We often think of Valentine’s Day as a day to show love to our significant other. But what if we celebrate it by showing love to our community? But with only about one-third of American adults volunteering at least once a year, it seems maybe we need to motivate others to start giving back. So why should you volunteer? Benefits to volunteering 1. Increases self-confidence 2. Combats depression 3. Helps with physical health 4. Creates a sense of purpose 5. Connects you with others in the community 6. Gain new and valuable skills 7. Develops better social skills Now that you see the benefits of helping your community, here are some ideas on how you can get involved. 9 Ways to Show Love to Your Community 1. Create a social media page to share things you no longer need to keep items out of the trash 2. Support small, local businesses 3. Cleanup a local park or area in need of trash pickup 4. Donate blood or plasma 5. Volunteer to help community members lower their energy usage by sealing their windows and doors properly 6. Create a community garden that feeds those in need 7. Create a lending library and fill it with books for all ages 8. Organize a meetup at a local business to discuss ways to become more sustainable individually and as a community 9. Develop a community compost program that benefits local gardeners and your community garden