Volunteering is on the rise in the U.S.

A report by the Corporation for National and Community Services found that Americans spent 100 million more hours helping their communities last year than in 2008.

The number of people getting involved also went up by 1.6 million to 63.4 million.

Overall, Americans set aside more than 8 billion hours to give back last year.

"People are turning toward problems, rather than away from them," said Patrick Corvington, who leads the government's national service agency. "People want to be part of the solution. They want to make a difference."

Raising money or selling items was the top volunteer activity. That was followed by collecting and distributing food to the needy.

The report revealed that people mainly served through religious organizations or social and community groups.