Asked by @marygross67 on Twitter.

You can find volunteer opportunities at Serve.gov.

Volunteering is a great way to become involved in your community. Find opportunities near you.

You can give back to your community in a variety of ways – each one making a bigger difference than you could ever imagine. But sometimes finding the right service opportunities can be the biggest challenge in getting started. These resources can help you find projects in your area:

• Created by a partnership of government agencies to help America’s natural and cultural resources, Volunteer.gov makes it easy for you to find volunteer opportunities across the country. Search by date or by state to find an array of volunteer activities, from serving in a wildlife refuge to helping clean up a national park.
• Join forces with one of the largest federal government volunteer organizations, the Department of Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service. You can find ways to donate time, goods or money for those who have fought for our country. Find local events and programs that help those who need it most.
• Students are a rare group who usually have both the time and energy to help those around them. And many high schools and colleges have volunteering requirements. Use Catch the Spirit, a guide to helping students get involved in their communities for ideas on getting started. Volunteering is a great learning experience and also helps build your resume.
• If you enjoy working outside and want to help protect the land and animals around you, Take Pride in America offers perfect volunteer opportunities for you. The Department of the Interior promotes Take Pride in America to help all public lands across the country, both state and federally owned.

Sometimes the greatest gift you can give to others is service. If you spend three hours a week reading to a child, that child is twice as likely to score in the top 25% in reading. If you work to secure food donations for a local soup kitchen or food bank, you are directly providing meals to hungry individuals. Find volunteer opportunities in your area or create your own and recruit others.

Did you miss last week’s tip? Get more holiday tips.

Research released by the federal Corporation for National and Community Service also shows that Generation X (born 1965-1981) served 110 million more hours than ever before, giving them a 2010 grand total of 2.3 billion volunteer hours.

The states with the highest volunteer rates were:

1. Utah
2. Iowa
3. Minnesota
4. Nebraska
5. South Dakota

You can get involved by finding volunteer opportunities in your community, including for the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance, at Serve.gov.

To find more statistics on American volunteering, visit volunteeringinamerica.gov.