A volunteer is someone who helps others without getting paid. Volunteers give their time because they care about their community. Every year, Americans volunteer about 4.1 billion hours of their time! That is a LOT of helping. Volunteers do things like serve food at shelters, clean up parks, read to younger kids, and help build homes for families who need them.
One famous volunteer group is Habitat for Humanity. It was started in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller. Habitat for Humanity helps build safe, affordable homes for families. Volunteers work together to hammer nails, paint walls, and put up roofs. Another big group of volunteers is volunteer firefighters. About 65 out of every 100 firefighters in the United States are volunteers! They do not get paid, but they rush to help whenever there is a fire or emergency. Kids can volunteer too, by helping at food drives, picking up litter, or visiting elderly neighbors.
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