November 2020 Volunteer Engagement Newsletter
United Way of Greater Portland can connect you with one-time opportunities and events that help our community, tools for hosting a collection of needed items, as well as ongoing and regularly scheduled opportunities that support long-lasting change and Thrive2027 goals. You can choose what moves you!
Every month we share a Volunteer Engagement Newsletter with opportunities to engage throughout Greater Portland.
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Download and print this newsletter. For more opportunities or search online at http://volunteer.unitedwaygp.org.
Featured Opportunities:
FEELING CREATIVE?
We have another family project to help our friends at Wayside. They will be doing their annual Community Thanksgiving meal to go this year. They’d like to make sure the bags containing the meals are fun and festive. We seeking volunteers to pick up bags (in groups of 5), decorate them (using markers, crayons, whatever crafty supplies you have), and return them to UWGP offices by November 20. This project can be done individually at home and is a great opportunity for families, classes, corporate groups, etc. FMI
SAVE THE DATE FAMILY DAY OF ACTION: NOVEMBER 21
Mark your calendars for a national day of family fun and community support! This day celebrates the power of families who work together to support their neighbors and community. It is a great opportunity to introduce children to volunteering and teach valuable lessons about kindness, compassion and caring. This year’s celebration will be virtual. Families are invited to participate in a variety of activities including making cards, books and basics kits, snack bags and more. FMI: volunteer@unitedwaygp.org.
MAINE ROADS TO QUALITY WEBSITE UPDATE
Maine Roads to Quality Professional Development Network (MRTQ PDN) provides an online search tool called “Child Care Choices” for caregivers to find local Early Care and Education and Out of School Time (ECE/OST) programs that are accepting new children and to see licensing and childcare subsidy details. In order to ensure caregivers are seeing the most upto-date information, ECE/OST programs must continuously add updates to the Child Care Choices website through a program portal. Volunteers will be responsible for hosting an initial, virtual training session for ECE/OST programs to understand the process for updating and utilizing the portal. Volunteers will connect each month with the 53 Cumberland County ECE/OST programs to ensure information is updated, answer any questions, and communicate new resources. Ensuring the portal is updated is a crucial resource for the greater community; helping caregivers return to work with a safe, quality place for their child to go helps the individual, their employer, and the child. FMI: email Stephanie Nicoson at snicoson@unitedwaygp.org.
MEAL DELIVERY VOLUNTEERS
During these unprecedented times, Portland schools are unable to welcome volunteers into schools. However, a greater need has been recognized for our food insecure families. PPS is recruiting volunteers to assist in delivering perishable food boxes to PPS families throughout the city of Portland. Volunteers are being asked to pick up an assigned number of these boxes at the Wayside Soup Kitchen on Wednesdays from 12:00-2:30 p.m. and then deliver them to families’ doorsteps. This need is vital to these families. Volunteers will be assigned a specific number of families (no more than 5) in the same general area. We would need a commitment of at least two months or, preferably, through the end of the school year. NOTE: This food delivery project is great for corporate teams. Volunteers can take turns weekly or work in pairs. Volunteers will be asked to participate in a brief training session, complete a vehicle liability waiver form, and to provide proof of vehicle insurance. FMI: volunteer@unitedwaygp.org
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