What Jainism says about giving and service
Jainism does not organise its ethics around service the way some traditions do. There is no Jain equivalent of the free kitchen as a pillar of the faith. What it has instead is dana, giving, and a strict set of rules about not taking, and between them they cover much of the same ground. The concepts below run from the vow that limits possession down to the small matter of being late for someone. Several sit under the vow of non-stealing rather than under generosity, which tells you something about the angle.
Aparigraha - Non-Possessiveness
The fifth great vow: limit what you own and what you cling to. Jain giving grows out of this rather than out of a duty to help.
Acharanga Sutra
Dana - Giving
The main lay practice: food and necessities for monastics, help for those in need, support for religious and educational institutions.
Dana Teaching
Charity and Giving
Giving is presented as the working side of non-possessiveness. You loosen a grip by opening a hand.
Dana Doctrine
Wealth as Trust
Money held in trust rather than owned. What you have is for use, and some of that use is other people.
Wealth Ethics
Generosity as Antidote
Generosity is prescribed as the cure for grasping. It is aimed at the wanting, not only at the taking.
Practice Guidance
Accepting Only What is Needed
Taking only what you need, even when more is freely offered. Surplus in one place is shortage in another.
Jain Ethics
Freedom from Hoarding
Hoarding is described as a burden rather than a safety. Things accumulated have to be guarded, and the guarding costs peace.
Practical Teaching
Respecting Community Resources
Water, air and common land belong to everyone. Overusing or fouling them counts as taking from the community and from people not yet born.
Community Guidelines
Time Theft
An unusual entry: wasting someone else's time is counted as theft, on the grounds that time cannot be given back.
Modern Application
Relationship with Monastics
Laypeople and monastics are described as supporting each other, one with material help and one with teaching. Service runs in both directions.
Sangha Doctrine
Read together, these make giving a matter of subtraction rather than addition. You are not being asked to build something for others so much as to stop holding more than your share. It is a quieter idea of service, and a harder one to feel pleased with yourself about.