Talk to me about volunteer work

[Juche]

I know there is a website called volunteermatch, but I live in a small town and even the nearby towns seem kind of dry for opportunities.

I guess it depends on what you end up doing. I remember in the buildup to the 2008 election I would volunteer to go door to door to talk to Obama supporters and remind them when/where to vote on election day. I felt more connected to my community (the one I grew up in) by doing that than I had at any other time in my life. Feeling connected to a larger whole where we were all working together for a laudable goal was really enjoyable. And feeling useful in helping make that happen was good too.

[SmileyRose]

1. The most important volunteer work I've done

I volunteer local Democratic party continuously, have temporarily volunteered for various charity fund raisers. To date most important and fulfilling work I have ever done is with the nursing home up the street. I have 2 adopted grandmas. Women who have gotten too disabled to live alone and have no one else in this world other than nursing home staff. I am there every week minimum and sometimes daily if needed - even if for only to share a meal.

[yewberry]

2. There's always something that needs doing or someone who needs help.

Doesn't matter where you are.

You can volunteer at a school or a library if you're a strong reader. There always kids who struggle with reading and need extra help. You could read with kids once a week or set up a peer tutoring program in which older kids read to younger ones--that way the little ones get reading time and attention, and the older kids get a chance to be heroes and mentors. (If you're going to work with kids, though, be aware that there might be a background check.) Or you could start an adult literacy program--there are a lot of adults who need help reading or learning to read English, and they're often very motivated students.

Food banks need help. If you're comfortable with religious groups, check out local churches or Habitat for Humanity for volunteering options.

Look at Craigslist, too. There's a "Volunteers" section. See if your area has an Americorps of VISTA program--they are always looking for community volunteers.

Do you have local parks? I live in the Seattle area, and there are work parties most weekends in parks and on public lands. Watershed cleanup, non-native plant removal, that sort of thing. I just googled "seattle work party" and found this: http://www.greenseattle.org/events/events-in-the-next-month Can you find something like this?

If you're mostly interested in political work, it might be a little harder. See if the Dems have a local chapter.

Look around and see what you can do!

[texanshatingbush]

3. Here are some ideas......

1) check to see if there is a Meals on Wheels program in your area. In my small community, a consortium of churches share responsibility for delivering food to people who need it
2) consider whether there is a need for someone to drive elderly patients to doctor appointments, etc.
3) do any of the churches in your area have a "thrift shop"-type of organization? Decades ago, women in my church decided that, rather than having periodic bake sales or rummage sales (both of which are a lot of work) to raise money for their outreach projects, they would establish a non-profit organization to receive clothing & household goods donated by the community, and get them to those in need. If you don't have one, consider organizing one! This is the way ours works:
** community donates goods (clothing, toys, pots & pans, dishware, lamps, sewing machines, shoes, decorative items, holiday decorations, books, Bibles , radios, alarm clocks, work clothes and shoes, baby beds, etc.)
** volunteers sort and price goods at 10-20% of their estimated retail value. Out-of-season clothes are boxed up and stored until the appropriate season rolls around. Broken or dirty items are donated to Purple Heart, which sells this stuff on a per-pound basis to raise money for their own charitable programs for vets.
** items are set out for sale (after a few years of doing this in a room at our church, we were able to purchase a 1940's frame building in which to house our venture. Now we are open to the public, three days a week, for sales.
** People with little money can find nice things for a low price.
** We give away clothing & household goods to people who are destitute (e.g.., someone who was wiped out in a hurricane, or someone who lost everything in an apartment fire, or someone who can't find work, or someone who adopts or fosters children in-need)
** at the end of each fiscal year, after we have paid all our bills (or purchased a new roof after Hurricane Ike!), we donate all our remaining money back into the community--to Meals on Wheels, Habitat for Humanity, Laura Recovery Center (for missing children), care centers for the aged and infirm, etc.

This is a GREAT way to be part of the community, and to help others in need. We are an all-volunteer organization, where I know that any time or effort I donate goes directly to helping someone in need. It's a win-win-win situation, intersecting people's lives "where the rubber meets the road" in terms of help and need.

[clear eye]

4. A few suggestions--

First, the obvious. Your county has a Democratic Party headquarters. Most county hdqtrs need people to answer the phones and do clerical tasks. Working there will also allow you to meet and assess potential candidates, so when campaign season rolls around, you will know who you want to work for.

Or, if you'd prefer, search online for your nearest environmental group, and call them. Just Google "environment" and the name of your county and state abbreviation. They won't turn you away. Or ask your local librarian to help you find them.

You could contact the church doing the best work feeding the hungry and ask them if they know of any meals on wheels program that you could work for.

Or ask social services about the local "food pantry".

Then there is the county arts council (or whatever it calls itself).

Thrift shops are usually in the yellow pages. They need people to pick up donations and for other tasks.

You could join your local garden society.

Or see what your local civic organization is up to (in the phonebook info pages). They vary widely, and some are more like chambers of commerce, while others do really useful stuff, like organizing holiday parades.

If you're not an expert Googler, either get help from the librarian, or PM me w/ your location. I promise you, in 1/2 hour I will have 10 groups and their contact #'s for you to choose from.

Clear Eye