13 Denver nonprofits to volunteer at in 2022

We asked community leaders to point us toward local nonprofits making a difference in Denver and that could use help from volunteers to grow their impact.

Why it matters: Giving back provides an opportunity to connect with your community, support groups that have stepped up to serve our neediest and brighten your mood.

Consider these 13 organizations to donate your time or money this year:

🎒 Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver provides young people with after-school support to positively shape their lives in school and at home.

🥖 Food Bank of the Rockies is the region's largest nonprofit fighting hunger. It distributes more than 1.5 million meals on a weekly average.

🥾 Sand Creek Regional Greenway Partnership maintains a nearly 14-mile public trail and natural area along the watershed in the northeast Denver metro area. The organization also advocates for the route's protection.

🌳 Bluff Lake Nature Center is a 123-acre wildlife refuge and environmental education facility along Sand Creek that provides outdoor classroom experiences for people of all ages.

🏠 Samaritan House Denver primarily serves women, families and veterans who are experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.

🤝 The Reciprocity Collective serves unhoused individuals and families by helping develop stable relationships within the community and in professional settings.

🗑️ Headwaters Protectors provides weekly water and trash services to people experiencing homelessness.

♿ Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition advocates for social justice on behalf of people with a variety of disabilities across the state.

💙 Rose Andom Center offers a safe space for domestic violence victims to find the support and services they need to heal and rebuild their lives.

🌈 The Center on Colfax lobbies for Colorado's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities and for statewide initiatives to reduce harassment and discrimination.

🥔 Bienvenidos Food Bank has served emergency food, ongoing supplemental assistance and other resources for families in Northwest Denver for nearly 50 years.

✝️ Denver Dream Center shares a ministry-based approach that helps kids and families break the cycles of poverty, crime and addiction.

🧒 Mount Saint Vincent is a mental health treatment center for children with behavioral and emotional challenges due to mental illness, trauma, abuse or neglect.

This list first appeared in the Axios Denver newsletter, designed to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news unfolding in their own backyard. Subscribe here.