Community service isn't always the first thing that comes to mind when people think of unions, but it should be close to the top of the list. Union members are community-minded by their very nature and they prove this every day through the many different service projects they create and participate in, on and off the clock.

Here are 20 examples of community service projects you might not be aware of that union members do:

1. Letter Carriers Food Drive: For more than 20 years, the Letter Carriers (NALC) union has collected food to restock food banks, pantries and shelters around the country. The largest annual food drive in the country collected 74 million pounds of food this year.

2. Spring Hill, Tenn., Autoworkers Collect Supplies for Tornado Survivors: After the deadly tornadoes in Oklahoma earlier this year, UAW members from Tennessee collected three trailer truckloads of supplies for the survivors.

3. Union Sportsmen Rebuild America's Public Parks: Union Sportsmen's Alliance created the Adopt-a-Park program to ask members to volunteer their time and unique skills to renew, rebuild and restore America’s state parks that are continually faced with budget cuts and have a backlog of repair and restoration projects.

4. Washington Unions Build Warehouse for Second Harvest: Members of the Washington State Labor Council volunteered 100% of the labor needed to build a warehouse that will supply goods to the hundreds of food banks Second Harvest donates to each month.

5. Green Bay Unions Collect Blankets for Local Shelters: The Greater Green Bay Labor Council gathers blankets to give to area shelters in the "Blanketing Brown County" program.

6. San Diego Unions Run Affordable Housing Complex: Members of San Diego's Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 569 and the San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council operate an affordable housing complex in a nice neighborhood to help community members in need provide a good lifestyle for their families.

7. In Connection with First Book Program, Teachers Give Thousands of Books to Children: Many local union members, AFT's in particular, work with the First Book program to provide thousands of books to children to get them started on a lifetime of reading, including recent giveaways in Houston and Cleveland.

8. Painters Use Social Media to Fight Cerebral Palsy: The Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) pledged to give $1 to United Cerebral Palsy for every "Like" they got on their Facebook page earlier this year and presented the charity with a check for $10,000.

9. Teachers and Other Unions 'Reconnect' Struggling West Virginia County: AFT and other unions created a coalition to economically and educationally revitalize one of the hardest-hit counties during the Great Recession. More than a year later, the Reconnecting McDowell project has shown that investment in communities can show remarkable success.

10. Nebraska Unions Raise Money for Energy Assistance: Members of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) and Electrical Workers (IBEW) unions raised money to help make sure that families can stay warm during the coldest months of the year.

11. Football Players Help Veterans Find Jobs: Among other community events surrounding the Super Bowl, NFL Players Association (NFLPA) created a job fair to help jobless military veterans find work.

12. Detroit Union Members Build Accessibility Ramps: Members of various unions contributed their time to the Ray West Memorial Ramp Project to provide Detroit-area residents in wheelchairs ramps to make their homes easier to access.

13. Government Employees Collect Bras for Domestic Violence Survivors: Survivors of domestic violence in the western states can not only use recovery resources provided by AFGE, but the union collects and gives out bras to the women to support them during their transition from victim to survivor. 

14. Sacramento, Calif., Unions Gather Toilet Paper for Homeless Shelters: 18 unions in the capital city joined together to raise more than 170,000 rolls of toilet paper to distribute to local shelters in conjunction with the United Way.

15. Machinists Raise Money for Guide Dogs for the Blind: The Machinists (IAM) union is the top fundraiser in the country for Guide Dogs of America, having raised nearly $300,000 for the program in 2012.

16. Pennsylvania Unions Give Candy to Special Needs Children: The Greater Wilkes-Barre Labor Council works with the United Way to collect candy and other goods to stuff the stockings of children with special needs.

17. Fire Fighters Fight Breast Cancer: For Breast Cancer Awareness month, Fire Fighters (IAFF) locals around the country raise funds and participate in events to raise awareness and spur research into the disease.

18. Wisconsin Unions Gather Diapers for Area Babies: The Greater Green Bay Labor Council gathered more than 13,000 diapers this year to make sure that parents with young children have things covered.

19. Union Members Assist Toys for Tots Campaign: Many unions throughout the country, like the New Jersey AFL-CIO, participate in the annual Toys for Tots Christmas gift drive.

20. Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Provide Free Home Furnace Inspections: Plumbers and Pipe Fitters (UA) members in Minnesota provide free home furnace inspections to low-income and senior homes as part of their Heat's On campaign.

Do you participate in a community service project with your local union? Do you want to learn more about AFL-CIO Community Services and how it builds power for working families? Log in and comment below or email wfischer@aflcio.org.