There’s one freshman year piece of advice you’ve probably heard: explore off campus. But with balancing classes, club recruitment and trying to form new friendships, finding places off campus can take low priority. It can be hard to know what there is to do in Ithaca –– though to figure that out, you just need to find what’s interesting to you. An easy way to do this is through clubs.
One of my first times going off campus was by volunteering with the Pre-Professional Association Toward Careers in Health , through which I volunteered at Ithaca’s annual cupcake competition my first fall semester. Not only did I get to try some delicious cupcakes, but I also learned about various businesses and non-profits around Ithaca.
An easy place to find volunteering opportunities is (of course) ClubFest, where many of the clubs will promote or even require volunteering as a core pillar of membership. I reached out to Cornell’s PATCH and Cornell Hunger Relief Program to ask about volunteering, and like a variety of non-profits, there are lots of clubs promoting all different types of volunteering.
Lily Ehsan ’27, one of PATCH’s community service co-chairs, said that PATCH tries to make volunteering “simple, flexible and engaging, inspir[ing] students to get involved out of genuine interest rather than obligation.” They offer many different opportunities from blood drives and writing letters to hospitals, to their sub-committees like the Science Kits and Giggle Buddies programs. This allows students to “choose projects that reflect their personal passions while addressing different community needs. For example, working with Loaves and Fishes connects students with food insecurity issues, while Science Kits lets members inspire curiosity in underprivileged students” according to Ehsan.
CHRP similarly emphasized volunteering in Ithaca. As Shalini Ramakrishnan ’27, CHRP’s outreach chair, put it, “engaging with the Ithaca community is a meaningful part of being an active and informed community member.” She added that they prioritize partnerships with local hunger relief organizations who “are eager to have the help of students in addressing food insecurity.”
Both clubs also encourage group volunteering. Ramakrishnan said it’s “a fun way to make new friends while also helping the community,” and that any hurdles of transportation are “definitely worth it to get more students involved.” Ehsan noted similar motivators like “build[ing] community among PATCH members while allowing us to accomplish more together,” and making “service feel fun and collaborative rather than like an individual task.”
As for how they volunteer, Olivia Kornstein ’26, CHRP’s president added that they focus on “local food pantries in Ithaca, such as Salvation Army and Loaves and Fishes … [and] food packing events on campus for community members who are experiencing food insecurity.” In addition, CHRP hosts the Big Red Food Drive at the end of each school year, and also has G-Body meetings that focus on specific advocacy or volunteer efforts.
PATCH, being a broad pre-health club, has a variety of volunteer opportunities. This benefits the Ithaca community and the student volunteers as well. Ehsan pointed out that “our goal with PATCH’s community service is to create a supportive environment where students can grow as leaders while making a positive impact beyond campus.” In addition, their sub-groups, which require an application and hold weekly meetings, “ensure the community receives focused and consistent support” and promote the formation of “long-lasting relationships with the people they work with” according to Ehsan.
However, it’s also possible to volunteer without a club. While you’ll certainly see groups from Cornell and Ithaca College, volunteering independently or casually with friends is easy! Porchfest this year made volunteering super easy –– a quick Google Form with my availability was all I needed to sign up.
For me, these volunteering opportunities were so convenient and the organizations made them very simple –– they worked with my schedule and time restrictions. If you find yourself with a busy schedule (like most Cornell students), this can be an accessible way to get more involved in the community in a way that works for you.
If you’re looking for ideas, any fun events you’ve gone to or heard about likely take volunteers — Ithaca has a variety of festivals throughout the year, and volunteers help run almost all of them. I like finding them from weekly dorm emails or posters, Visit Ithaca or even from my professors promoting events. As an added bonus for volunteering at these events, you’ll usually get some sort of benefit ranging from free t-shirts, water bottles or even a discount on food at the event.
Beyond these one-day events, many non-profit and charity organizations around Ithaca need volunteers. One of the most well-known is Loaves and Fishes, a community kitchen that gives out meals in Downtown Ithaca. Other local spots that you may have visited include the Alley Cat Cafe and Tompkins County Public Library, along with Finger Lakes ReUse, Sciencenter and Free Science Workshop. With all of these organizations and volunteer opportunities, you can surely find something that aligns with your interests and schedule.
If you’re not already doing so, it can be difficult to put yourself out there and start volunteering in Ithaca. While most of us likely volunteered in high school, the shift to college may make those habits harder to maintain. However, I would strongly encourage everyone to find something — a charity that you support, a club that piques your interest or even just an event — and make an effort to volunteer.
I’ve enjoyed my experiences at community events so far and they have only motivated me to volunteer more. Helping and getting involved with the local community and meeting and spending time with other people has been a fulfilling aspect of my college experience. I hope this convinces you to give volunteering a try –– and if it doesn’t, maybe the free water bottle will. In either case, take the advice and make time to get off campus! Cornell is beautiful, but so is the rest of Ithaca — go see it, support it and give back to our community.
Melanie Delfosse is a sophomore in the College of Human Ecology. She can be reached at md2262@cornell.edu.
