LOCALIZE IT: Everyday volunteers provide stopgap services as shutdown effects linger
EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:
Everyday people are improvising stopgap efforts to support their communities as effects linger from the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Whether feeding hungry families or maintaining local museum tours, volunteers nationwide are strengthening social ties that they hope will continue making their neighbors whole in the face of persistent precarity.
The six-week government shutdown that came to an end late Wednesday will be another drag on an economy already facing many challenges, though the full impact will take months to measure.
This guide includes recent data on states with the highest volunteerism and resources you can report on or share with readers on how they can help neighbors and community members.
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READ AP’S LATEST COVERAGE
Everyday volunteers are providing stopgap services during the shutdown in a show of community power
AP Newsroom hub on the government shutdown
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FIND YOUR STATE: TOP PLACES FOR VOLUNTEERISM
A survey released last November from the U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps showed an estimated 28.3% of people in the United States volunteered with a nonprofit between Sept. 2022 and Sept. 2023.
The survey found differences between states. The 10 states with the highest rates of formal volunteering were:
Utah (46.6%)
Vermont (40.5%)
Nebraska (40.3%)
Minnesota (40.3%)
Kansas (39.6%)
South Dakota (37.8%)
Connecticut (37.4%)
Montana (37.2%)
District of Columbia (35.8%)
Oregon (35.7%)
Iowa (35.5%)
The survey also accounted for activities helping or exchanging favors with neighbors such as house sitting or running errands. About 54.2% of Americans reported providing such informal help between September 2022 and 2023. The 10 states with the highest rates were:
Utah (68.2%)
Montana (68.0%)
Colorado (67.4%)
Vermont (65.1%)
Delaware (64.8%)
Minnesota (63.4%)
Iowa (63.3%)
Wisconsin (62.7%)
Pennsylvania (62.3%)
Maine (62.0%)
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CONSIDER THESE RESOURCES / SHARING WAYS TO HELP
— Read AP’s story from last month on how hunger relief groups say you can help your neighbors.
— Facebook “grocery buddies” groups are popping up in cities across the country. You can report on these and maybe able to find sources here.
— Feeding America maintains a list of its partner food banks.
— Mutual Aid Hub has an online repository of reciprocal support groups that promptly meet neighbors’ most pressing needs when existing systems fail to make them whole.
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READ ADDITIONAL AP COVERAGE
Families brace for continued gaps in Head Start service despite government reopening
States scramble to send full SNAP food benefits to millions of people after government shutdown ends
The unprecedented government shutdown will weigh on a US economy already under stress
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Localize It is a resource produced regularly by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to the Local News Success team at localizeit@ap.org. View guides published in the last 30 days here.
