With the Holiday season quickly approaching many people begin to realize how fortunate they are and start thinking about how they would like to give back and volunteer. Unfortunately, that thought more times than not stays just that, a thought. I decided I would compile a quick list of places in our community that you can volunteer at this holiday season <or ANYTIME> in hopes that if people know where to volunteer, they may actually do it instead of just thinking about it. Even just passing on this information to others that may volunteer is very helpful to those in need! For my search I used the website, volunteermatch.org; this is a wonderful and extremely easy website to navigate!
-Caring Hospice of South Jersey – 161 Mullica Hill Road, Mullica Hill, NJ 08062
“Caring Hospice Services of South Jersey is looking for volunteers to spend just a few hours each month providing companionship, a listening ear, the gift of compassion and warm support to hospice patients and their families in Gloucester County.” – volunteermatch.org
-Serenity Hospice Care - 535 N Oak Ave, Pitman, NJ 08071
“Our patients are located all over NJ, in various facilities and in their homes. We are looking for caring people to offer companionship to our patients. There is no experience necessary, we will train you and be there to support you with everything you do for us!” – volunteermatch.org
-Samaritan Healthcare and Hospice - 20 S. Broadway, Pitman, NJ 08071
“A cheerful happy place to spend some of your time. Thrift Store Volunteers assist with duties normally performed in a retail setting such as greeting customers, setting up merchandise displays, completing sales transactions, sorting donations, and maintaining store cleanliness and an inviting environment.” – volunteermatch.org
-South Jersey Dream Center - P.O. Box 52, West Deptford, NJ 08086
“The Sorting Volunteer assists with the processing of donated food, clothing, baby items, household items, non-food items, and personal hygiene items, items. The process includes sorting, tagging, the rotation of items, displaying, and disposing of donated items.” – volunteermatch.org
-Ronald McDonald House of South Jersey - 435 Hurffville-Cross Keys Rd, Turnersville, NJ 08012
“Volunteers Needed to help in their community - giving their time and talents to help families in need. The Family Room at Kennedy Health Washington Twp. is located in the Emergency Room Waiting Area. The volunteer helps by greeting guests, offering a donated snack or refreshment and providing a comforting oasis for families waiting for medical treatment.” – volunteermatch.org
-Blind Dog Rescue Alliance - PO Box 1855, Deptford, NJ 08096
“Blind Dog Rescue Alliance, Inc. is a nonprofit group dedicated to rescuing blind and visually impaired dogs from shelters and finding them forever homes. We need your help!! We always need foster homes, of course. If you foster, you will keep a blind dog in your home until we find an adopter. All vet work is paid for by rescue. Can't foster? That's OK, we still need you! We need people to send emails, make phone calls, attend local events, and more! Email us to find out how you can help. You don't have to have blind dog experience.” – volunteermatch.org
-Box of Balloons INC - 25 N Broad St, Woodbury, NJ 08096
“Box of Balloons is a nonprofit providing birthday parties to children in need. We work with community social workers to identify children in need, children who otherwise will not a get birthday celebration. Volunteers then donate party supplies needed to give them a happy birthday! All supplies are put into a birthday box and delivered to the child's parents or caregivers so they can celebrate their own child.” – volunteermatch.org
-Center for Family Services - Mother Child Residential, Woodbury, NJ 08096
“If you love working with children, volunteer with Mother Child in Gloucester County! We are looking for a few volunteers to assist with playtime from 10am to 12pm while mothers participate in educational workshops.” – volunteermatch.org
These are just a few of the many opportunities I found on my extremely quick browse through the volunteermatch.org website. There are so many organizes in our area that are in need of volunteers. Even just a few hours a day, a week, a month, or even a year can make a big difference in someone else’s life. Now is the time to stop thinking about doing good things for other people and take action. Volunteer and if you can’t do it yourself at least pass on this information to others.Spreading the word about all these wonderful organizations is very helpful as well! If everyone does their part think of the things we can accomplish!There are many other organizations that need volunteers and many other websites that can be used to connect volunteer to local charities and places in need, google is a wonderful tool so use it to better your life and the lives of others this holiday season.
Until next week,
-Tatum
