The season of giving is here, and what better way to give back than to offer a few hours of your time to a program in need. There are organizations across the Gallatin Valley that offer opportunities to volunteer, but if you’re looking for a place to start, try checking out one of the many programs operated by HRDC.

HRDC has been serving Bozeman and surrounding communities for 50 years, maintaining a focus on “fighting poverty and offsetting the high cost of living in Gallatin, Park, and Meagher Counties,” wrote Margaret Mason, HRDC’s Chief Development Officer, in an email interview.

The organization provides emergency shelter, access to food, transportation, energy assistance and more to individuals and households facing difficult times in Southwest Montana. Volunteers help keep these programs working, but that’s not the only thing volunteering does.

“Volunteering connects people—to their neighbors, to a sense of purpose, and to hope,” Mason explained. “Volunteers often tell us that the experience reminds them how powerful small acts of kindness can be. Around the holidays, that connection feels especially meaningful as our community comes together to make sure every table has a meal and every neighbor feels seen.”

Mason also described how volunteering can be a grounding experience.

“Volunteering also provides stability in a shaky world,” she shared. “When things feel unpredictable—funding freezes, rising costs, growing need—volunteering is one thing that always makes a direct, local impact.”

It’s easy to get involved, too. You can use HRDC’s website or volunteer portal to browse opportunities and sign up for volunteer shifts that fit your interests and schedule. If you want a little extra guidance before getting started, HRDC also offers volunteer orientations that provide an overview of the nonprofit’s work.

Get Involved Together

“We truly have something for everyone,” wrote Mason.

For families looking to get involved together, Mason recommended packing food boxes for the KidsPack program, or delivering groceries through the Senior Grocery Program.

The KidsPack program delivers kid-friendly, well-balanced foods to elementary, middle, and high schoolers every Friday. The program ensures kids have access to nutritious food when school meals aren’t available. The Senior Grocery Delivery program provides nutritious groceries to senior households with an income below a certain threshold; drivers are needed to ensure this food gets to clients.

“Couples love volunteering together at Fork & Spoon,” Mason wrote, “where they can greet guests, serve meals, or even wash dishes side by side.”

Fork & Spoon is HRDC’s pay-what-you-can restaurant, and the only of its kind in Bozeman. Customers can pay more or less than the suggested price of items on the menu, and those who pay more help cover the cost of meals that were not fully compensated. Fork & Spoon serves food made from scratch Monday through Friday evenings from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Anyone looking to help out at Fork & Spoon can choose from food prep and dinner service shifts. Dinner service shifts include plating and serving food, busing and dishwashing, and usually last about three hours. Volunteers are needed to support Fork & Spoon’s holiday meal service, when the restaurant is particularly busy.

Volunteers are also needed to help decorate the Streamline Bus for the Belgrade Christmas Convoy, which features Gallatin Valley businesses’ trucks decorated in Christmas lights. This year, the parade-like convoy takes place on December 6th.

“We also welcome creative ways to brighten the season,” Mason added. She mentioned activities such as making handmade cards, adopting a holiday gift list, or lending a hand behind the scenes to make sure every neighbor feels cared for.

More Opportunities

There are even more ways to help out, too. At Homeward Point, HRDC’s low-barrier shelter, volunteers are needed for laundry assistance, donation management, check-in assistance, and more.

Homeward Point offers emergency shelter services to those experiencing homelessness, ensuring they have a warm, safe place to sleep. The shelter gives occupants access to basic needs and connections to other resources, and organizes recovery and peer support groups.
The Gallatin Valley Food Bank also offers various volunteer opportunities, from food rescue route drivers to grocery packers. Even if you aren’t able to commit to a volunteer shift, there are other ways to give back for the holidays.

“Donations of food or funds make an immediate difference and stay right here in our community,” Mason explained. She also suggested hosting a small food drive, encouraging friends to give and get involved, and sharing HRDC’s mission online. “Every action, big or small, helps our neighbors thrive.”

The Gallatin Valley Food Bank collects nonperishable donations at HRDC’s Market Place at 206 E. Griffin Drive, as well as at grocery stores like Smith’s Food & Drug, Community Food Co-op, Rosauers, and Safeway. Items like canned fruit, beans, and vegetables, as well as peanut butter, pasta, and rice, all make great donations.

“During these uncertain times, we also recognize that not everyone can volunteer or give back,” Mason included. “If you or someone you know could use a little extra support this holiday season, HRDC is here to help.”

Connecting During the Holidays

HRDC serves nearly fourteen thousand customers annually. Nearly one hundred households are served daily from the Gallatin Valley Food Bank, and over one hundred guests are given beds every night at Homeward Point.

Volunteering with HRDC offers a way to touch hundreds of lives around the Gallatin Valley, but it doesn’t take a grand gesture to give back to those around you.

“This holiday season, we can focus on connection—checking in on neighbors, offering a hand, and giving what we can, whether that’s time, kindness, or resources,” Mason described. “When we all do a little, together we do a lot.”

Whether it’s giving a few hours of your week to organize donations or wash dishes, buying a couple extra cans of beans to donate at the grocery store, or dropping a few holiday treats at your neighbor’s doorstep, opportunities to give back are all around this holiday season.

From actions big or small, Mason described, “neighbors helping neighbors—that’s what makes a strong community.”

Image credit Blair Speed