Opportunities From: Orange County United Way

Pathways of Hope needs volunteers to help operate three food pantries and we need volunteers who are interested in in person hands on support.

We need help with tasks such as unloading and sorting food and assist handing out food during food distribution. The requirements include being able to lift 25 lbs, completing two forms and two trainings. 

To get started please complete the online volunteer application at www.pohoc.org/volunteer.

ABOUT PATHWAYS OF HOPE:

Pathways of Hope is a nonprofit organization that serves families and individuals throughout North Orange County. For 50 years Pathways of Hope has been providing food, shelter and support and prevention services to the hungry, homeless and marginalized through assistance of local congregations, volunteers, businesses and grants from foundations and government agencies.

The Pathways of Hope HUB of Hope offers emergency food and hygiene items to homeless and low-income families and individuals as well as housing assistance to those experience housing issues. 

To learn more about Pathways of Hope, please visit www.pohoc.org.

You can make an impact in the lives of recently housed families and individuals who were previously experiencing homelessness. Donate a
Welcome Home Basket and help our Orange County neighbors settle into their new homes! These baskets provide households with basic
necessities and truly make a difference in people’s lives.

See our checklist for items needed and get started today!

Please note: All items must be new and include a bin with a lid.

Items needed to complete one Welcome Home Basket:

This volunteer opportunity is offered through the WelcomeHomeOC℠ housing navigation program, which helps families and individuals who are experiencing homelessness and have a housing voucher in hand to secure housing in private market apartments and ensures supportive services are provided to help those who are newly housed to stay in their homes for the long-term. The program is a joint effort between Orange County United Way’s United to End Homelessness℠ initiative, Public Housing Authorities, and rental property owners. 

For instructions on basket assembly or to coordinate your donation drop off, please contact Doug McKay at DougM@UnitedWayOC.org or 949.263.6125

Thomas House has three major events every year: Run4HomelessChildren, Golf Event, and the Autumn Reflections Gala. We need organized and flexible people to help plan and execute these events. 

We are currently looking for individuals to volunteer on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9AM-1PM at our Walk-in-Center in Ontario.

Duties would incldude: assisting staff in handing out food, clothing, hygiene items, etc.

We are currently looking for volunteers to organize a BBQ or a holiday dinner for the residents living in our transitional shelters.  This is an opportunity for volunteers to interact with our clients and also an opportunity for our residents to work on their social skills (15 Volunteers Max). 

BBQ’s typically take place on the weekends, so that the majority of the resident’s can attend. 

We have three shelters in Santa Ana (Regina House for women & children – 7 moms & their children, Joseph House – 20 single men & Emmanuel House – 21 single adults living with HIV/AIDS).  BBQ’s and Holiday parties typically have about 10-15 residents in attendance due to work schedules and school.

We are also looking for volunteers to organize holiday parties for the clients at our Wakeland Properties (8 Volunteers Max).

Host a back-pack drive and collect school supplies, backpacks, stationary, etc. Plan a day to fill the back-packs and deliver them to the children during their tutoring hour!

We like to do shelter cleanings of all of our shelters every 6 months & before our Holiday dinners (15 volunteers max).

Duties include: Painting, Yard Maintenance, and Construction type work on an as needed basis.

Help welcome a resident/family into our Transitional Shelter with a move in basket.

*Create a laundry basket filled with sheets, pillows, cleaning supplies, and household items!

Recognize  the accomplishments of one of our residents once they have graduated from the program by providing them with a parting gift through donations from the community. 

*Collect and put together a parting gift ranging from $25-50.  Gifts idea: gift basket with cleaning supplies, laundry basket with laundry supplies, gift certificates to grocery stores, decorative items for their new homes, etc.

We are looking for Volunteers who can assemble hygiene kits that will be passed out at our Cold Weather Shelters and Emergency Walk-in Center for individuals who are living on the streets or who are low income. 

Volunteers need to collect the supplies and can make up to 1000 hygiene kits that will be used at both our Cold Weather Emergency Shelters and Ontario Walk-in Center.  This will last our centers at least 3-6 months.  

The sack (Brown Lunch Bag Type or zip lock) can consists of a variety of items, such as, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, comb, socks, lip balm, baby wipes, etc.   

Mercy House is looking for Life Skills Facilitators to provide clients with skills that can enrich their lives.  For example, a person with knowledge or expertise on nutrition and health, financial planning, resume building, job searching, networking, scrapbooking, etc. can share tips/strategies with our clients.

Life Skills classes take place on Tuesday andThursday evenings from 7:00-8:00PM in the living room of our shelters.

Volunteers are responsible for creating a curriculum and teach class once per month.  Classes can include handouts, small groupdiscussions, video presentations, guest speakers, powerpoint presentations, etc.

We are currently in needof:

*All Life-Skills classes have been booked, we will need Educators beginning in March.

A critical position! Volunteers serve as the first point of contact for families and individuals looking for assistance, by staffing the phones and our front desk. Good communication skills, a strong desire to help others, and excellent judgment are required.

Bilingual Office Volunteers are especially needed to help translate for clients (most needed languages: Spanish and Farsi).

This position requires 10 hours of training and a minimum six month commitment. Volunteers work two to three hour shifts once a week.

Through our food pantry, Families Forward feeds over 100 families every week! WE MAKE HOSTING A FOOD DRIVE EASY! We will provide you with AND deliver/ pick up barrels for food collection, provide signage and lists of most needed food items for you to hand out or e-mail to those willing to give. All you need to do is select a time period (we suggest about a week) and then contact us to schedule your food drive. EASY!

Did you know that all 28 of Families Forward's transitional homes are fully furnished by donations from our local community?  We gladly accept the following new items: Linens, kitchen towels, cooking tools and utensils, dining utensils, bath towels, cleaning equipment, cleaning products, and toys. We also accept toiletries, telephones, gently used baby equipment (car-seats, high chairs, cribs, changing tables), and small appliances (toasters, small table-top microwaves). All donations must be clean and in good working condition.

We also accept furniture items that are clean and gently used with no rips or holes. These furniture items are for immediate use in our homes and must be in good condition. Because of limited storage space, we cannot accept everything. Acceptable furniture donations may include:

Appliances must be no more than 5 years old and in working order. They may include washers, dryers (gas only), and ovens. We do not accept King size mattresses or bed frames, sleeper sofas, or dishwashers.

Local businesses graciously donate fresh bread, produce, and other food items to provide Families Forward clients with nutritious meals. Families Forward is looking for cheerful volunteers pick up this food from the businesses and bring it to our food pantry on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Some pick up schedules are on a regular basis while others are on-demand basis depending on the type of donation. We rely greatly on our volunteers and this food pick-up makes a direct impact on the families that we serve!

The Thomas House apartments always need refurbishing. The following projects were made for our corporate partners. Team building and service go hand in hand!

If event is on a Saturday, we will provide childcare and activities for all of our residents' children as well as volunteers' children! We support getting the whole family involved in our community service projects. 

Thomas House is in need of canned food! Peanut butter, tuna and canned corn are our fastest going food items for our families.

Thomas House offers an engaging opportunity for volunteers called Serving Supper. On Thursday nights our parents attend a mandatory life skills class. They get home from work and often do not have the time to prepare dinner for their families before they have to go to the class. We ask different groups of volunteers come with food for the shelter and arts and crafts or activities for the children on Thursday nights. It is family friendly, kids of all ages are welcome to attend with their parents.  

We are looking for groups of people (businesses, churches, youth groups, etc.) to plan a dinner for our kids and their parents! Pot lucks are most welcome and we also have a BBQ! Dinner should serve about 50-60 people.

Bring the whole family for this fun and interactive evening!

The Villa could use the following as an ongoing need for our women

Toothbrushes

Toothpaste

Pads, Tampons

Bras, Underwear

Deodorant

Shampoo, Conditioner

The Regina House program is looking for Play Hour Attendants to enhance children’s natural creativity and curiosity and work to enhance their socialdevelopment.  Volunteers are needed to play with children whose ages range from newborns through 10 years old and to make sure they are safe while their mother's attend life skills classes.  The mothers are on the premises in case of an emergency.

The program staff at our Wakeland Property Facilites is looking for individuals specializing in tutoring children or adults.

Volunteers are needed Monday-Thursday from 2:00-5:00, however, the volunteer may choose a day(s) that works best for their schedule.

Live Scan must be completed if Volunteer is over the age of 18 years.

Thomas House needs new bedding, blankets, sheets, towels, etc. Our familiies take these personal items when they move out of the shelter. We go through them like crazy!

We also need any type of furniture and small appliances so that the families that move out of the shelter can have items to furnish their new apartments!

Purpose: Through our Homelessness Prevention Initiative (HPI), Thomas House Shelter works intensively with families on the verge of eviction to help them reach financial stability through rental assistance and budget mentoring. As part of the road to independence, we require adults in our program to work with expert Financial Mentors recruited from professional positions in our community. Meetings are scheduled based on availability of families and volunteers.

Location: Budget Mentors meet with program participants in our administrative office located in southeast Garden Grove.

Key Responsibilities:

Reports to: HPI Case Manager

Length of Appointment: Financial Mentor meets with adult at least twice/month for a minimum of three months.

Time Commitment: at least 4 hours/month

Qualifications: Background in personal finance; fluent in Spanish

Support: Financial Mentor meets with Case Manager to discuss responsibilities of position and completes the requisite paperwork before being assigned to a family. For training purposes, Financial Mentor is paired with the Case Manager for initial intake session to learn what is expected from him/her in this role.

Age Requirement: 22 and up 

Laura’s House encourages volunteer involvement and the development of community resources to enhance our programs and build closer ties with the community. In addition to providing support to clients and their families, volunteers help increase the knowledge and understanding of domestic violence our community. We love our Laura’s House Volunteers!

The BEST way to get started in the Laura’s House Volunteer Program is to attend a Volunteer Orientation. These Orientations are held twice a month—one offered in the evening and another during business hours each month.

We are limited to 15 attendees per Orientation, so please sign up online as soon as possible: http://laurashouse.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/ If you click through the link and do not see the above dates, they have been removed from the listing because they are at full capacity.

Please be prompt. We will be unable to admit attendees who are late to the Orientation.

Orientation Location: 999 Corporate Drive, Ladera Ranch, CA 92694
Click here for a map: http://www.laurashouse.org/contact.html

Once a volunteer has attended a Volunteer Orientation and completed an application, your email address is added to our Volunteer Connection Monthly Newsletter. This newsletter goes out during the last week of each month and outlines our volunteer needs in the coming weeks and months. Volunteers are then directed to sign up for opportunities through the Volunteer Local website: http://laurashouse.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/

Opportunities include:

Some of our Volunteer Opportunities require the 40 Hour Domestic Violence Advocacy Training because of their direct service role with our clients. Completion of this training does not guarantee a position, but allows a volunteer the opportunity to interview for a position when a timeslot becomes available. Each volunteer must provide a copy of their 40 Hour Domestic Violence Advocacy Training Certificate, complete a background check, and in some roles provide TB Test results.

Opportunities include:

The 40 Hour Domestic Violence Advocacy Training hosted by Laura’s House is scheduled 2-3 times a year. More information regarding the training and instructions on how to sign up are available on our website: http://www.laurashouse.org/40hr-training.html Space is limited.

Thank you for your interest in the Laura’s House Volunteer Program. Volunteers contributed over 8,108 hours in 2012. Your service helps maximize contributions and support made to Laura’s House, helping to increase our capacity—thank you! For any questions concerning the Volunteer Program please contact Melanie Galloway, Development & Volunteer Coordinator, mgalloway@laurashouse.org

This Wish List is a strategic and focused list of items we can use immediately to provide the best possible care and services to our clients. Your donations are critical gifts that save Laura's House thousands of dollars each year, in turn helping to dedicate the greatest amount of our resources directly to individuals and families relying on us!

http://www.laurashouse.org/wishlist.html

Women to take our women to meetings on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Must be able to pass probation background and have registration, insurance and CDL. The hours are 6:30pm - 10:00pm

We are talking to you, bakers! Everyone deserves to feel special on their birthday. We are looking for volunteers to bake our parents and children birthday cakes. Cakes should feed about 12-15 people with candles :) Themed cakes are encouraged!

"Let's face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for people; it does for me."

-Audrey Hepburn

Assist clients with job search. Duties include:

Computer lab hours are: Monday 4-6pm, Wednesday 4-5:30pm and Friday 4-5pm.

To find out how you can help contact us at: 714-558-8600 or Tobi Aclaro @ tobi.grandmashouse@gmail.com.

We are in need of people who would like to wrap gifts for children living in motels. The gift wrapping would take place from 9am-5pm on December 21st at St. Anslem's Church in Garden Grove.

Location is: 13091 Galway St., Garden Grove, CA 92844

You can help heal homelessness in your community by donating any of the following items:

- new twin size bedding

- new blankets

- new pillows

- diapers/pull-ups

- baby wipes

- toiletries

- gift cards to grocery stores, Target and/or Walmart