This post was originally featured on HuffingtonPost.com

There’s no place on Earth quite like New York City. Its energy and opportunity attract millions of people who want to be part of the Big Apple, and to those millions, the city gives so much. Actors, artists, businessmen, and professionals all benefit from everything New York has to offer.

The same people who thrive from the city’s many gifts are also the people who make New York a place who give back to others. With so many ways to give back, paying it forward is easier than you’d think.

Tutor with Masa

Masa, a Bronx-based organization dedicated to academic achievement, is seeking tutors for the spring 2017 term. Just two hours of tutoring a week can help students build a strong foundation in school by receiving homework help and growth as readers. Volunteer blocks are available between 6 and 8 PM, Monday through Thursday.

Coach Girls in Soccer

South Bronx United is seeking volunteer coaches for its two girls’ SBU competitive travel soccer teams. Coaches serve as more than mere play tacticians. They are mentors and role models who help the girls develop the values of teamwork, discipline, and respect as they form a love for the sport. The winter season kicks off in January and goes to early March. The spring season runs from mid-March to June. Schedules are flexible and will be built around your free time.

Food Bank for New York City

Food Bank for New York City had provided food to nearly one in five New Yorkers for over 30 years. To help its work in all five boroughs, FBNYC requires 800 volunteers a week to help package food, feed breakfast to seniors, or prepare meals for those who need them. FBNYC is open to individual or group volunteering opportunities, making it an excellent place for your business or organization to make an impact.

Help Your Local Park

New York City is full of dozens of green spaces big and small that provide peace and escape from the surrounding hustle and bustle of a major metropolis. There are a number of terrific ways to get involved with the city’s parks from volunteering to plant new plants and paint benches to working to restore natural green lands and tend to local wildlife.

Volunteer at the New York Public Library

The New York Public Library is seeking enthusiastic volunteers to help with library card sign-ups during the months of January, February, and March. Volunteers are asked to work 2–3 hour flexible shifts per month that are available in morning, noon, nighttime, and weekend hours. This campaign also provides information on a host of free services that the NYPL provides.

Become a Wish-granting Volunteer for Make-A-Wish

The Make-A-Wish Foundation works with children all over New York. As a Wish-granting Volunteer, you will be part of a team that interviews children with life-threatening diseases to determine their deepest wish. Afterward, you will assist with granting the child’s wish by working with Make-A-Wish staff and your volunteer partner.

In a city with a population of nearly ten million, there are tens of thousands (if not more) ways to give back and make a difference in others’ lives as well as your own. I’ve never done something for someone that didn’t make me feel more grounded or appreciative of all the different people who live here. Though there are times when being cramped in the concrete jungle can feel by rote, when I find new ways to give back, I feel a kinship to New Yorkers. In a sense, that makes me more than just one in eight million people.