Call to Action: Read to a shelter pet, Food Rescue heroes

Potomac Local News June 28, 2022 at 7:00am

Greetings, Prince William – Are your kids already complaining that “There’s nothing to do this summer!”? We have a great solution – Volunteer! Two opportunities have already popped up that are kid friendly: 1) Manassas City Animal Adoption Center is signing up kids to “Read to a Shelter Pet” on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:15am-12:15pm through August 4. Your child will keep up their reading skills and also make a new furry friend! Time slots of 30 minutes are available, but they’ll fill up fast! Please call 703.257.2420 to sign up. 2) Prince William Food Rescue is always in need of Food Rescue Heroes to rescue food – it’s easy! Simply visit your smartphone app store to download the Northern Virginia Food Rescue app, set up your profile and you’re ready to save food from the dumpsters! Have the kids ride along and put those youthful muscles to work carrying boxes of food that might otherwise get trashed to food assistance programs that will feed food-insecure families! What a cool way to spend summer! Please email [email protected] to learn more.

Here’s something for the family! Keep Prince William Beautiful is holding a Cleanup on Thursday, June 30, 4:30pm-6:30pm at Ridgewood Center, 4391 Ridgewood Center Drive, Woodbridge 22192. Please meet in front of the building marked 4391. Volunteers age 16+ welcome, volunteers under 16 must volunteer with a responsible adult. Cleanup supplies provided. It’s a wonderful way to start off the July 4 holiday weekend – declare our community’s independence from litter! Please visit

https://bit.ly/3NkoRdm to register, email [email protected] to learn more.

Do you love office work? ACTS is looking for Data Entry Volunteers age 18+ for their Hunger Prevention Center, Domestic Violence and Utility Assistance departments. The opportunity is in their offices on weekdays only. Volunteers must pass a background check and must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (booster not required). Volunteers should be computer literate and with quick and accurate typing skills. Please visit

https://actspwc.org/volunteer#How to fill out an online volunteer application. Please email [email protected] for more information.

The fantastic staff at BEACON is already preparing for their Fall session, August 22 thru November 10! They’re looking for volunteers to help teach English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes, both in-person and online via Zoom. No experience is required; training is provided. Experience with Zoom is helpful. There will be mandatory training on July 23 for everyone. You’ll feel great as you help students gain a better grasp of English speaking skills, which will help improve their lives! Please visit

https://bit.ly/3wcYjUY to fill out an online application. Please call 703.368.7491 to learn more.

You can make a difference in the life of a child! Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is seeking volunteers age 21+ who care about children growing up in a safe, permanent and loving home. The staff is holding Virtual Information Sessions on two dates: Wednesday, June 29, and Wednesday, July 13, both from 6 pm-7 pm. Learn how you can help protect abused and neglected children in your community by becoming a volunteer advocate. Please email

[email protected] or call (703) 330-8145 to receive the link to the meeting.
If you’re a social media guru, Historic Dumfries wants to meet you! They have an urgent need for a tech-savvy volunteer age 18+ who can address some issues they are having with their social media accounts. It’s an interesting virtual opportunity and you’ll feel great as you help this historic organization fix its accounts so they can keep communicating information, events, and programming for children and adults. Please email Lisa at[email protected] for more information on how you can help.

“School’s Out for the Summer…” but House of Mercy is already looking ahead to the ’22-’23 school year! They’ve begun their Back to School Drive to provide children with new school supplies and new shoes to start the school year off right. Since some schools are beginning earlier, donations should be dropped off before July 15 at their facility, 8170 Flannery Court, Manassas 20109. Donation bins will be available, you can also order from their Amazon Wishlist! Remember how awesome you felt that first day of school with new supplies and new shoes? You can help their kids have a great start to the new year! Please visit

https://houseofmercyva.org/events/back-to-school-drive/ to learn more. Volunteers will be needed! Please contact John at 703.659.1636 or fill out the online volunteer form on the Back to School drive page.

Saved Hands Foundation needs business-minded volunteers to help with resumes, event planning, admin, grant writing, network admin, and more! Hours are on weekdays and are flexible. You’ll feel great as you provide clients with the necessary tools and resources to realize their professional goals and personal growth! Please email [email protected] to learn more.

You can show your love to our veterans! Willing Warriors in Haymarket needs Warrior Retreat Staging Team volunteers to help make their facility a “home away from home” for their veteran guests’ families. This group meets every Wednesday 9:30 am-12noon and Thursdays 1 pm-3 pm. Activities include folding laundry, making beds, replenishing supplies, light cleaning projects, and socializing. You’ll feel wonderful as you provide our veterans and their families a place to reconnect with their family and friends, enjoying each other’s company away from a hospital setting. What a terrific way to give back to your community and thank service members and their families for all they have sacrificed for our country! Willing Warriors also need skilled and licensed Handymen, Carpenters, Plumbers, Electricians, Builders, and Contractors every Thursday 9:00 am-12noon for maintenance on the Retreat grounds. Please email Faith at [email protected] to RSVP and learn more.

If you are looking for other opportunities, please don’t forget to call our wonderful team at Volunteer Prince William at 703.369.5292. You can also visit our website at

www.volunteerprincewilliam.org. Thanks so much for all you do in our community.