Volunteer Opportunities in Utah: Local Organizations Where You Can Make a Difference
5 ways you can get involved
- Volunteer at a local food bank or pantry
- Organize a food drive in your workplace or neighborhood
- Advocate for school lunch programs
- Donate to health clinics
- Support legislation that improves access to affordable healthcare
Every community faces challenges, but Utah’s strength has always been our willingness to step up and help our neighbors through difficult times. First Utah Bank is proud to be part of that tradition, which is why we recently announced our largest-ever charitable contribution to local organizations. And this is just a start. From fighting hunger to expanding access to healthcare, we can all get involved and help address these critical issues.
How you can make a difference
Here at First Utah Bank, we’re focused on creating an impact in two main areas: food insecurity and supporting women and children. Our giving committee deliberately seeks out organizations working in these areas because we’ve seen how addressing basic needs creates a ripple effect. When community members, businesses, and organizations come together with a shared commitment toward lifting each other up, we can support lasting change that goes far beyond individual donations or volunteer hours.
Eliminating food insecurity
According to recent USDA data, nearly 48 million Americans experienced food insecurity in 2023, a concerning spike from the previous year. Over 13.8 million children lived in families struggling to put food on the table, many of them depend on school meals for their primary source of nutrition.
Even in a country with more than enough food, hunger exists in every single community in the United States. This issue isn’t about food being scarce, it’s about access. Some of the barriers to access include lack of transportation, unsafe neighborhoods, or insufficient resources. Each of these barriers can prevent families from getting the nutritious food they need. These are working families that are struggling with the rising costs of housing, healthcare, and other essentials.
Supporting women and children
There are many ways to support women and children, but one of the areas in which we’re making an impact is by improving access to healthcare, and making sure that no mother has to choose between paying rent and taking her sick child to the doctor.
A 2024 study shows that healthcare costs disproportionately affect women, due to fewer financial resources and unique logistical challenges. Recent trends have also shown a decrease in preventive medical care visits alongside a troubling uptick in unmet health care needs among young children in the United States. These kinds of healthcare gaps don’t just affect individual families, they impact all of us. When families have the support they need during crisis moments, they’re more likely to recover quickly and continue building toward their goals.
Make an impact by volunteering with these local organizations
Community Action Services and Food Bank
Community Action Services is a major force in fighting hunger, distributing thousands of emergency food boxes and hundreds of thousands of meals to children and seniors during challenging times. For more than five decades, Community Action Services has been a cornerstone of early childhood education in Utah, running Head Start programs that serve over 2,000 children each year with free educational opportunities, nutritious meals and family support — including medical and dental care.
Volunteer at Community Action Services
Tabitha’s Way Food Pantry
Tabitha’s Way is one of Utah’s largest food pantries. Last year alone, they distributed over 9 million meals, serving over 200,000 individuals. Its mission is to help neighbors through difficult times by providing emergency food assistance, while connecting families to resources that promote long-term self-reliance. By supporting Tabitha’s Way, you can help create “No Hunger Zones” throughout Utah County, making sure no neighbor goes hungry.
Utah Food Bank
Utah Food Bank has been around since 1904, faithfully providing emergency food resources for over a century. The organization delivers meals at no cost to a network of partner agencies, while offering programs that help families build long-term food security. It has been a vital resource for some of the most vulnerable communities in Utah, reaching thousands of families throughout the state.
Boys and Girls Club of Greater Salt Lake
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake creates safe, supportive environments after school and during summer breaks. Comprehensive programming focuses on three main areas: helping kids graduate high school prepared for their futures, encouraging healthy lifestyle choices, and building strong character and leadership skills. What makes these clubs special is their role as a true second home for children from pre-kindergarten through high school.
Volunteer at Boys and Girls Club
Granite Education Foundation
The Granite Education Foundation works to eliminate obstacles that prevent students from succeeding in school, by focusing on basic needs like food, clothing and school supplies for children in the Granite School District. This is a district where nearly half of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and this organization supports that demographic with weekend food programs that provide meal kits when school breakfast and lunch aren’t available, recognizing that many students depend on these school meals as their primary food source.
Volunteer at Granite Education Foundation
Neighborhood House
Since 1894, Neighborhood House has been supporting families with quality, affordable childcare, and adult day services to help working families. What makes this organization so impactful is its intergenerational programming that brings together children and older adults, creating bonds that benefit both age groups. In a state facing a significant childcare shortage, Neighborhood House is a lifesaver for parents who wouldn’t be able to leave home for work without this kind of care available.
Volunteer at Neighborhood House
USANA Foundation Kids Eat
Almost 1 in 6 Utah children faces uncertainty about where their next meal will come from, which amounts to over 140,000 children in Utah currently experiencing food insecurity. The USANA Foundation’s Kids Eat program provides backpacks filled with easy-to-prepare, nutritious foods that children can take home for weekends and school breaks when they can’t depend on school meal programs. Working with more than 85 schools and organizations along the Wasatch Front, this organization delivered nearly half a million meals to children last year alone.
Volunteer at USANA Foundation Kids Eat
Asian Association of Utah
The Asian Association of Utah serves two distinct but interconnected communities: Asian Americans in Utah who represent their cultural heritage base and vulnerable populations; including refugees, refugee youth, and human trafficking survivors who need specialized support services. This is an important organization for vulnerable communities who are transitioning to life in Utah, by making trauma-informed, culturally sensitive services available, along with practical assistance with housing, employment and community integration.
Volunteer at Asian Association of Utah
Our commitment to community
At First Utah Bank, we don’t just check a box when it comes to giving — it’s baked into who we are as an organization. With support from partners like the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, which provided a 1.5x match this year, we’re able to make our dollars stretch even further to create the biggest impact possible.
As Utah continues to grow and evolve, we remain committed to ensuring that growth benefits everyone in our community, especially those who are most vulnerable. We believe thriving communities bring out the best in everyone, which is why First Utah Bank will continue championing groups that make a difference, one neighbor at a time.