Volunteer Columbia

05/22/2026

School’s out for summer… but the opportunity to make a difference is just getting started! 😎

Youth ages 12–15 can spend part of their summer giving back through Youth in Action — a chance to serve the community, meet new friends, and gain valuable experience along the way.

Volunteer opportunities include:
🍎 The Food Bank
❤️ Ronald McDonald House
🌳 Parks & Recreation
🥪 Lunch in the Park
…and more!

Make this summer meaningful while having fun!

Learn more and sign up at como.gov/volunteer

05/19/2026

Volunteers were hard at work this past Sunday planting trees, shrubs, and flowers, and cleaning up sidewalks along the 300 block of N. 8th Street! 🌳🌸

After a new sewer line was installed last November, many of the established trees in the area had to be removed. To help restore shade and privacy to the neighborhood, residents teamed up to purchase and plant replacement trees and greenery with the help of a Love Your Block mini-grant.

A big thank you to the Missouri Conservation Corps for their help with this project, and to everyone who volunteered their time and effort to help beautify the neighborhood!

05/03/2026

🌱 It’s Compost Awareness Week! 🌍

Ready to turn your food scraps into something powerful? Join us for one of our upcoming compost workshops and learn how small everyday habits can make a big impact on our planet. From reducing waste to enriching soil, composting is an easy step toward a more sustainable future.

🪱 Thursday, May 7, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at the Capen Park Demo Site
🪱 Saturday, May 9, from 9:00-10:00 a.m. at the Columbia Farmers Market
🪱 Saturday, May 9, from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. at the Columbia Farmers Market

🌿 Let’s work together to keep food waste out of landfills and give it new life!

Register today! https://forms.gle/vPnrgwktcxE2Q4bTA

04/30/2026

Pop-Up Honeysuckle Hack in Garth Nature Area

On Thursday, April 30th, Missouri Conservation Corps will host a pop-up honeysuckle removal event in Columbia's Garth Nature Area, 2799 North Garth. This event will run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

If you have never joined us for a volunteer event, we will provide the tools, gloves, bug spray and training. We ask our volunteers to wear sturdy footwear and dress for the weather.

We will be working to remove invasive honeysuckle and autumn olive from this 52-acre park on the north side of Columbia. If you have any questions about this event, or would like to register, contact our Project Director Stephen Bybee at [email protected]

04/24/2026

Happy Arbor Day! 🌳

TreeKeeper volunteers spent the afternoon getting everything ready for tomorrow’s Arbor Day Tree Giveaway at the Columbia Farmers Market! Starting at 8:00 am, attendees can pick up two free seedlings while supplies last.

Come early and grab yours!

Trees available include:

Bald cypress
Black cherry
Black gum
Black walnut
Bur oak
Buttonbush
Concordia oak
Kentucky coffeetree
Mixed hickory
Ninebark
Northern red oak
Norway spruce
Ohio buckeye
Paw paw
Pecan
Pitch loblolly pine
Redbud
Silky dogwood
Swamp white oak
Tulip poplar
White fringe tree
Witch hazel

04/22/2026

04/20/2026

Happy Volunteer Appreciation Week! 💜

This is a time to recognize, celebrate, and say thank you for all that our volunteers do for the City of Columbia.

From painting trail tunnels and supporting 7K trail runs, to consolidating paint at Household Hazardous Waste collections, cleaning streams, patrolling trails, beautifying spaces through Adopt-A-Spot, and collecting litter—lots of litter—our volunteers show up in countless ways to make our community the best place to live, work, and play.

Your time, energy, and dedication make a real difference to our community.💜

04/17/2026

04/14/2026

We want to give a big thank you to Columbia Recycle & Trash and Columbia Parks and Recreation for their incredible support in collecting all the filled litter bags this weekend!

Hundreds of volunteers came out for Cleanup Columbia this past Saturday, and crews were right behind them, making sure every bag was picked up as routes were completed.

We are grateful for the continued support! 💚

04/12/2026

Thank you to Columbia Rotary South for participating in Cleanup Columbia! More than 900 volunteers are picking up litter around town this month, with many serving yesterday, April 11. It's never too late to help in the effort to keep our City looking great! Let us know if you can help! Thanks again, Rotarians! We appreciate you!