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Volunteer Opportunities
Make a Difference - Volunteer!
Thank you for considering working as a volunteer! The City is excited to offer a variety of volunteer opportunities to support our dynamic West St. Paul community. Share your time and talents with others in the community helping at events. Help the environment by volunteering to beautify the city by adopting a park, bus shelter, street section, or neighborhood.
Since 2021, Tammy has been lending her time and energy to events not only in West St. Paul but across Dakota County. Whether it’s helping with holiday gift wrapping, shredding events, or supporting community egg hunts, Tammy finds joy in giving back—and encourages others to do the same.
One of Tammy’s most beloved volunteer opportunities is the annual holiday gift wrapping event. “You can just see how excited the kids are to have found a gift for their dog or a family member,” she says. “They want specific wrapping paper or a bow to go with their gift. It’s so sweet.” Whether it’s the holiday wrapping or helping at shredding events, Tammy says the immediate feedback is one of the most rewarding parts of volunteering. “You’re filled with joy in that in only a few minutes you’ve had a positive impact on their life,” she adds.
Tammy appreciates the variety of events she can participate in. “I like the variety but also the repetition of events,” she explains. Whether it's stuffing eggs for an egg hunt or helping with outdoor clean-ups, the range of activities ensures that there’s something for everyone, no matter what your interests are. One of the most flexible opportunities is the Adopt-A-Park program. Once volunteers apply and Adopt a Park, they can help improve the environment on their schedule, making it easy to fit back into daily life while still making a big difference.
Tammy believes that volunteering is more than just individual actions—it’s about creating a stronger, better community for everyone. She reflects on her father’s words: “Charity begins at home. If everyone gave back to their community, we would solve a lot of problems.” Tammy wants to continue volunteering as long as she can, believing that if everyone took the time to give back to their community, it would lead to positive change. “If you have the time, you should volunteer,” she says. “I work and volunteer in my community to make my community better.”
If you’re hesitant to jump into volunteering, Tammy has simple advice: “Take the leap.” She encourages people to pick events that align with their interests. “There’s something for everyone,” Tammy says. “You can volunteer indoors or outdoors, and you get to set the pace. If you’re busy, you can step back and rejoin when you can.” Volunteering is designed to fit around your schedule, making it easier than ever to give back, no matter how much time you have to spare.
Whether you have an hour a week or a few hours a month, West St. Paul offers plenty of opportunities to volunteer and make a difference. So why not take that first step? There’s a volunteer opportunity waiting for you!
Help the Environment
- Adopt a bus shelter, garden, park, neighborhood, or street section.
- Assist the city by picking up trash, weeding, raking, removing invasive plants, etc. in areas you adopt.
Volunteer for City Events
There are a wide variety of city events throughout the year. Check the city website for events or fill out a volunteer application, and you will be emailed the events as they occur.
To Apply for any of the General Opportunities listed, please complete the Volunteer Application.
To learn more about West St. Paul volunteer opportunities or to share your ideas contact Diane Erickson, Volunteer Engagement Manager, at derickson@wspmn.gov, or 651-208-4840.
Group Opportunities
Opportunities for area businesses, churches, civic groups, etc. to participate as a group can be explored by emailing Volunteer Services or calling 651-208-4840. Typically groups will do a park clean up, planting project, invasive plant removal, or assist with a special event.
Adopt-A-Park, Adopt-A-Street and Adopt-A-Bus Shelter
Adopt-A-Park and Adopt-A-Street are public service programs for volunteers to assist their community by picking up litter in West St. Paul. To learn more about these programs, click here.
DARTS empowers older adults and caregivers in the Twin Cities southeast metro to stay in the home of their choice as long as possible. Services include caregiver support, indoor and outdoor chores, transportation, and so much more. Make a difference in your West St. Paul community by supporting an elementary school classroom as a Learning Buddy or Pen Pal, providing yard support to an older neighbor, giving your time as a Break Buddy or with group respite support, and more! Together, we are creating connections that enrich aging. For more information, go to dartsconnects.org/volunteer.
Remember the good old days when neighbors helped each other out? Neighbors still does!
They have nearly 1850 volunteers ready to help our neighbors in need. At Neighbors, Inc., all donations and volunteer service directly support the local community.
Neighbors offers many ways to volunteer. Individual, family and group opportunities are available, including:
- Food Shelf: Sort food donations or help families in need select food from our shelves
- Clothes Closet: Assist shoppers to find gently used clothing in our 100% volunteer-operated thrift store
- Holiday Help: Distribute clothes, toys and other gifts to families in need
- Dial-A-Ride: Drive neighbors to and from medical and dental appointments
- Daily Check-In: Call homebound residents to say "Hello!"
- Come as You Are: Build positive relationships with adults with development disabilities
- Summer Meals: Serve meals to hungry students in summer school
Looking for something else? Neighbors also offers ways for volunteers to contribute their skills and talents like event planning, marketing & communications, talent engagement, fundraising, IT, and more!
Need ideas on how you can help? Contact us at 651-306-2145 or volunteer@neighborsmn.org.
Wetland Health Evaluation Program (WHEP)
works with volunteers, scientists, and local governments to evaluate the health of our wetlands and to work toward their protection. WHEP needs volunteers to help monitor the wetlands of West St. Paul. To sign up, please call Maggie at 651-492-4650.