Community service

Unpaid work to benefit a community Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community. In many cases, people doing community service are compensated in other ways, such as receiving a free lunch. In many countries, there are programs to encourage people to do community service. In some cases, it is possible to replace a criminal justice sanctions with community service; there may also be school or class requirements. Obtaining certain benefits may be linked to doing some form of community service. For all these reasons, it is distinct from volunteering. Background Community service is a non-paying job performed by one person or a group of people for the benefit of their community or its institutions. Community service is distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performed on a voluntary basis and may be performed for a variety of reasons, including: Required by a government as a part of citizenship requirements, like the mandatory "Hand and hitch-up services" for some municipalities in Austria and Germany, or generally in lieu of military service (see: Zivildienst and Alternative civilian service) or