Make Lasting Holiday Memories With Volunteer Opportunities In Mansfield

MANSFIELD, CT — Volunteering is a meaningful way to connect with neighbors in Mansfield and make lasting holiday memories for both yourself and the people you help.

Volunteering also fosters a sense of shared responsibility and purpose, leading to a more vibrant, resilient, and engaged community with a higher quality of life.

Many of the organizations that make life better in Mansfield depend on volunteers, including food banks, animal shelters, toy drives, adopt-a-family drives and others.

Here are a few ways to volunteer in Mansfield:

• Mansfield Downtown Partnership: This organization is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit with a mission "to foster the development, management, and promotion of Downtown Storrs—a vibrant and economically successful mixed-use downtown at the heart of our community" Phone: 860-429-2740

• Mansfield Discovery Depot: A private, non-profit corporation of parents and community members, dedicated to providing a "solid educational foundation for young children, from 8 weeks old through kindergarten," offering a "nurturing and predictable environment" Phone: 860-487-0062

• Friends of Mansfield Library: The mission of the Friends of the Mansfield Public Library is "to provide financial support to the library and to fund unique programs to benefit all patrons of the library". Phone: 860-423-2501 (via Library number) Address: 54 Warrenville Road, Mansfield Center, CT 06250.

• Mansfield Historical Society: A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization "dedicated to preserving and publishing information on the history of Mansfield, Connecticut." Phone: 860-429-6575

• Friends of the Mansfield Animal Shelter: The volunteer support organization for the Mansfield Animal Control Facility provides "financial support for comfort, grooming and vet care not covered by the town budget." Email: FOMAS [at] mansfieldct.gov (Email contact is provided by the Town website).

• Edwin O. Smith Foundation, Inc.: This foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to "enhancing the educational opportunities at Edwin O. Smith School in Storrs Mansfield, CT" by providing grants for programs not typically covered in the school's budget. Website: givefreely.com/charity-directory/nonprofit/ein-203956129/

• The Access Community Action Agency: Serving Windham and Tolland counties, its mission is to "build equitable access to opportunities that empower under-resourced individuals, families and communities to achieve and sustain economic stability." Phone: 860-412-1600

• Covenant Soup Kitchen: Serves the greater Windham community, providing "food and access to basic services in an environment of care, love, support and safety". Phone: 860-423-1643 Address: 220 Valley Street, Willimantic, CT 06226

• Northeastern Connecticut Animal Rescue (NECTAR): A local all-volunteer rescue league and 501(c)(3) organization that provides a lost and found service, placement service, and low-income spay and neuter assistance. Fax: 860-455-0849. Address: P.O. Box 197, Storrs, CT 06268