VOLUNTEER TOP PICKS OF THE MONTH
Looking for a way to meet new people while positively impacting the community where you live, work, or play? Check out the November top volunteer picks and get started today.
DISTRIBUTE FOOD WITH WAYSIDE FOOD PROGRAMS’ MOBILE FOOD PANTRY
Wayside Food Programs’ mobile food pantries distribute food to families and individuals living in public housing who do not have easy access to other existing food pantries. Volunteers meet at Wayside Food Programs to pack bags of non-perishables and then follow their truck to the food pantry site to distribute bags of non-perishables, fresh produce, and other food to families. The pantry is held outdoors, rain or shine. A group of four or five volunteers is needed on Friday, November 17 from 10am-12:30pm to meet at Wayside and then distribute food at Red Bank Village in South Portland. To sign up, contact Carly Milkowski, cmilkowski@waysidemaine.org.
JOIN UWGP FOR FAMILY VOLUNTEER DAY
Family Volunteer Day is a National Day of Service held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. This year United Way of Greater Portland will host volunteers of all ages and abilities at their offices, One Canal Plaza, 3rd floor, in Portland on Saturday, November 18 from 9:30-11am. Volunteers will assemble parent engagement kits and create centerpieces for Wayside Food Programs’ Annual Community Thanksgiving. To sign up your family, click here or email volunteer@unitedwaygp.org so we can ensure ample supplies and treats.
BECOME A BIG BROTHER OR BIG SISTER
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine (BBBS) welcomes adults to serve as volunteer mentors for children ages 7-16. Choose from two versions of their award winning program: community-based (time spent one-to-one with the mentee out in the community) or site-based (time spent visiting the mentee at the child’s school). To learn more, call BBBS, (207) 773-5437 or email info@somebigs.org.
BE A PHONE BUDDY TO SOMEONE FACING A CANCER DIAGNOSIS
The Cancer Community Center’s Maine Buddy Program is a statewide, telephone-based, peer support program that pairs trained cancer survivors with people facing a new diagnosis. The program is getting more calls than ever and needs more cancer survivors willing to be trained as volunteer mentors. A Buddy is a Maine resident who has had cancer, is at least six months out of active treatments, and feels ready to provide emotional support to others. If interested in becoming a Buddy volunteer, contact Diana Jagde at djagde@cancercommunitycenter.org.
Check out our November 2017 Volunteer Engagement Newsletter for more opportunities or search online at http://volunteer.unitedwaygp.org.