People below or near the poverty line can occasionally be found volunteering.
I think it speaks more about what people value, how they value their time. How many people can’t afford an hour a week? An hour a month? There is almost always some unhealthy activity that takes up at least an hour of your time a month, why not substitute?
i think a big factor is also how you earn your income. if you have a badly paid but regular job and or even if you are unemployed but know that you can't find a job then you can use time when you are not working for other activities. on the other hand if you work as an uber driver or other gig job then every hour on the job counts and you are not going to volunteer time unless you are earning enough so that you feel you can afford it. how much that relates to your income depends on your lifestyle. and that also depends on what you were used to growing up.
i can't think of any volunteering opportunity that only takes an hour unless it is something you can do at home or nearby. otherwise you also have to consider travel times, getting ready, etc. any activity no matter how short usually cost me a full afternoon or evening.
i actually do a lot of volunteering, so it's not that i am looking for excuses. i just find that for anything i do, i have to be able to focus on it, and if i am struggling to make a living, then i just can't focus on anything else. because whatever i do i am thinking: i should not be spending this time here, i should be looking for work. and i am not just saying that, i am actively experiencing that right now. even while writing this comment i am thinking that i should really be looking for more work because i am not earning enough to cover expenses at the moment.
and i did mention that things you can do at home are easier to volunteer for because they take less effort. so why do you think my attitude is dismissive?
I’m sorry if my comment came off poorly. Looking for work is certainly more important. If you can’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to help anyone else. It’s actually required to put yourself first before you can volunteer.
and that was my initial point. the ability to do volunteer work depends on how stable your income is. you can be poor, and have a badly paid job, but if you are not pressed to earn more then you can use your free time on other ways. and that is why even poor people are able to volunteer. (and how much you feel pressed to earn more also depends on your character)
