Our Olivet congregation is a giving community! The Volunteer Corner is dedicated to providing opportunities for members of Olivet (as well as the wider community) to participate in a variety of community outreach activities. Most of the opportunities listed are derived from the “Grant-a-Wish” booklet published yearly by the Saint Paul Foundation, a trusted local non-profit organization. Opportunties are posted on a rotating monthly basis, with information on each organization and links to their respective websites. If you have ideas for new postings, please contact a member of the Community Works committee--we welcome your input.
These Volunteer Corner ideas come from the Minneapolis based non-profit ‘Doing Good Together’. Founded in 2003, Doing Good Together’s mission is to ‘inspire and help families volunteer’ with a vision of ‘building a culture of family service so that every child grows up knowing that the world is a better place’. More information can be found at www.doinggoodtogether.org
Five Ways to Serve in the Community
Want to get out in the community, partner with a local organization, and meet folks while you serve? Here are some ways to do that successfully, regardless of your interests, time constraints or ages of your children.
1. Deliver Meals
Metro Meals on Wheels Flexible Dates/Times: Any day, Monday to Friday, one hour during lunch time. Location: There are 40 Meals on Wheels programs throughout the Metro area so you can volunteer near your home and with your family.
Meals on Wheels in the Twin Cities needs your family’s help delivering hot, nutritious meals at lunchtime, Monday through Friday, to the elderly and those with limited mobility in our community. Our volunteers deliver much more than a meal - they bring a smile and kind words, they relieve isolation, and provide peace of mind for our clients and their caregivers. It only takes one hour for your family to help deliver meals and deliver independence. Bring your children or grandchildren to share in the experience, teaching them the value of good citizenship and service to their community while they are young.
Ages: A great family opportunity for all ages.
Time Commitment: About 1 hour. You can volunteer once a week or once a month or on a schedule that works for your family. Feel free to volunteer only for the summer months.
Contact: For more information or for other family-friendly opportunities, please contact Metro Meals on Wheels at info@meals-on-wheels.com or by calling 612.623.3363.
Location: Meet in the Wooddale Church (Eden Prairie Campus) Gym, Door 5 6630 Shady Oak Rd. Eden Prairie 55344 Just show up, choose from a variety of pre-planned volunteer opportunities and then go serve in the nearby community! Buses are provided to bring you (and your family) to/from the site you select. Show up at 8:30am to pick your site and you'll be finished by noon. It really is that easy! No pre-registration required.
Ages: This is a great opportunity for all ages to give.
Time Commitment: Just one Saturday morning, 8:30 am to noon.
Ask the volunteer coordinator at your local nursing home how you can help out. You might want to have them match your family with an elderly person you can visit regularly. Or consider giving a party for residents; assisting with celebrations, games and outings; planning and carrying out a craft night; sharing a hobby; helping with bingo; performing a family talent show; escorting residents on walks; or being a lunch buddy.
4. Organize a Collection
Organizing a collection can be a great family project -- whether you decide to collect cereal for a food pantry, cat or dog toys for a humane society, diapers for a crisis nursery, books for a family homeless shelter or anything else needed by a local nonprofit. Remember, talk with the agency to be sure they can use your collected items before you start collecting. Set a goal (how many items do you hope to collect?) and set a deadline (when will the collection be complete?).Decide whom to involve. Think about collecting in your neighborhood, among your friends, or in your school or workplace. Advertise! Ensure success by sending emails and making phone calls to family and friends, writing letters, making posters or fliers, posting on our Facebook page, or putting an ad in your local paper. Make it as easy as possible for potential contributors to donate. Decide whether folks are responsible for dropping off the items or whether you’ll do pick up. Be certain you have a place to store the items. Take a camera along when you drop off the items at the agency, then send the photo to everyone who participated, thanking them for their donations. Tell them how much you collected, too. Also share your collection drive experience (along with the photos) on our website: doinggoodtogether.org. Note what you learned and what you’d do differently. Then plan your next collection drive!
5. Mentor an adult with intellectual disabilities or an at-risk child
Include an adult with intellectual disabilities or an at-risk child in your family’s activities several times a month. The activities don’t need to cost money. Bake cookies together, go fishing, or play board games. These mentorships can make a big difference in someone’s life.
Looking for more ideas? Sign up for the free Doing Good Together newsletter at www.doinggoodtogether.org. Also, visit www.volunteermatch.org. You can narrow your search to find projects appropriate for your family. Under “advanced search” click on “kids” or “teens” (depending on the ages of your children), and you’ll get a list of possibilities
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Olivet volunteers complete a project with Habitat for Humanity each summer, but Habitat can use volunteers year round. If you have skills to contribute on an occasional basis, visit the Habitat website for contact and volunteer information: www.hfhmn.org/
February 2012 Opportunities
Family Place Lunch Volunteers February 25
Volunteer spots are open to serve lunch at The Family Place homeless shelter in Saint Paul the afternoon of Saturday, February 25. Duties include setting the table, simple meal preparation, and moving the dirty dishes through the dishwasher. The time window is from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Parent/teen pairs are encouraged. Please contact Margaret Tabar at 651 690 0604 or mtabar@comcast.net if you would like to join the Olivet group serving lunch to the homeless guests.
Bundles of Love Project Participants
We plan to make a delivery of quilts, afghans, sweaters, hats and booties during the week of Valentine's Day. Bring items to church by Sunday, February 12 for a little "show and tell." Let me know if you need supplies (cjnels44@ hotmail.com). I will finish the quilts if you prefer to just make the top, and I can get a "kit" to you. New participants are always welcome.—Connie Nelson
Save the Date: Rick Steves at Westminster Town Hall Forum February 23, 12:00 noon
A message from our partners at Keystone Community Services: As a kick-off for the March Food Shelf Campaign, Minnesota Food Share has been invited to be the partner non-profit program presenting the February 23 Westminster Town Hall Foruum (www.westminster forum.org.) We are very excited to share with you that Minnesota Food Share’s guest speaker will be travel writer and TV host Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com). Rick will talk about hunger from a global and local perspective. We hope you will be able to join us for this exciting kick-off to the March Campaign!
Donate Your Coupons!
The Store to Door organization provides personal shopping and delivery service for community residents who are unable to travel to a grocery store. They greatly appreciate donation of the coupon booklets which are included in the Sunday newspapers. These booklets are titled “Red Plum,” or “Smart Source,” or “P & G Brands Saver.” Please leave these in the box on the bench below the bulletin board on the south wall of the gym. Periodically the booklets are delivered to the Roseville Store to Door office where volunteers clip specific coupons that apply to items the customers have recently ordered. Cub Foods honors these coupons and the funds are used to support the programs. Thank you for dropping the booklets in the box as you make your way to the sanctuary.
Food Shelf Volunteers Needed
The Keystone Community Services Food Shelf, located at 1457 Rice Street, is in need of volunteers. Volunteer duties include accepting donations, stocking shelves, and assisting clients. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, able to lift 25 pounds, and able to pass a criminal background check. There are two shifts daily, Monday through Friday: 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 12:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Volunteers are asked to commit to work at least one shift every other week. Scheduling is somewhat flexible. Contact Margo Kemp Johnson, at 651-603-6650 or mkempjohnson@keystone services.org. Interested volunteers should complete a volunteer application and then mail the completed application to Margo Kemp Johnson at 2000 St. Anthony Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Seeking Mentors
Right now there are close to 1,000 children on a waiting list for a Big Brother or Big Sister. To reach each of these lives we need additional volunteers. There are unique lives that can be transformed because of a mentor. Please let me know if we can work together to spread the message of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Jean Setley, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Twin Cities. jsetley@bigstwincities.org.
