Community Service Ideas for 4-H & Youth

Participating in community service projects is a powerful way for youth to gain the skills they need to be prepared to lead. Some leadership skills youth gain through service include confidence, critical thinking, organization, public speaking, emotional intelligence, the power of action and empathy. In addition, youth can gain career skills through service. Some of the skills employers are looking for are the same ones gained by completing a community service project: communication skills, teamwork and budgeting.

Lancaster County 4-H recognizes community service efforts with awards and funding opportunities. See Awards & Scholarships.

Nebraska 4-H Community Service Resources

Looking for inspiration? Here are more than 300 community service ideas!

CATEGORIES:
General Ideas | On the Calendar | Children Family & Friends | Safety | Crime Fighting | Health | School Activities | Government | Helping the Hungry and/or Homeless | For Those With Special Needs | Neighborhood Enhancement | Performing Arts & Sports | The Environment | Senior Citizens | Helping Animals

GENERAL IDEAS:

Set up a Help-O-Meter to keep track of the number of hours youth volunteer in the community.
Organize a recognition program for the volunteers who lead community organizations.
Work in a concession stand to raise money for a good cause.
Make a gift for the staff of a non-profit you support or associate with.
Offer to take photos during an event and donate them to the event organizers.
Volunteer to be a museum guide.
Plan a Cultural Appreciation Day, where you learn about different cultures and teach others about your own.
Design a campaign to promote tolerance and inclusion.
Volunteer at a health fair.
Volunteer to do office work at a local non-profit agency.
Volunteer to help led a youth club.
Share a talent through teaching a class.
Run or walk in a charity race with friends.
Stage a carnival or block party to promote community spirit.
Practice random acts of kindness.
Organize an exchange between rural and urban individuals to build connections and collaborations.
Volunteer at charity auctions.
Donate your talents or creations to a charity auction.
Hold a used book sale or garage sale and donate the money to a favorite charity.
Write letters to members of the military deployed overseas.

ON THE CALENDAR:

On Johnny Appleseed Day in March, deliver apples to homeless shelters or food banks.
During National Nutrition month in March, organize a nutrition awareness campaign.
Participate in “National Youth Service Day” in April.
Conduct an Easter Egg Hunt for underserved children.
Deliver a May Day basket to a friend, neighbor or family member.
Make a card for your parent/guardian and give them a chore-free day.
On “International Picnic Day” in May, take your family or friends on a picnic.
Plan a special awareness event during “Be Kind to Animals Week” in May.
Make spring baskets for seniors’ residential facility, neighbors or homeless shelters.
Plan a Memorial Day program.
Pick up a trail during National Trail Day in June.
Offer a fireworks-safety workshop before July 4th.
During July on “National Cheer-Up Day,” share a smile and cheer someone up.
July is Anti-Boredom Month. Help your friends fight boredom by becoming active community volunteers.
Conduct a community service project during the Big Help Day in October.
Arrange or volunteer at a free trunk-or-treat for an underserved community.
Offer safety tips for youth during Halloween.
Recognize veterans in your community for Veterans Day.
Bake bread on National Bread Day in November and deliver to your neighbors, a friend or people in need.
On Thanksgiving, make sure your family knows what you are thankful for.
Organize a coat drive for new/used coats to donate to people in need before the weather turns cold.
Set up a “Mitten Christmas Tree” to donate mittens to local schools and homeless shelters.
Decorate a Christmas tree at a nursing home, hospital, school or homeless shelter.

CHILDREN, FAMILY & FRIENDS:

Surprise your parent(s) or neighbors and offer to babysit for a sibling, relative or friend.
Design a game for young children.
Check on either a younger student or an elderly person after school.
Read aloud to a younger or older neighbor.
Make simple reading and math flash cards for a preschool or day care center.
Cheer up a friend or family member who isn’t feeling well with a visit or phone call.
Grow fresh flowers and deliver them to someone to brighten their day.
Celebrate a birthday by asking friends to donate items for a cause you care about instead of giving you a gift.
Become pen pals with a younger person or someone from another country.
Knit, crochet or quilt baby blankets.
Assemble a new parent’s kit for the arrival of a newborn.
Make a mural, plaque or quilt to commemorate people who have died from a terminal disease.
Write a children’s book author and ask them to donate signed copies, auction the books off and donate the money to local library.
Collect old stuffed animals and dolls and clean, repair and donate them.
Gather gently used toys, baby supplies and baby clothes to donate to families in need.
Organize a free babysitting service with your friends for single parents and families in need.
Collect used clothes and donate them for a dress-up area at a daycare.
Write or make a picture book to read to a younger child.
Organize a reading hour for younger children at your local school or library.

SAFETY:

Take a first-aid class.
Create a play or short film that teaches young children how to stay safe at home.
Promote after-school safety tips online.
Ask your parents to help you advocate for your town to fix dangerous intersections.
Conduct a bicycle rodeo to help children learn bicycle safety.
Create a poison awareness campaign.
Ask your fire department how you can help others learn about fire safety.
Make emergency preparedness kits for your home.
Distribute instructions on how to make emergency preparedness kits to your community.
Create a holiday safety website or social media post.
Campaign for mental health awareness and suicide prevention for teens.
Organize an internet safety campaign.
Contact your police department and ask how you can volunteer for them.
Become a certified lifeguard.
If you’re good at fixing bikes, volunteer to teach others how to fix theirs.
Conduct bike safety checks for your neighborhood.
Organize a information campaign about the dangers of texting while driving and distracted driving.
Write a proposal for a sports safety clinic to your coach and school officials.

CRIME FIGHTHING:

Start or join a neighborhood watch program.
Join a community crime prevention organization.
Work with local government to start or support a victim’s aid support service.
Ask to paint over illegal graffiti.
Organize a personal safety workshop.
Create a place for legal graffiti, allow people to paint sections.
Produce an anti-crime, anti-drug, anti-violence short film or play.
Create and distribute a list of hotlines for people who might need help.

HEALTH

Organize a drug-free pledge campaign.
Sponsor a no-screens day.
Start a Healthy Habits club promoting healthier habits.
Create web or social media content about the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol.
Start an anti-smoking and vaping campaign that encourages youth not to smoke.
Start a step-goal competition with you family, friends or school and see who can take the most steps in a week!
Make and give out sleep diaries to help others improve their sleep.
Organize an informational campaign about the effects of social media on mental health and how to unplug.
Learn about an issue that is effecting public health in your area and how you can help.

SCHOOL ACTIVITIES:

Ask to paint a mural at your school.
Volunteer at an after-school program for younger children.
Volunteer to be a teacher’s aide during a free period.
Collect small gift certificates for students who show progress in school work.
Organize a “get acquainted” lunch to make new friends at your school.
Set up a buddy system to match new students with a classmate to help them get settled and make friends.
Tutor students who are learning English as a second language.
Tutor a student that needs help in a subject you’re great at.
Form a study group to help younger kids with their school work.
Feature community-minded people on a school bulletin board.
Make new-kid-survival kits for new students at the school.
Ask your administration to invite local police officers to present a safety assembly.
In art class, make drawings and decorations for senior citizens.
Organize a drive for school supplies and books for children in need.
Volunteer for student council and school government committees.
Conduct a canned goods drive during a school event and donate the items to a local food bank.
Arrange for student music performances during lunch.
Provide child care during a PTA or PTO meeting.
Ask your school’s administration to conduct a seat belt check as students leave the parking lot.
Organize a safe walk or bike to school event.
Recognize teachers during National Education Week.
Volunteer to be part of a school flag-raising ceremony.
Set up a volunteer referral service between your school or organization and other community organizations.
Inspect school playgrounds and report any potential hazards.
Start an anti-bullying campaign at your school.
Ask your administration to bring therapy animals to school during stressful times, such as finals week.

GOVERNMENT:

Call or text your friends and members of your community to encourage them to register to vote.
Spread information on social media about when, where and how to register to vote.
Provide voter pick-up or transportation service for seniors.
Campaign for a candidate who is running for office.
Contact your juvenile court system. Find out if they have a “Kids in Court” program to match older kids who have been in court as abuse victims with younger kids who are facing a court experience.
Go door to door to register votes.
Volunteer at the polls on election day — some states allow 16- and 17-year-olds to volunteer.
Go to a town hall or other public forum to voice your opinion to your representatives. Bring your friends or family along!
Start or join a peaceful protest at a government building for a cause you care about. Pass out water and snacks.
Write a letter to your local, state and federal representatives, telling them your opinion.
Start or join a letter writing campaign for a cause you care about.
Ask your school’s administration to host a mock election.
Apply for a youth legislature in your district and learn about the legislative process.

HELPING THE HUNGRY AND/OR HOMELESS:

Help prepare and/or serve a meal at homeless shelter.
Conduct a clothing repair workshop to repair clothes for people in need.
Make “I Care” kits with combs, toothbrushes, shampoo, etc. for homeless people.
Make feminine-hygiene kits with menstrual products, hair ties, wet wipes, etc. for women’s shelters.
Collect unopened or gently used (check with your local shelter) make-up, perfume and other cosmetics for a women’s shelter.
Donate old eyeglasses to an organization that recycles them for those in need.
Donate art supplies to children in a shelter.
Make a care package with mittens, socks, T-shirts, etc. for a child at a shelter.
Make a winter-care kits with warm socks, thermal underwear, hats, scarves, etc. for a homeless shelter.
Pack and hand out food at a food bank.
Prepare easy meals and deliver them to homeless or homebound people.
Organize a neighborhood group to plant, tend and harvest a garden and donate the produce to a food bank.
Sponsor a food drive at your school or parent’s workplace or business.
Prepare a home-cooked meal for the residents of a nearby homeless shelter.
Bake a batch of cookies and deliver them to a soup kitchen or homeless shelter.
Assist with sorting and organizing items donated to a homeless shelter.
Assist in a shelter day-care room, taking care of children while parents seek employment.
Make first-aid kits for homeless shelters.
Contact a homeless shelter in your community and see if you can volunteer at their reading center or help them start one.
Call a local shelter and ask what they need donated the most and then start a drive to collect those items.
Volunteer with a program that pairs at-risk youth with teen or adult mentors.
Volunteer with an organization that supports low income housing or housing placements for the unhoused.
Volunteer at job training and placement centers in your community.

FOR THOSE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS:

Volunteer to help at a Special Olympics event.
Set up a buddy system for kids with special needs at your school.
Raise money for Braille or large print books for blind or visually impaired people.
Volunteer at an agency that works with children with disabilities.
Volunteer to read aloud to a person who is visually impaired.
Make gifts or donate toys with friends for kids in the hospital.
Work with disabled kids on an art project.
Build a ramp for a person in a wheelchair so it is easier for them to get in and out of their house.
Clean the yard of a neighbor who can not do it themselves.
Get your class to put together a library at a children’s hospital.
Give Valentine’s, birthday or other cards to individuals in long-term care in a hospital or rehabilitation facility.
Volunteer with a sports organization for special needs youth.
Volunteer at a hospital, rehabilitation center or day program for people with special needs.
Do a research project about a disability and the challenges someone with that disability has to overcome. Share the message about how able-bodied people can help.
Start a drive for accessibility devices for disabled individuals in your community, such as hearing aids or mobility devices.
Conduct a community accessibly check to identify potential barriers for individuals with disabilities.

NEIGHBORHOOD ENHANCEMENT:

Help neighbors paint and repair their homes.
Establish a little free library in your front yard.
Establish a little free pantry in your front yard.
Design and paint a community mural.
Form a volunteer lawn mowing service with your friends.
Volunteer to teach classes on a sport you enjoy and know a lot about.
Contact Habitat for Humanity or a similar organization to see how you can support their mission in your community.
Work with the local health department to set up a pop-up flu vaccination clinic.
Organize a newcomers group in your neighborhood to welcome new families.
Produce a neighborhood newsletter.
Train to become a guide for your local tourist bureau.
Promote your favorite local spots, like parks, libraries or historic sites on social media.
Research local historic sites and provide the research to visitor’s bureau.
Petition your city to make more drinking fountains and/or restrooms in public areas available.
Volunteer to clean up trash at a community event or county fair.
Set up an art exhibit at a local business, school or nursing home.
Organize a campaign to paint storm drains to prevent dumping of hazardous materials.
Set up an informational display at a local library.
Volunteer to help with summer day camp.
Organize a community chorus, orchestra or band.
Volunteer to help set up for a community event.
Distribute leaf bags during the fall, encouraging residents to clean leaves from their streets and yards.
Plant flowers or plants in your yard (consider natives).
Gift your neighbors native seeds; offer to plant them in their yard.
Adopt a billboard and use it for a public service announcement.
Campaign for additional lighting along poorly-lit streets.
Clean up vacant lot.
Collect supplies for people who have been in a fire or natural disaster.
Help tidy a run-down playground.
Clean up a local park.
Start a yard-of-the-week award for your neighborhood.
Participate in a parade.
Spruce up and paint the community or youth center.
Plant a community garden.
Adopt a town monument and keep it clean.
Clean up after a storm or natural disaster.
Volunteer at a local blood drive with the American Red Cross.
Volunteer with a group that plants flowers/gardens for public spaces.
Survey community agencies to learn the leading causes of accidents in your community, then design a campaign to reduce accidents.
Mow the lawns and care for the plants of neighbors who are away on vacation.
Build places to rest, such as benches for parks or bus stops.
Help winterize homes in a lower-income neighborhood.
Lend a helping hand at a local community center.
Identify corners where bushes and trees make it difficult for drivers to see. Offer to trim the plant the land/homeowner.
Conduct a neighborhood drive to collect used furniture for a good cause, such as programs that help people in transitional housing.
Organize a neighborhood garage sale to raise money to enhance the neighborhood.

PERFORMING ARTS & SPORTS:

Form a band with your friends and give free concerts.
If you play an instrument, help a friend learn to play.
Start a community improv or drama group.
Volunteer at your local community theatre.
Host a talent show and collect donations or sell tickets for a local cause.
Serve as an usher at a sporting event.
Get your marital arts or dance class to give a demonstration at a youth center, nursing home or school.
Write and produce a play or short film about a current issue.
Volunteer as a coach for a youth sports team.
Teach a friend how to skate, ice-skate, bike or skateboard.
Start a collection drive for new or gently used sports equipment and donate it to families in need or sports organizations for underserved youth.
Provide refreshments at an adult or youth recreational sporting event.
Volunteer to pass out water and other supplies at a run or biking race.

THE ENVIRONMENT:

Learn about the invasive species in your community from experts and organize a plan of action to help contain their spread.
Create a certified wildlife habitat with the National Wildlife Federation or similar organization.
Plant a pollinator garden in your yard or community garden.
Make a solitary bee home in your garden.
Create a children’s nature garden, labeling plants and trees and scheduling guided tours.
Set up a seed or a plant exchange in your neighborhood.
Plant a tree!
Plant a commemorative tree to honor someone.
Adopt a park, trail or section of highway to pick up litter.
Pick up litter whenever you see it!
Clean up a beach or riverbed.
Make bird feeders for your and your neighbors’ yards. Donate bird feeders to your local parks or public spaces.
Volunteer as your family’s “energy watchdog” and shut off lights, appliances, fans, TV’s, etc. when not in use.
Help everyone in your family conserve water.
Organize a car pooling campaign in your neighborhood to cut down on carbon emissions.
Create a campaign to encourage biking and walking.
Got places to be? Burn energy on your bike instead of taking the family car.
Sponsor an environmental slogan or poster contest in school.
Get together with friends and make conservation posters and graphics for social media.
Build a bluebird trail, bird houses for endangered birds or bat houses for endangered bats.
Collect dead batteries from your friends and neighbors to recycle.
Set up a recycling system for your home.
Research what materials can be recycled and the best practices for recycling in your community. Spread what you find with flyers, on social media or word of mouth.
Collect aluminum cans and donate the money to a favorite charity.
Collect grocery bags to recycle at the appropriate drop-offs.
Collect materials not recycled at your local facilities, such as glass or styrofoam, and arrange to transport them to a recycling facility that takes them.
Partner with a local agency, business or nonprofit to collect old electronics for recycling.
Volunteer to separate recyclables.
Ask your school to use recycled paper. Advocate for paperless processes wherever possible.
If your school doesn’t recycle, campaign to your administration to start a recycling center at school.
Hold an invention contest with entries made out of recycled goods.
Host a craft workshop where you make something new and useful out of recycled goods.
Advocate for your town/city to have (more) public recycling bins.
Encourage your parents to buy products made from recycled materials.
Learn how to reduce your family’s consumption of single-use plastics.
Organize a hazardous waste collection for your community and transport the waste to a proper disposal facility.
Research and educate your community about proper disposal of hazardous wastes.
Ask your family to do a “Meatless Monday” to promote sustainable food choices.
Combat fast-fashion by hosting a workshop on how to alter and repair clothing.
Ask your family to do a low-buy or no-buy challenge to reduce your consumption.
Start a trash challenge where you and your friends or family compete to see who can produce the least amount of non-recyclable trash in a day, week or month.
Use a lunch box instead of throwaway bags.
Practice the 3 R’s in your home: Reduce, recycle, reuse.
Bring a resuable bag when you shop or reuse plastic grocery bags. Bring a reusable produce bag to avoid the extra plastic.
Start a compost pile and encourage your family or neighborhood to use it.
Campaign to protect a local vulnerable species or habitat.
Start an Environmental Club.

SENIOR CITIZENS:

Adopt a “grandfriend.”
Explore history by interviewing a nursing home resident about how they grew up.
Visit a nursing home.
Rake leaves, shovel snow, mow lawns, clean gutters or wash windows for a senior citizen.
Pick up medicine for an elderly person.
During bad weather, visit seniors to make sure they have everything they need.
Form a mall patrol with your friends to help seniors with their shopping.
Form a kids carwash squad to wash seniors’ cars.
Write your “grandfriend” a letter, or write letters for an elderly person.
Make birthday cards for the elderly.
Go for a walk with a senior citizen in your community.
Hold an afternoon dance for your local nursing home.
With the help of family and friends, hold a play or sing-a-long at a nursing home.
Teach them your dances and ask them to teach you theirs.
Deliver meals to homebound individuals.
Offer to pick up groceries with/for a senior citizen.
Help senior citizens in your neighborhood obtain and install locks or smoke alarms.
Teach a senior friend how to use a computer or the Internet.
Help a senior friend or family member troubleshoot a problem with technology.
Help a senior friend who cannot easily access the internet with a research project.
Help a senior friend walk their dog.
Offer to drive a senior in need to a doctor or physical therapy appointment.
Do something creative on the holidays for the senior citizens (cook a meal, bake cookies, dress up in costumes, etc.)
Take a pet to a nursing home.
Do art projects with people in nursing homes.
Offer to read to people in a nursing home.
Teach an elderly neighbor a new card or board game.
Reach out to elderly people who live on their own to see if they need anything.
Get with friends and form a Clean Up Club to help elderly with their house cleaning.

HELPING ANIMALS:

Volunteer at an animal shelter.
Become an animal foster parent. Some shelters have temporary foster care programs.
Volunteer with an organization that practices Trap-Neuter-Return to control feral dog and cat populations.
Raise money for pet causes by organizing a pet photo session.
Organize a pet show for a local nursing home.
With the support of a vet clinic or Humane Society, organize a neuter and spay campaign.
Spread information about responsible pet ownership on social media.
Campaign for ethical breeding practices and adopting animals from shelters.
Organize an animal adoption fair at your school, church, parent’s workplace or community center.
Set up donation centers for animal products for those in need.
See if your pet is eligible to be a therapy animal with an accredited organization and do pet therapy with your animal at nursing homes, hospitals, day programs for youth or adults with special needs, etc.
Volunteer at a local zoo, or wildlife rescue or sanctuary.
Organize a community dog wash.
Collect old blankets and towels to donate to a local animal shelter.
Collect food and supplies needed for a animal shelter.
Organize with your community to find homes for animals in shelters.
Talk to a Wildlife Conservationist or Game and Parks official and find out about their volunteer opportunities.
Clean a wood duck house before each nesting season.
Care for a neighbor’s pet when they are away.

The original “366 Community Service Ideas” was compiled by Janet Fox, former Nebraska 4-H Extension Specialist. The updated “Community Service Ideas” was adapted from Janet Fox’s article by the Lancaster County 4-H staff in 2025.