VOLUNTOURISM

Voluntourism combines travel and volunteerism, offering visitors the chance to explore the city's vibrant culture and scenic beauty while giving back to the community. Knoxville, known for its outdoor activities, rich history, and Southern hospitality, provides numerous opportunities for voluntourism, with local organizations and events welcoming volunteers to make a positive impact.

  • 501(c)(3) public charity or private foundation
  • Unique to Knoxville or the surrounding area
  • Been in existence for at least 2 years
  • Able to accommodate in person service or receive/store donated items

Second Harvest Food Bank
https://secondharvestetn.org/
Mission: Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee is leading the effort to compassionately feed East Tennesseans experiencing hunger & engage the community in the fight against hunger.
Areas of Service: Hunger Relief

Keep Knoxville Beautiful
https://www.keepknoxvillebeautiful.org/
Mission: At Keep Knoxville Beautiful (KKB), our mission is to inspire and empower Knox County communities to improve their quality of life through beautification and environmental stewardship. We team with dedicated, selfless workers and volunteers to foster a cleaner, greener and more beautiful Knoxville. For more than 40 years, we have led litter cleanups, environmental education initiatives and much more to beautify and improve our community.
Areas of Service: Environmental

Ijams Nature Center
https://www.ijams.org/
Mission: To encourage stewardship of the natural world by providing an urban greenspace for people to learn about and enjoy the outdoors through engaging experiences. 
Areas of Service: Environmental

Young-Williams Animal Center
https://www.young-williams.org/
Mission: At Young-Williams Animal Center, our mission is to lead the community to end pet homelessness, promote animal welfare and enhance the human-animal bond.
Areas of Service: Animal Welfare

Helping Mamas
https://tennessee.helpingmamas.org/
Mission: Helping Mamas was founded in 2014 by Jamie Lackey who envisioned aligning her passion for working in the nonprofit sector with motherhood. The Mission is Connecting helping mamas to mamas needing help.
Modern-day crisis facing mothers: There was no coordinated effort to get baby supplies into the hands of the moms who need them most. Assistance programs like WIC and SNAP don’t allow for the purchase of diapers, wipes, pack n’ plays or car seats.
HMK was opened by Tess Frear in November of 2018
Starting from her garage we are now in a larger office space. HMK supports over 70 agencies East Tennessee agencies. We are the only registered diaper bank within two and half hours of Knoxville.
Areas of Service: Family Support, Social

Volunteer Ministry Center
https://www.vmcinc.org/
Mission: Our Mission is to end and prevent homelessness through compassion, accountability and results
Areas of Service: Ending & Preventing Homelessness

Random Acts of Flowers
https://randomactsofflowers.org/
Mission: Random Acts of Flowers improves the emotional health and well-being of individuals in healthcare facilities by delivering recycled flowers, encouragement, and personal moments of kindness.
We all benefit when we’re kind and compassionate. The community becomes stronger and people thrive. That’s why we deliver beautiful bouquets of recycled flowers to those struggling with injury, illness, and the aging process.
Areas of Service: Social