Call to Action: SERVE expands food distribution, new volunteers needed

Good morning – Happy Valentine’s Day or how about Heart to Heart month helping families secure needed food. The wonderful folks at SERVE need your help in their food pantry. Jan says she needs muscles! As they reorganize the food warehouse to better use the space and improve efficiency. Volunteers are needed every Saturday in February (7, 14, 21 and 28), 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Duties include taking items off shelves, moving shelves to new locations and restocking shelves once placed in their new spots. For this project, volunteers should be able to lift up to 25 pounds. Volunteers ages 12 and up are welcome (12-15 year olds must volunteer with a parent). Groups are welcome! For more information or to sign up, please contact Jan Hawkins at [email protected]. Just think how many calories you can burn with this event.

· Also beginning March 1, SERVE will have new volunteer opportunities in the Food Distribution Center as a result of expanded hours. Volunteers will be needed on Thursday evenings, 5pm to 7:30pm, and on Saturday mornings, 9:30am to 11:30am, to assemble client food packages, sort donated food, stock shelves, portion large food donations into Ziploc bags and any other tasks as determined by the warehouse staff. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old; volunteers age 12 thru 15 can help, but must volunteer with a parent. You’ll feel so good knowing you’re doing your part to fight hunger in our local community! For more information, please contact Jan Hawkins at [email protected].

· Habitat for Humanity needs volunteers most days in their ReStore. Volunteers in this hopping place receive donations or help merchandize the sales floor. They also will need volunteers to make both minor and critical repairs for families so they can continue to live with dignity in safe and decent homes. Please visit their website for all the info and to sign up for a specific project: www.habitatpwc.org

· AARP Virginia needs volunteers to lead workshops for individual to fully enjoy life after 50. You can learn more at: lifereimagined.org. They also need volunteers for their fraud watch program. Please email Stephanie at: [email protected] to learn more about these possibilities.

· Would you by chance speak Dari? We know of a lovely lady who would enjoy a friendly visitor to speak her native language with. She is from Afghanistan and now resides in a local senior living facility to make it easy for you to stop by and cheer her up. Please call Daphne at (703) 792-7662 to learn more about her and the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program.

· Volunteer Prince William is presenting the new Volunteer Management Training Series this spring. The 5 session course will give you all the skills to build your volunteer program. Starting with understanding the volunteer, recruiting and placing them, orient and training your volunteers, supervision and of course evaluation make this robust course a must do for all volunteer managers. The course starts April 14th from 9am-noon and continues for the next 4 Tuesday mornings. Please register for this free course at: volunteerprincewilliam.org

· Cheers to the Run Rotary Club for hosting a night with the Capitol Steps on Saturday February 21 st, 7-10pm at the Hylton Performing Arts Center. Ticket sales to this super fun event will benefit Habitat for Humanity Prince William, the Rainbow Equestrian Center, CASA, BARN and Calling All Souls. You don’t want to miss it! Please go online at: https://hyltoncenter.org/calendar/586 for tickets.

· Fancy Cats Rescue Team needs volunteers age 19+ to work at adoption events throughout Northern Virginia and close to home in Gainesville. Come help give kitties their new forever home. Please call them at (703) 961-1056 or via email at: [email protected].

· Saved Hands Foundation teaches entry level business skills to the disadvantaged. They are looking for volunteers to teach Microsoft office programs to adults in Woodbridge. They also would like a grant writer and marketing director to create a portfolio for them. Please call Pamela at (571) 572-9013 for more info.

· The Alzheimer’s Association needs volunteers to join their planning committee for the next walk on October 17th in Manassas. Please call Sonya at (703) 766-9025 to learn more.

· Catholic Charities needs volunteers to teach an English class at their Dale City office. Classes are held Wednesdays 7-9pm. Please email them at: [email protected] to learn more.

· Beacon Adult Literacy needs volunteer tutors to teach conversation or computer literacy to ESL students in the Manassas area. Please call Caroline at (703) 368-7491 to learn more.

· Literacy Volunteers is gearing up for their next volunteer training On March 7th. Come learn all the skills you need to help another adult reach their life goals. You do not need any prior experience. This is one person helping another. Please call (703) 670-5702 or visit www.lvapw.org to learn more.

· Emeritus Senior Living in Lake Ridge is looking for volunteers to help with fun activities such as sewing circle, line dancing and others or simply give one on one companionship. Please call Brigette at (703) 680-0600 to learn more.

· Project Mend a House needs volunteers to help with minor home repair projects for elderly, disabled and low income families. Come share your handy hands and spirit. Please call (703) 792-7663 to learn more

· If you are looking for other opportunities, please don’t forget to call my wonderful team at Volunteer Prince William. Coleen can help you with the Retired and Senior Volunteer (RSVP) opportunities at (703) 369-5292 ext. 1, Shelley can help with any individual or group project and send you weekly updates if you’d like. Shelley is at (703) 369-5292 ext. 0, and Bonnie can help you with opportunities available in Disaster Preparedness at (703) 369-5292 ext. 3. Please visit our newly re-vamped website at www.volunteerprincewilliam.org. Thanks so much for all you do in our community.

Call to Action is a column written by Volunteer Prince William Director Mary Foley.