ACTS OF COMPASSION HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THE LIVES OF FAMILIES
Discover the wide range of volunteer opportunities at Family Promise – from serving meals, to providing financial literacy training, to assisting with fundraising events, and more. There is something for everyone!
Volunteers play an essential role in helping families experiencing homelessness attain sustainable independence.
Here is a list of a few ways you can volunteer:
Move-Out Baskets – We have a group of volunteers who put together ‘move-out baskets’ for families moving into their own home. It has a lot of the basics that you wouldn’t typically think about, like salt and pepper shakers or paper towel holders.
Move-in Bags – We have volunteers provide a bag of toiletries, cookies and a note welcoming families into the program. The same volunteers also provide pjs and books for the kids.
Welcome Home Meals – Moving can be pretty stressful - We try to provide an extra dinner or two to help everyone get settled.
Birthdays – For kids we’ve previously served, we send a birthday card with a $5 gift card to Dairy Queen or Baskin Robbins. All the staff, and sometimes our board, will sign a card letting them know we still care. For guests we’re currently serving, we do a Birthday Box. This has balloons, candles, cake, goodie bags for the other kids and a present for the birthday boy/girl.
Holiday/Christmas – In previous years we adopted 100+ kids. Each kid would share something they’d wear (with the size, something they’d like Santa to give them. We’d then connect with the community to meet those needs. We’d provide the parents wrapping paper, scissors and tape so they could provide the gift to their kid.
During COVID, we’re asking congregations to fill a small stocking with a couple goodies. We’re providing a $50 gift card for the family and $25 for each child. I like this a little more because parents can pick out the gift for their child.
We're also doing a couple remote activities where families are not adopted:
Engaging with Family Promise Work – We have volunteers that audit our case files, update resource lists, help families with a “Student Success Sheet" tutoring, sort donations and deliver furniture.
Congregation Challenge – Ask your pastor to see if they can get members in their church to write letters to the people we serve. Another idea is to collect paper products or donate $1.
“Each time we make room for strangers, we chip away at the fear and isolation and heartbreak in our world. We also get to participate in something that is life giving, both to us and the people we welcome.”
Volunteer from Family Promise of Beaufort County, SC