Tennessee Community Service
Tennessee Community Service & Volunteer Resources
Explore named Tennessee volunteer organizations, community-service programs and official referral routes by county. Confirm the host organization, supervision requirements, eligible activities and documentation before beginning any court-related hours. Free to search.
44 resources and guidance routes
Local entries identify a named organization or official route in a county; they do not guarantee a placement or court acceptance. Regional entries identify documented county access, not physical offices in each county. General guidance is listed separately.
No matching resources are currently indexed. Try another county or a statewide referral route; do not assume a location is approved for court hours.
Named organizations and programs in selected county
Additional regional or county-serving routes
Statewide official routes and volunteer connectors
Relevant guidance — not confirmed placements
Statewide official routes
Regional and statewide organizations / official routes
Tennessee Department of Correction / supervision route check
State-level correction and supervision context. People on probation, parole, community corrections, diversion, or reentry should confirm whether a local officer, court, or program must assign the service site.
U.S. Probation — Middle District of Tennessee community-service route
Federal supervision route identifying community-service options in Middle Tennessee, including Second Harvest and The Little Pantry That Could. Federal cases should follow the officer’s instructions before using any site.
Tennessee 2-1-1
Statewide resource connector for local nonprofits, food, shelter, human services, and support programs. Use it as a referral starting point, then confirm the exact organization can supervise and document hours.
Hands On Nashville — court-ordered service route
Middle Tennessee volunteer connector with a court-ordered service pathway. Partners may accept court-ordered volunteers, but walk-ins are not accepted and the partner organization controls verification unless Hands On leads the project.
Habitat for Humanity / ReStore Tennessee route check
Habitat affiliates and ReStores may offer build, warehouse, donation, and ReStore tasks. Confirm affiliate-specific rules, background screening, safety requirements, and documentation before starting.
General navigation guidance (not a placement)
Remote or online service check
Remote service, online certificates, at-home projects, donation drives, virtual volunteering, or self-directed tasks should not be used unless the court, officer, program coordinator, attorney, school, or referring agency confirms acceptance in advance.
West Tennessee
Shelby County
Shelby County Community Services Unit
County route that schedules and monitors community-service activities for clients on probation, people going to court for misdemeanor charges, and community members completing service.
Volunteer Memphis
Volunteer connector for Memphis and Shelby County with access to hundreds of nonprofits and schools. Use it to identify opportunities, then confirm court-related documentation directly with the host organization.
Memphis Union Mission route check
Faith-based shelter and meal-service route. Confirm non-worship task clarity, intake process, role restrictions, and whether staff can sign court or supervision paperwork.
City of Memphis / public-service route check
Public works, neighborhood cleanup, parks, and beautification routes may be available through official city, county, or court-linked processes. Confirm assignment before starting.
Regional and statewide organizations / official routes
Mid-South Food Bank route check
Regional food bank route for sorting, packing, distribution, and food-security support across the Mid-South. Confirm court-related hours, restrictions, scheduling, and verification before starting.
General navigation guidance (not a placement)
Jackson / Madison County local-route check
Food pantry, city public-service, parks, thrift, animal shelter, and community nonprofit routes may be available in Jackson and nearby counties. Confirm the actual host and documentation first.
Middle Tennessee
Davidson County
The Little Pantry That Could
North Nashville pantry route identified by the U.S. Probation Middle District community-service page as accepting all levels of court-ordered volunteers.
Nashville General Sessions community-service work route
Court/community beautification route may be scheduled through specific docket events. Registration, site, time, and safety instructions can be case-specific.
Nashville Rescue Mission route check
Shelter, kitchen, donation, and facility-support route. Confirm intake process, non-worship task clarity, restrictions, and documentation before starting.
Nashville CARES route check
Volunteer route supporting nutrition, fundraising, education, administration, events, and clinic-adjacent support. Confirm screening, confidentiality rules, and whether service-hour verification is available.
Regional and statewide organizations / official routes
Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee — court-ordered service
Direct court-ordered community-service route. Volunteers must pre-register and schedule online; approval and shift type matter because only eligible court-ordered shifts count.
Hands On Nashville — court-ordered project signup
Volunteer hub with court-ordered service instructions. Partners do not accept walk-ins; participants should create an account, select court-ordered-eligible projects, and confirm verification with the project leader.
Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee route check
Donation, retail, and headquarters-based service route. Goodwill has historically welcomed court-ordered community service at its Nashville headquarters; confirm current process before relying on it.
General navigation guidance (not a placement)
Rutherford / Williamson / Sumner local-route check
Food pantries, animal shelters, Habitat/ReStore, libraries, parks, thrift stores, and community centers may offer local routes in Murfreesboro, Franklin, Gallatin, Lebanon, Columbia, and surrounding counties.
Knoxville and East Tennessee
Knox County
Knox County Criminal Court Community Service Program
County court route for qualifying defendants to address court costs through community service. The program includes a participant inquiry route and a partner inquiry route for organizations.
Knox Area Rescue Ministries route check
Shelter, meals, donation, thrift, and ministry-support route. Confirm court-hour policy, role restrictions, non-worship task clarity, and supervisor signature before starting.
City of Knoxville volunteer/public-service route check
City volunteer route and public-service connector. Knoxville directs residents to Volunteer East Tennessee and local opportunities; court-related hours still need approval from the authority requiring service.
Regional and statewide organizations / official routes
Volunteer East Tennessee
Regional volunteer center serving Anderson, Blount, Grainger, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Roane, Sevier, and Union counties. Use it to identify nonprofit opportunities, then confirm court-hour documentation with the host.
Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee route check
Food bank route with warehouse, food-packing, pantry, administrative, and event tasks. Confirm schedule, age/chaperone rules, closed-toe shoe requirements, and documentation before starting.
General navigation guidance (not a placement)
Sevier / Blount / Anderson local-route check
Food pantry, animal shelter, library, parks, rescue mission, Habitat/ReStore, and community cleanup routes may be available around Maryville, Sevierville, Oak Ridge, Clinton, and nearby communities.
Chattanooga and Southeast Tennessee
Hamilton County
Chattanooga Community Kitchen / CHATT Foundation court-ordered route
Direct court-ordered community-service pathway. The organization states that only hours scheduled through its sign-up page are credited toward community-service requirements.
City of Chattanooga / Hamilton County work-crew route check
Public works, parks, litter cleanup, and beautification routes may be available only through official assignment. Confirm court or probation paperwork before starting.
Regional and statewide organizations / official routes
Chattanooga Area Food Bank — court-ordered volunteer route
Direct court-ordered volunteer route. The food bank states that court-ordered volunteers are welcome and provides scheduling guidance for roles that fit needs and availability.
United Way / community volunteer routes in Chattanooga
Volunteer hub and nonprofit connector routes may lead to food, shelter, youth, senior, cleanup, and event opportunities. Confirm host documentation and court-hour acceptance directly.
General navigation guidance (not a placement)
Cleveland / Bradley County local-route check
Food pantries, thrift stores, animal shelters, libraries, parks, Habitat/ReStore, and public-service routes may be available locally. Confirm exact host and documentation before starting.
Rhea / Marion / Sequatchie / Meigs rural route check
Rural counties may rely on probation-directed public works, convenience centers, libraries, senior centers, food pantries, rescue squads, and local events. Confirm safety and supervision first.
Northeast Tennessee
Regional and statewide organizations / official routes
Goodwill Industries of Tenneva — Community Service Program
Direct court-ordered community-service program using a retail learning environment where participants complete hours while building workforce-related skills.
Holston Habitat for Humanity — court-ordered service route
Direct court-ordered service route through Habitat/ReStore. Applicants are notified of decisions after review, and the page lists a direct contact for questions.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee
Food bank route with warehouse and distribution support. Confirm court-hour tracking, closed-toe shoe rule, minimum age, profile setup, and verification before starting.
General navigation guidance (not a placement)
Johnson City / Washington County public-service route check
Public works, parks, landfill, library, community cleanup, and city/county routes may be available through court or probation assignment. Confirm paperwork before starting.
Greeneville / Greene County local-route check
Food pantry, animal shelter, thrift, library, senior center, Habitat/ReStore, and civic-service routes may be available locally. Confirm host and documentation first.
Hamblen / Hawkins / Carter rural-route check
Rural and smaller-city routes may include food pantry, public library, parks, senior center, animal shelter, rescue support, and community-event tasks. Confirm nonhazardous roles and signed proof.
Rural and Upper Cumberland Tennessee
General navigation guidance (not a placement)
County probation / General Sessions route check
Many rural courts and probation offices maintain their own current community-service lists for highway departments, solid waste sites, county fairs, rescue squads, animal shelters, food pantries, and public facilities.
Upper Cumberland local-route check
Food pantry, Habitat/ReStore, public library, parks, animal shelter, senior center, and community-event routes may be available around Cookeville, Crossville, Livingston, Sparta, Smithville, and surrounding counties.
Northwest Tennessee / Delta route check
Food pantry, thrift, public works, library, senior center, animal shelter, county fair, cleanup, and community-event routes may be available in Dyersburg, Union City, Martin, Paris, and surrounding counties.
Public libraries, senior centers, and civic clubs
Smaller towns often use volunteers for event setup, shelving, cleaning, donation sorting, food distribution, seasonal drives, and community programs. Confirm whether court-related hours are accepted.
Animal shelters and humane societies
Local animal shelters may use volunteers for cleaning, laundry, feeding support, adoption events, and facility tasks. Confirm screening, age limits, offense restrictions, and documentation first.
Volunteer fire/rescue and community events — nonhazard route only
Some departments or civic groups may accept nonhazard roles such as fundraising, food service, cleanup, parking support, or event setup. Do not perform hazardous duties to complete hours.
