Your new home means a new neighborhood to explore. Each month, Onward brings you “Your New Favorite” – our team’s hand-selected places unique to Middle Tennessee that locals love.
This month, find your new favorite volunteer experience to give back to your local community.
United Way of Greater Nashville
United Way works to break the cycle of poverty by helping children and families meet their essential needs across Middle Tennessee. The nonprofit offers many ways for you to get involved and volunteer, including recurring events like reading to preschoolers, helping families prepare taxes and tutoring elementary-age students.
- Location: Nashville’s MetroCenter/North Rhodes Park neighborhood
- Address: 250 Venture Circle, Nashville, TN 37228
Second Harvest Food Bank combats food insecurity in Middle Tennessee and is especially necessary ahead of the holiday season. Volunteers are needed routinely to sort and package food donations, assist with special events and help with administrative support. This is a meaningful way for groups and families to sign up and serve the community together.
- Location: Nashville’s MetroCenter/North Rhodes Park neighborhood (headquarters)
- Address: 331 Great Circle Road, Nashville, TN 37228
Friends Life Community provides adults with developmental disabilities opportunities to grow personally and socially within the community. The organization offers volunteer opportunities every weekday. You’ll be asked to commit to once a week for a period of four months to help create consistency and stronger connections. From volunteering with the performing or visual arts classes to the social club to the Friends’ Treat Truck, there is no shortage of fun and friendship.
- Location: Nashville’s Green Hills/Granny White Pike neighborhood
- Address: 4414 Granny White Pike, Nashville, TN 37204
This organization is dedicated to reducing euthanasia in local shelters and increasing awareness of adopting rescue dogs. With over 700 volunteers in the Nashville area, the nonprofit has saved 1,430 dogs since 2024. Volunteers are needed for staffing adoption events, transporting dogs from shelters to vets and socializing animals for adoption as part of the Wag Club.
- Location: Hermitage
- Address: 100 Bonnabrook Drive, Hermitage, TN 37076
Hands On Nashville is a community volunteer hub, connecting service opportunities at more than 170 nonprofit and community organizations with volunteers who want to roll up their sleeves and help. There are options for families, corporate groups and other teams to serve for short- or long-term periods of time.
- Location: Donelson/Hermitage
- Address: 2525 Perimeter Place Drive, Suite 121, Nashville, TN 37214
Ready to get your hands in the dirt or turn your ear to the sky? Whether it’s in the crisp November or springtime air, volunteering with Outdoor Murfreesboro is a good fit for families, friends and neighbors. A division of Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation, the program provides activities like natural space cleanups, invasive plant removals, native plant nursery work, bird counts and more.
- Location: Murfreesboro
- Address: 2140 North Thompson Lane, Murfreesboro, TN 37129
Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee
Boys & Girls Clubs serve year-round youth programs and activities to help young people reach their full potential. There are opportunities across Middle Tennessee to assist young people through activities like in-person tutoring, club beautification, mentoring, event support and administrative support.
- Location: Nashville’s Watkins Park neighborhood (headquarters), club locations across the region
- Address: 1704 Charlotte Avenue, Suite 200, Nashville, TN 37203
Williamson County Animal Center
Volunteers at the Williamson County Animal Shelter are crucial to increasing the adoptability of animals. The shelter offers volunteers as young as 12 the chance to work with either cats or dogs. Community members with special needs can also get involved through the shelter’s Pawsabilities program that offers group and individual volunteering.
- Location: Franklin
- Address: 1006 Grigsby Hayes Court, Franklin, TN 37064
FiftyForward is a local organization that assists adults 50 and older throughout Middle Tennessee by providing programs and services to help them thrive. Volunteers can serve older adults by delivering fresh meals to their doorstep through the FiftyForward Fresh program that helps address food insecurity and loneliness for our aging neighbors.
- Location: Nashville’s Wedgewood Houston neighborhood (administrative office), locations across Middle Tennessee
- Address: 174 Rains Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203
To combat hunger in the community, the Nashville Food Project grows, cooks and shares food to support the one-in-seven people in Nashville who lack access to enough food to sustain a healthy lifestyle. Each month, around 150 volunteers invest in working in the organization's kitchens, gardens, orchards and more.
- Location: Nashville’s The Nations neighborhood
- Address: 5904 California Avenue, Nashville, TN, 37209
Contact an Onward agent to bring you one step closer to your new home and what you can experience right in your backyard.
