Be a Memorial Day Volunteer and Spend Your Holiday Giving Back

As a Memorial Day volunteer, you and your family can make a difference by giving your time to beautify a veterans cemetery. Memorial Day is a day to honor those who have died while serving in our country's armed forces. One way to do this is to volunteer at a military cemetery.

Volunteers can help manage sign-in, replace flowers on graves, hand out flowers to visitors, help clean and spruce up the grounds, give tours, prune trees, and repair benches. The help all depends on what is needed in a given year.

Helping to clean up a military cemetery is a thoughtful way to honor those who have given their lives and spend some time outdoors with your community. Plus, it's a way to give back as a family. There are no age limits to volunteering and whole families are encouraged to get involved.

Where to Volunteer

If you're ready to volunteer but aren't sure where to start, consider reaching out to local agencies. Contact a local veterans group or your town or city representative's office. You can find a list of local Veterans Affairs offices online, organized by state. Families can also find cleanup volunteer openings, from cemeteries to forest work, at websites focused on natural and cultural resource opportunities.

What to Bring When You Volunteer

What you will need to bring depends on the organization you are working with. Typically, cemetery cleanup efforts aim to use the skills and talents you are interested in sharing. So, if you're a gardener, you could bring your work gloves and gardening tools. Similarly, if you are a history buff, simply offer to bring your knowledge and lead tours of the grounds.

Cemeteries need help preserving and enhancing their grounds so they can share their beauty and history with the community and offer a place of solace and healing for people who have lost loved ones.

If you're interested in becoming a Memorial Day volunteer, consider giving your time to honor military personnel who gave their lives. A cemetery cleanup is a thoughtful way to get you and your family outside and involved in the community.

Have you volunteered at military cemetery? Which one? Share your experience with us on Twitter.

Image source: Pixabay | Pixabay

The views and opinions expressed in any guest post featured on our site are those of the guest author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of Tom's of Maine.