Opportunities abound in Echo Park to make yourself useful. Here are some ways to get involved:

The Echo Park Film Center is entirely volunteer-run. With all of the services, equipment and classes they offer, they could always use some extra help.

The Los Angeles Public Library offers free tutoring services to adults who want to improve their reading and literacy skills.  You can volunteer to become a tutor at the Echo Park Branch of the LAPL.

826LA (inside the Echo Park Time Travel Mart) offers free tutoring to students (ages 8 to 18) who are “working on their homework or their first novel.” Perhaps you can put your great American novel on hold for an afternoon in favor of helping someone else out.

Some organizations, such as the Echo Park Historical Society, only publish volunteer opportunites in their newsletter. It always helps to get yourself on some mailing lists.

You can also search for volunteer opportunities by zip code through the Corporation for National and Community Service website.