The stress of everyday life on top of the stressors of the holiday season may feel like too much. Being kind, though, and going out of your way to acknowledge or help others is proven to lower stress and boost mood, self-esteem and happiness.

Giving back is one of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself, others and your community. And there is evidence to prove it.

According to the American Heart Association, volunteers experience less depression and anxiety, higher self-esteem and life satisfaction, greater happiness and a sense of meaning compared with those who do not volunteer. Volunteering, it turns out, has a positive lift for mental health.

What does the research say?

• Older adults who volunteer for at least two hours per week lower their risk of early death, become more physically active and improve their sense of well-being compared to those who don’t volunteer, according to a study from Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.
• Research from Allan Luks, author of The Healing Power of Doing Good: The Health and Spiritual Benefits of Helping Others, shows that volunteering and charitable giving:
  • Strengthens immune system activity.
  • Decreases intensity and awareness of physical pain.
  • Activates positive emotions that support well-being.
  • Reduces negative attitudes that deplete well-being.
  • Enhances the functioning of various body systems.
• Volunteering also has an economic value. For example, data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps in 2021 shows that Americans who formally volunteered gave more than 4.1 billion hours of service with an estimated economic value of $122.9 billion.

Colorado Gives Day happens each December

Colorado Gives Day is Dec. 10, and every donation will get a boost from the incentive fund, making donations more valuable. You can find more than 3,000 nonprofits to donate to on the Colorado Gives website.

In 2023, more than $54 million was raised for Colorado nonprofits.

If volunteering or donating goods is more your cup of tea, here are some nonprofits currently looking for volunteers:

• WeeCycle (Metro Denver and Boulder): Buying everything your baby needs is expensive, so WeeCycle provides gently used baby gear to low-income families through their network of community-based organizations. They always look for dedicated volunteers to offer everything from graphic design to warehouse help. In addition, you can also donate gently used baby gear to one of their many donation locations.
• Homeward Alliance (Fort Collins): People experiencing homelessness need a continuum of programs to support them. Homeward Alliance provides basic needs for people and families experiencing homelessness along with housing-focused case management and employment services. Details on volunteering or donating gear and clothing can be found on their website.
• House of Neighborly Service (Loveland and Berthoud): This organization provides basic needs, such as food, clothing and utility assistance, for families and individuals challenged by the effects of low-incomes or situational crisis. You can volunteer or donate food and clothing to their pantry.
• Brent’s Place (Aurora): Brent’s Place provides a clean and safe home away from home, as well as financial support, for thousands of families who are experiencing life-threatening medical crises far from home. You can sponsor a family during the holiday season by signing up to become a holiday helper. You will get paired with a resident, and then you can shop, wrap and deliver a personalized gift to Brent’s Place families.
• The Gathering Place (Denver): The Gathering Place (TGP) offers services to combat poverty and address the root causes of marginalization and oppression contributing to poverty or homelessness. TGP aims to guide individuals and families to a place of stability and security by offering low-barrier access to a broad range of necessities and wrap-around care options. There are individual and group opportunities to volunteer.
• House of Neighborly Service (Loveland and Berthoud): House of Neighborly Service provides assistance and resources such as food, clothing, utility assistance and resources for families and individuals experiencing homelessness in northern Colorado. You can donate food or clothing or give back as a volunteer.
• Christmas Unlimited (El Paso and Teller counties): During the holiday season, Christmas Unlimited collects and displays toys to families in need in El Paso and Teller counties in a store-like environment, empowering parents to select gifts for their children. You can donate toys or sign up to volunteer.
• StableStrides (El Paso County): Connecting with a horse can be incredibly therapeutic for anyone. Being in the presence of a horse helps people learn how to stay in the moment, problem-solve, manage anxiety and improve communication skills. StableStrides seeks volunteers to help with adaptive riding and physical, occupational and speech therapy programs. You must attend a volunteer orientation.

Here are volunteer opportunities that are available in most all medium-to-large Colorado communities.

• UCHealth hospitals: UCHealth has volunteer opportunities in Denver, Broomfield, Fort Collins, Longmont, Loveland, Greeley, Colorado Springs and Steamboat. Check out UCHealth’s volunteer webpage for details.
• Local Food Bank: The Food Bank of the Rockies serves 32 Colorado counties. You can volunteer as an individual, as a family or as a group. If the organization doesn’t serve your community, another local food bank might be. Search their webpage and see how you can give back.
• Habitat for Humanity of Colorado: For Habitat, you can choose to help with a “build day” or volunteer in one of their many retail “Habitat ReStore” locations throughout Colorado.
• Meals on Wheels: Meals on Wheels offers well-balanced meals to older adults through home delivery. UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital is one service location, but other programs run out of different places. For details on volunteering for your local program, search your area for “Meals on Wheels.”
• Speak the Change Colorado: Formerly Metro Volunteers, the mission of the organization is to “inspire a movement of good through the power of volunteerism, service and civic engagement.” It operates a statewide volunteer database to help volunteers connect with opportunities that match their talent and expertise.
• Volunteers of America Colorado: Volunteers of America is another organization with local chapters that support their communities by connecting volunteers to programs and nonprofits that need their help. You can search those local opportunities on its Colorado page.

Can’t find the time to volunteer?

Mental Health Foundation offers other suggestions on how you can spread goodwill and kindness:

• Call a friend or family member you haven’t spoken to for a while.
• Send a letter or post card to someone you’ve lost touch with.
• Send flowers to someone.
• Ask a neighbor if they need help with anything.
• Send a thank you or thinking of you note.
• Call to tell someone how much you appreciate them.
• Check on someone you know is going through a hard time.
• Say hi to a colleague as you pass them in the hallway.
• Invite a new colleague to coffee.
• Pick up trash you see on the street.
• Wish a stranger a good day.
• Write words of encouragement on someone else’s social media post.