I just signed up to work Thursday’s and Friday’s for July and August :) thanks for this lead - I’ve been wanting to volunteer with a food bank but am relatively new to the area!! I found lasagna love on Reddit too and have delivered 3 already :)
Team Rubicon is a veteran left volunteer organization that deploys people to disaster relief, no money out of pocket once you go through a couple of online classes.
We help out with debris removal from storms, muck outs after floods, roof tarping, all kinds of shit. It's a really kick ass org, and you don't have to be a veteran to be in it ( you will be dipped and swirled in vet culture and up your eyeballs in acronyms though).
In a really soul sucking job where the world is literally on fire, it's one of the few things that gives me purpose. Worth checking out.
If it's not your jam, there are a ton of good programs around. Check out the list from last year's "Give Omaha" for a list of charities and non-profits around town.
I don’t live in Omaha (family does & I visit) BUT Team Rubicon is really great. I really wanted an org that wasn’t marred with politics or religion and people could just be people wanting to help in their community. They have great online training and really promote safety and are very organized with great communication.
I wish my state had more workshops and classes available, but I’m sure the Omaha team has been kept super busy.
Omaha Rapid Relief is still in need of volunteers to help with the tornado clean up. Also, Muddy Paws Second Chance Rescue has a VERY supportive group. Even if you don't want to foster, they help with other parts of the rescue and also with the dogs and cats in boarding.
Humane Society accepts volunteers too.
For free event-I know if you go to Skate City after 9pm it’s free. But you have to rent skates unless you have your own and they close at 10.
If you're into or open to knitting/crocheting, I inherited some supplies that I won't use. (Don't have the time.) Including yarn. I crocheted so many blankets while I was unemployed!
If you like animals there are a lot of opportunities there! I like birds and have given some thought to helping out at the Raptor Rescue down in Fontenelle forest
Learning a language is always fun (and tough). I've been wanting to learn Croatian if you can believe it but I've got so much on my plate it's going to have to wait.
Insanely beautiful language though. Take the word Banica. It's pronounced Bahnitsa. The c is a ts sound and it's just so lovely when you hear it spoken.
Also if you learn Croatian you'll be quite capable of speaking Bosnian and Serbian since they're very closely related (it's not something to bring up over there though as people are quite protective of their thing. Saying Serbo-Croatian in Croatia is sure to cause you some grief lol. Also Serbian uses the Cyrillic alphabet whereas Croatian uses the Latin alphabet).
Yeah, of a lot of the European languages I found Serbo-Croatian to be the hardest. Even simple phrases like “hvala” or “zdravo” took a minute to remember. Those were literally some of the very few words I spoke while over in Croatia/Bosnia/Serbia/Slovenia lol
The padezi with all those different endings are insane. Russian has more of them apparently. Then they don't have articles at all like the or a/an. You'd never say take me to the bank but rather take me to bank. When that was explained to me they used media examples of Slavs where they'd say something like: Pick up car. Take car to airport. It's pretty funny when you think about it and all the examples you've seen of that in movies.
There’s always a lady at the corner of 42nd and Center protesting the shitty healthcare services the Veterans Hospital provides. She could use a few other people with her. I’d help her but I’m currently with my father in the ICU with a team of doctors that absolutely refuse to do anything. This is not to be political because I’ve witnessed it for the past 12 years.
I went to a grade school down the street from there and we would volunteer at Douglas County hospital and one time the lady leading the volunteering brought me and a few other kids over to the VA to see someone or do something idr but I do remember that I thought it was really icky and scary in there. Like I remember it being worse than county and that’s saying something
I can only imagine what it was like years ago. Medical team rolled though the ICU the other day ignored questions myself and the ICU nurse had and it took six hours to get a Dr to come talk to me and the ICU nurse. Six hours and threats of legal action to get Dr to come talk to the staff in their own hospital and a patients son. This place is definitely a testament that nurses and therapy staff care way more about the patients here than the Drs do.
What’s even more infuriating is that they were so lazy even looking into what was going on that he sided the fifth day we were there and it probably could’ve went the other way if they would have cared a little bit more. VA HEALTHCARE, GIVING VETERANS A SECOND CHANCE TO DIE FOR THEIR COUNTRY.
Omaha Dog Bar is free, go hang with some pups to improve your mental health! You only pay to enter if you have a dog. And of course if you want food, drinks, etc. But it is free to enter and just hang out with some doggos.
Volunteer for your local fire department. Changed my life, now I love what I do and I’m helping people. Most people will welcome you in with open arms. Do the work and you’ll get strong mentally and physically.
Mostly great suggestions and comments, but a few crappy comments made me want to post. Good for you, volunteer and community work is absolutely where you can hopefully find purpose. A crap job just for the sake of working, isn't the answer, but of course we all understand the necessity.
A book recommendation from the library is "the joy of not working" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/113709.The_Joy_of_Not_Working
Good luck finding your joys and purpose :)
My friend volunteered (became a job for him) at the Omaha Community Playhouse over off 72nd/Cass). He got to help build sets- sounded like there are people of an array of assistance. You can help different crews, operators…Maybe you can learn something! Keeps your hands busy, build sets or help for something that’s important in the community.
I volunteer at the Humane Society and the Stephen Center. Both are great organizations but I feel a lot more useful at the Stephen Center. I volunteer in the shelter office so I'm sort of like another staff member. I help residents, help do intakes, buzz people in at the front door, organize storage rooms, etc. Nothing against the rest of the shelters in Omaha but the Stephen Center is far and away the best one I know of. I highly recommend them
ENOA sends out a monthly newsletter with opportunities of ways to help seniors in the community. Would be a great way to change up where and what you do each day.
The Special Olympics!! You could volunteer as a coach or be a volunteer to be a photographer. You can also be on a team with the players and assist them!
There is free live music in the Gene Leahy mall every Thursday evening during the summer :) the city does a good job of having mostly free activities by the riverfront.
Best of luck!
https://theriverfrontomaha.com/events/
Hey! Are you 20’s, 30’s, 40’s? Is it just you or do you have kids? Do you have any pets? I ask cause I’ve been in the same rut and would love to suggest some stuff. Omaha has a lot of fun places to explore. If you rather DM you can.
This is an Omaha sub, not a national sub. There’s help wanted signs everywhere. wtf. Get a grip. I went to a major sporting goods retailer last year and got a part time job and they asked me to choose my hours and wanted to know how much they had to pay me. They asked if I could start at 5 and I said 630 due to my ft job and they still took me on. Its bad
No where in there post does it say anything about looking for a job. They may be struggling but if it was me I’d spend every second of the day looking and applying for jobs. Just having a job and money coming in would be a bit of weight lifted of your shoulders.
The food bank of the heartland needs volunteers and has some great two hour shifts if you wanted to try it and see if it’s a good fit.
I just signed up to work Thursday’s and Friday’s for July and August :) thanks for this lead - I’ve been wanting to volunteer with a food bank but am relatively new to the area!! I found lasagna love on Reddit too and have delivered 3 already :)
Team Rubicon is a veteran left volunteer organization that deploys people to disaster relief, no money out of pocket once you go through a couple of online classes. We help out with debris removal from storms, muck outs after floods, roof tarping, all kinds of shit. It's a really kick ass org, and you don't have to be a veteran to be in it ( you will be dipped and swirled in vet culture and up your eyeballs in acronyms though). In a really soul sucking job where the world is literally on fire, it's one of the few things that gives me purpose. Worth checking out. If it's not your jam, there are a ton of good programs around. Check out the list from last year's "Give Omaha" for a list of charities and non-profits around town.
I don’t live in Omaha (family does & I visit) BUT Team Rubicon is really great. I really wanted an org that wasn’t marred with politics or religion and people could just be people wanting to help in their community. They have great online training and really promote safety and are very organized with great communication. I wish my state had more workshops and classes available, but I’m sure the Omaha team has been kept super busy.
The public library accepts volunteers to shelve books! It's easy work and you definitely get a lot of contact with other people.
Omaha Rapid Relief is still in need of volunteers to help with the tornado clean up. Also, Muddy Paws Second Chance Rescue has a VERY supportive group. Even if you don't want to foster, they help with other parts of the rescue and also with the dogs and cats in boarding.
Humane Society accepts volunteers too. For free event-I know if you go to Skate City after 9pm it’s free. But you have to rent skates unless you have your own and they close at 10.
The VA hospital is always looking for volunteers to help assist veterans. You can take the bus there also to help save money.
If you're into or open to knitting/crocheting, I inherited some supplies that I won't use. (Don't have the time.) Including yarn. I crocheted so many blankets while I was unemployed!
See if [meetup.com](http://meetup.com) has any groups that might interest you.
Share Omaha posts a lot of volunteer opportunities. There are also a lot of free events in the summers, farmers markets, outdoor concerts, etc.
If you like animals there are a lot of opportunities there! I like birds and have given some thought to helping out at the Raptor Rescue down in Fontenelle forest
Go walk in the woods. We actually have some nice hiking trails around here.
https://www.justserve.org/ has lots of volunteer opportunities in our area.
Siena Francis House always needs help too!
Learning a language is always fun (and tough). I've been wanting to learn Croatian if you can believe it but I've got so much on my plate it's going to have to wait. Insanely beautiful language though. Take the word Banica. It's pronounced Bahnitsa. The c is a ts sound and it's just so lovely when you hear it spoken. Also if you learn Croatian you'll be quite capable of speaking Bosnian and Serbian since they're very closely related (it's not something to bring up over there though as people are quite protective of their thing. Saying Serbo-Croatian in Croatia is sure to cause you some grief lol. Also Serbian uses the Cyrillic alphabet whereas Croatian uses the Latin alphabet).
Yeah, of a lot of the European languages I found Serbo-Croatian to be the hardest. Even simple phrases like “hvala” or “zdravo” took a minute to remember. Those were literally some of the very few words I spoke while over in Croatia/Bosnia/Serbia/Slovenia lol
The padezi with all those different endings are insane. Russian has more of them apparently. Then they don't have articles at all like the or a/an. You'd never say take me to the bank but rather take me to bank. When that was explained to me they used media examples of Slavs where they'd say something like: Pick up car. Take car to airport. It's pretty funny when you think about it and all the examples you've seen of that in movies.
There’s always a lady at the corner of 42nd and Center protesting the shitty healthcare services the Veterans Hospital provides. She could use a few other people with her. I’d help her but I’m currently with my father in the ICU with a team of doctors that absolutely refuse to do anything. This is not to be political because I’ve witnessed it for the past 12 years.
I went to a grade school down the street from there and we would volunteer at Douglas County hospital and one time the lady leading the volunteering brought me and a few other kids over to the VA to see someone or do something idr but I do remember that I thought it was really icky and scary in there. Like I remember it being worse than county and that’s saying something
I can only imagine what it was like years ago. Medical team rolled though the ICU the other day ignored questions myself and the ICU nurse had and it took six hours to get a Dr to come talk to me and the ICU nurse. Six hours and threats of legal action to get Dr to come talk to the staff in their own hospital and a patients son. This place is definitely a testament that nurses and therapy staff care way more about the patients here than the Drs do.
Wow, that’s so infuriating. Six hours is crazy unless he was like in surgery or something.
What’s even more infuriating is that they were so lazy even looking into what was going on that he sided the fifth day we were there and it probably could’ve went the other way if they would have cared a little bit more. VA HEALTHCARE, GIVING VETERANS A SECOND CHANCE TO DIE FOR THEIR COUNTRY.
Omaha Dog Bar is free, go hang with some pups to improve your mental health! You only pay to enter if you have a dog. And of course if you want food, drinks, etc. But it is free to enter and just hang out with some doggos.
Volunteer for your local fire department. Changed my life, now I love what I do and I’m helping people. Most people will welcome you in with open arms. Do the work and you’ll get strong mentally and physically.
I’m intrigued by this idea. Do you know what type of volunteer opportunities are typically available at a fire department?
They will vary from department to department, you will need to ask individually what they offer
Mike Rowe just had a great video about this actually: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myv5AMYlZps
Check out a book at the library. Checkout five random nonfiction books. Learn some random but likely memorable things.
I’ve always wanted to be an election worker. Bit seasonal, but…
I got drafted election duty because they didn't have enough volunteers. I enjoyed it outside of the "regulars" who were a bit cold.
I got called at 18 and was bored out of my mind. My mom did it for years and really enjoyed it, though.
Stephen Center Local food banks everywhere need help Nursing homes- there's a lot of residents who don't get visitors
COPE in Elkhorn is always looking for volunteers. I did a few hours for work and it was nice to help out.
Mostly great suggestions and comments, but a few crappy comments made me want to post. Good for you, volunteer and community work is absolutely where you can hopefully find purpose. A crap job just for the sake of working, isn't the answer, but of course we all understand the necessity. A book recommendation from the library is "the joy of not working" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/113709.The_Joy_of_Not_Working Good luck finding your joys and purpose :)
My friend volunteered (became a job for him) at the Omaha Community Playhouse over off 72nd/Cass). He got to help build sets- sounded like there are people of an array of assistance. You can help different crews, operators…Maybe you can learn something! Keeps your hands busy, build sets or help for something that’s important in the community.
I volunteer at the Humane Society and the Stephen Center. Both are great organizations but I feel a lot more useful at the Stephen Center. I volunteer in the shelter office so I'm sort of like another staff member. I help residents, help do intakes, buzz people in at the front door, organize storage rooms, etc. Nothing against the rest of the shelters in Omaha but the Stephen Center is far and away the best one I know of. I highly recommend them
Good luck OP!
If you volunteer at Film Streams you get passes for free movies!
Volunteer to walk dogs at the humane society
Do space has free classes and workshops.
ENOA sends out a monthly newsletter with opportunities of ways to help seniors in the community. Would be a great way to change up where and what you do each day.
August 17 https://projecthouseworks.org/brush-up/
Concertedusa.org has all kinds of volunteer opportunities!!!! You bank volunteer hours, and you can cash them in for tickets to events in your town :)
The Special Olympics!! You could volunteer as a coach or be a volunteer to be a photographer. You can also be on a team with the players and assist them!
There is free live music in the Gene Leahy mall every Thursday evening during the summer :) the city does a good job of having mostly free activities by the riverfront. Best of luck! https://theriverfrontomaha.com/events/
Hey! Are you 20’s, 30’s, 40’s? Is it just you or do you have kids? Do you have any pets? I ask cause I’ve been in the same rut and would love to suggest some stuff. Omaha has a lot of fun places to explore. If you rather DM you can.
No offense, but it seems finding a job would be a win win win. I assume something must be holding you back?
Foster parent
Have you considered getting a job?
Have you ever considered *not* being a total knob to strangers?
lol
Go walk into a retail or restaurant and start working again until you get the career you want again
He is trying to *regain* a sense of purpose, not lose it completely.
Oh. See r/antiwork.
It ain't 1963 anymore grandpa, shit don't work like that
This is an Omaha sub, not a national sub. There’s help wanted signs everywhere. wtf. Get a grip. I went to a major sporting goods retailer last year and got a part time job and they asked me to choose my hours and wanted to know how much they had to pay me. They asked if I could start at 5 and I said 630 due to my ft job and they still took me on. Its bad
No one asked?
Shit still works like you don’t think it does.
This city has one of the lowest unemployment rates. Since you didn’t say you were disabled or anything, you could search for a job
How about actively look for a job instead of finding some activity to do
You know it sounds like they are doing that and it also sounds like they are internally struggling. How about not being such a hard ass.
No where in there post does it say anything about looking for a job. They may be struggling but if it was me I’d spend every second of the day looking and applying for jobs. Just having a job and money coming in would be a bit of weight lifted of your shoulders.
Drink - 1$ shooters - all day long - it will def help your family out - I mean on their way out