In our age of trying times, there exists various social causes that need a helping hand. Whether this means decreasing world hunger, or helping single mothers, or stopping domestic abuse, it is important for people to volunteer for causes they are passionate about and help bring further  good into the world. However, while some people may have the general overwhelming urge to help, they may not necessarily have a specific cause they want to contribute to. So for those who want to volunteer in some way, what’s a good cause to volunteer for out of the multitude of social causes that need your help? 

While it’s never a good idea to rank one cause over another (all social causes are equally as important, and deserve equal amounts of help – which is really why this decision is so difficult…), this list is meant to operate as a starting point for those considering a start in volunteering. So if you really want to make a difference in the world and help someone, somewhere, in some way, here are the top 3 causes you could volunteer for in California! 

 

Helping The Environment And Climate Change 

Climate change and environmental damage are inextricably linked, and can often wreak disastrous consequences on not just California but the entire world. For example, things such as increased deforestation and encroaching urbanization can often increase carbon dioxide emissions into our atmosphere; therefore exacerbating the greenhouse effect and causing damaging changes to the earth’s climate. 

While environmental problems often afflict most of the wider world, it can also have immediate and incredibly detrimental impacts on specifically the state of California as well. The 2020 California Wildfires for example, described as a ‘gigafire’ that demolished 4 million acres, 10,000 buildings, and caused 31 total deaths, has widely been attributed to poor forest management and the impacts of climate change. Therefore, helping the environment, and by extension the climate, is an admirable and much needed cause to contribute to; for both the wellbeing of California and the rest of the world. 

 

Environmental NGOs: 

1. Cool the Earth Inc.
2. Environment California

 

Reducing Poverty 

As of 2017, the USA was recorded as the country with the second highest poverty rate in the world; with a staggering 17.8 percent of it’s population struggling in poor financial conditions (just 0.1% lower than Israel’s first highest of 17.9%). Of all US states, California was ranked 26th in terms of poverty rates, with about 12.8% as of 2018. So while many citizens may be loath to admit it, the evidence is definitely there – that despite being a developed country and priding itself as the ‘land of the free’, poverty still runs rampant across the United States. 

A person in poverty may come into it due to various reasons – they may have been born into circumstance, floundered in their financial decisions, or perhaps even lost all their money by investing with a bad forex website in Malaysia. This may be because they didn’t conduct enough forex review in Malaysia, or even consult forex market news in Malaysia; thus making poor decisions that ultimately cost them everything. Regardless, a person in poverty requires help no matter their reasons, and due to the sheer volume of people in the US who struggle with poverty daily, it becomes especially important for you to volunteer to a cause that helps ameliorate their situation. 

 

Reducing Poverty NGOs: 

• End Child Poverty in California 

 

Foodbanks 

Tying into the previous cause, it is evident that poverty is disconcertingly high in the United States. Unfortunately, an unstable financial situation is often the precursor to another incredibly damaging, but sadly prevalent, social problem – an inability for poor populations to feed themselves. 

According to cafoodbanks.org, 1 in every 4 Californians struggle with the ability to feed themselves, or even gain access to a healthy amount of food, everyday. As such, volunteering and/or donating to a local foodbank becomes particularly important to help those in dire need of food, as to deprive one of necessary sustenance is akin to denying them a basic human right. Therefore, if you desperately want to help someone in California, volunteering at foodbanks is a pretty decent method of helping someone feed themselves and/or their family in times of financial crises.