This paper discusses the volunteer activities of Canadian parents, and examines the factors that influence their likelihood of becoming involved in their communities. The findings suggest that religious commitment is a significant factor in the decision to volunteer, as parents who are regular church-goers donate more of their time to volunteer activities than non religious parents. This paper also examines the effect of parental volunteering on family time and relationships and finds, with the exception of lone parent families, that parents who volunteer their time to outside activities spend approximately the same amount of time with their children as parents who do not volunteer.