Once per week, I volunteer at a food pantry for a few hours.  It's nice to try to help those with a low income get access to healthy food for their families and themselves.

However, when I think of doing volunteer work to help those with mental illness, I often think of volunteer jobs such as visiting patients in mental hospitals, or something of that nature.

But volunteering at food pantries also helps those with mental illness.  After all, if food pantries didn't exist, those who don't have a lot of money wouldn't have as much healthy food.  Some of them may go without.  And that wouldn't just affect their physical health.  It would affect their mental health as well.  Not having food on the table causes emotional distress.

So, as a volunteer at a food pantry, I'm helping the needy in my area in more ways than one.