! For more info: https://soles4souls.org/
Community Orchard Tree Pruning at Mill Ridge Park with Katherine from Friends of Mill Ridge (3/05)
For some reason, I’ve been wanting to get a bonsai tree and learn to heal and meditate through cultivating it… but did you know they can grow to be over 100 years old?! Since I do not have time for that kind of commitment, I decided to learn how to prune first at the community orchard with Friends of Mill Ridge Park.
This event made it to MeetUp! Suresh and I joined the group of 6 other volunteers to learn how to prune the apple and peach trees before the season. The directive was to cut the watersprouts at the base of the branch (lovingly referred to as the turkey neck), but not too many because the trees can get stressed and produce more watersprouts (relatable!). It was very fun but hard work, so during our break, very passionate reps talked about the community orchard, pawpaw fruits and serviceberries–things I must try when I visit again! For more info:https://www.friendsofmillridgepark.org/
12th Annual Weed Wrangle - With CD from Friends of Shelby (3/07)
Another MeetUp! This time, I was ready to pull those pesky bush honeysuckle and privet plants. This event brought so many volunteers, and it was wonderful to see the amount of surface space we cleared! I felt much more comfortable using loppers this time, and CD did a great job explaining what we were there to do and how to extract them using other fancier tools. It was such a great event and I was so happy to use the skills I learned from the prior weed pulling. For more info: https://www.weedwrangle.org/
All of this to say… Happy National Volunteer Month, Nashville! After 55 hours, I am thankful for all the friendly faces, new adventures, and new skills learned along the way. Thank you for the opportunity to help!