Volunteering

This was a really weird place to find this information.
Realtor.com? really.

I've been poking around trying to find some information on this but I have a couple of hiccups with it. First, where is there a Google like interface where I can just put in my zip code and they send me somewhere that I can help people. I've poked around on volunteermatch but so many of the opportunities on there have you fill out a form and they'll contact you.
Contact me? Why don't you just tell me if you need help and I'll just contact you? WTF? I don't want to say that having to fill out a form is being more put out than being homeless but for many of these things all I have is a name and I'd rather not give my email address to some company that is going to turn out to be in fucking Florida or something and start constantly asking me for money.

If all I wanted to do was plunk down money.* Then I would do that but I'd like to actually go and help somewhere. And I want to take my kids and teach them to help people. I really don't want to be giving my email address or phone number to every tom dick and harry that's going to beg me for money. Not that they don't need it but have you been on volunteermatch? There's fucking MILLIONS of charity organizations out there. Honestly some I'm going to be a little bit more likely to volunteer for.

Secondly. I started my search looking for Buddhist charity organizations and there's just not many in the little white bread corner of the world I live in. It gets quite a bit more prevalent as you get further into Los Angeles where there are, you know, more than two cultures but out here where you're either white, Mexican or here on visa, Buddhism is a little thin.

It's not that I want to get any special 'Buddhist street cred' or anything it's more that I'm still a little nervous about going to like the Salvation Army (who is their own church and has their own bible) and having people talk to me about god ALL DAY LONG. That kind of crap is annoying.
I'm also worried I'd end up at one where they got all preachy with the people they are trying to help.

And honestly I'm also a little worried I'd be at one of these goddy places and the poor folks I'm trying to help would go all "you're a true messenger of Jesus, thank you." And I'd end up saying something like "no actually I'm with one of those new aged Buddha Religions."

A.K.A The Devil.

And that could just go even more poorly from there. And then where would I be. Fucking defending Buddhism, fighting for Buddhism? Because that's a real virtuous thing to do.

And then this leads to the great guilt spiral of now getting down on myself for letting this bs stand in my way of helping people. Speaking of BS standing in the way I now have more.

So I started looking outside of my comfort zone and found the above. They actually have a couple of places not too far, one in Hollywood, right next door to white bread hell where I live, and another a bit deeper into LA. The closest one is Food on Foot. It's based in Hollywood and they not only feed the homeless every Saturday but then they have an additional program where they give them jobs cleaning the streets in exchange for food vouchers redeemable at McDonald's and stuff.

But it costs $20 to volunteer (which is probably an important part of how they can buy the food.) Which for me isn't a big deal but I'm planning on taking the whole family. If I could afford $80 a week I'd be donating more money to charity.

Shit.

I've already gotten past the part where I wouldn't be comfortable handing out Chicken meals to people but all the other crap is still either a pain in the ass or more than I can handle right now.

So now am I just looking for excuses not to volunteer? I think it's time to just bite the bullet. I'm sure there's probably a place right here in town that does something like that. Of course I'd much prefer to go over the hill to the valley where they probably have more than like 5 homeless people and help them. I guess I'll just suck it up and find a Catholic place or something.

* wow that makes it sound like I have money. Right!