HOLIDAY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES 2017

Transcription

1 Adopt A Family Holiday Sleigh Drivers Dec Help play Santa for 400 families in need across Santa Cruz County. Volunteers needed to help drive toys from local businesses throughout the county to the Watsonville Warehouse (1044 East Lake Avenue) and the Santa Cruz Volunteer Center in Live Oak ( th Ave). Volunteers are welcome to make one or more trips and will need to use their own vehicles. To Volunteer: contact Melissa at engagement@scvolunteercenter.org or ext. 128 Salvation Army Red Kettle Bell Ringers Nov Dec. 24 We need volunteers to man our iconic red kettles this holiday season. Several locations countywide and the funds you collect stay right in your own community. Shifts are every Monday through Saturday from 11am to 7pm. You may choose to volunteer for a full shift or for at least a 2-hour period. For more information: Magaly at or magaly.laubach@usw.salvationarmy.org Caroling to End Cancer Dec. 25h th Volunteers will gather in their preferred neighborhood to carol during the holiday season to help end cancer! Jacob's Heart helps support children with cancer and their family members. Volunteers will go door-to-door singing carols. After they are done singing, they will relay a small blurb about Jacob's Heart and hand them a donation envelope. Money raised will go towards helping families provide presents to their children this holiday season as well as vital gift cards for parents to help feed their family nutritious food and get their children to their hospital visits. To Volunteer: Alex Dami, alex@jacobsheart.org, (831) Holiday Helper for Isolated Seniors Now to Dec. 8 th Become a holiday helper by giving to the often forgotten care facility resident in our community. Many residents don t have family or friends visit them during the holidays, so they look forward to the gifts Holiday Helper give them. The program collects, organizes and distributes gifts to care facility residents. Please make a senior s holiday a special one by purchasing and wrapping gifts (examples: slippers, slipper socks, shirts, lap blankets, scarves, gloves, calendars, lotions etc.). Please drop off all gifts between 9am-12pm, Monday Friday at Family Service Agency of the Central Coast: 104 Walnut Ave, #208 Santa Cruz, CA To Volunteer: Nancy Cleveland (831) ext. 205 or 208

2 Adopt A Family Warehouse Elves Dec. 13 th until Dec. 19th Our Adopt a Family Holiday project provides clothing, toys, and food to over 450 families in need during the holiday season. Volunteer Activities: As warehouse volunteer elves, you can assist with the intake _of gifts, giftwrapping, organizing the warehouse and distributing _gifts to agencies. These volunteers are the muscles behind the Adopt a Family program and have a lot of fun playing the role of "elves" for these families in need. Wednesday, December 13, 10am to 2pm: Warehouse Set-up Thursday, December 14th, 10:30am-2:30pm, 2:30pm-6:30pm, Gift Intake and Sorting Friday, December 15th, 12-4pm and 4-7pm, Gift Intake and Sorting Saturday, December 16th, 10-12pm, 12:30-2:30pm, 3-5pm, Gift Intake and Wrapping Sunday, December 17th,10-12pm, 12:30-2:30pm, 3-5pm, Gift Intake and Wrapping Monday, December 18th, 12-3:30pm and 3pm-6:30pm Gift Intake and Wrapping Tuesday, December 19th, 9-1pm and 1-5pm Gift Intake and Loading (Volunteers must be able to handle some lifting) Warehouse is located in Downtown Santa Cruz on Front St. (near Trader Joe's) For more information: Lindsey at (831) x 119 OR americorps@scvolunteercenter.org Bike Santa Cruz County Annual Dinner Dec. 2nd Help us prepare and put on our annual fundraiser at the Food Lounge on December 2nd. Enjoy a handcrafted meal by Chef Andrea Mollenauer, using locally-sourced ingredients paired with local wine and beer. Bid on silent auction items from local artists and businesses, enjoy free valet bike parking, meet our board members, and be inspired by our special guest speaker. We will also be honoring three community members who are making an especially significant impact toward our mission. To Volunteer: Maura Connelly, volunteer@bikesantacruzcounty.org, (831) Diversity Center Giftwrapping Dec. 16 th, 22 nd, and 23 rd Our annual gift wrapping fundraiser supports programs for the LGBTQ community in Santa Cruz, and helps make the holidays fun for customers at Childish Toy Store. Volunteers are needed for 2 hour shifts between 11am and 4pm. For more information and to sign up to volunteer contact: Sparrow at (831) x 111 OR volunteers@diversitycenter.org

3 Usher at the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre s The Nutcracker Dec. 15, 16 and 17 NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED! A Santa Cruz tradition! Our fifteenth production with full professional orchestra at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. Volunteer to usher at The Nutcracker, put on by the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre! This is a great opportunity, not only because you will get help out at this super fun holiday event, but also because you get to see the show free of charge! Additionally, while most ushering opportunities require that you have previous ushering experience, you do NOT need experience to usher at The Nutcracker. This opportunity is therefore a great intro into the ushering world! If you are interested, Express Interest below to be put in touch with the coordinator for this event! To volunteer: Contact Laurel Keeffe at or cityserve@cityofsantacruz.com Grey Bears Brown Bag Delivery Ongoing Opportunity Deliver a bag of fresh groceries to low-income seniors! Bags are packed by volunteers in the morning and drivers pick up bags between 7:30am and 11am on Thursday and Friday. To Volunteer: contact Michelle, michelle@greybears.org, (831) ext 226. Grey Bears holiday Luncheon for Seniors Dec. 3 rd Annual Free Holiday Luncheon Celebration for 1,400+ seniors. The luncheon will be held at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, located at 307 Church Street. All volunteers on Sunday, Dec. 3rd will enjoy a free lunch! In helping in this event you are not just helping set tables or serve meals- you a proving a meal that a senior might not be able to afford by themselves and providing company they might not find otherwise. From decorating before the event, or helping during you are making a difference in the lives of your neighbors. To Volunteer: contact Michelle, michelle@greybears.org, (831) ext 226. Cook a Warm Meal at St. Francis Soup Kitchen (EXCLUDING THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS) Ongoing every Mon-Fri Each day a hearty meal of soup, salad, bread, coffee, and milk are served to over 180 people at noon at the St. Francis Soup Kitchen. We have been serving meals to the hungry in Santa Cruz for over 25 years! Please join us by volunteering in our kitchen, where we can accommodate up to four volunteers daily. No special experience is required aside from a desire to work in the kitchen. We begin cooking at 8:00 AM and finish serving the meal at 1:45 PM. To volunteer: contact Richard Crowe

4 Food Not Bombs Ongoing every Saturday and Sunday Volunteers are needed to help us prepare vegan meals on Saturdays and Sundays from 12pm-3pm. No experience is needed as we always need help with the basics of washing and cutting vegetables. Experienced cooks are always welcome to share their expertise. Volunteers are welcome to join us in serving the meal at the Post Office from 4pm - 6pm and with clean up afterwards. To volunteer: contact Keith McHenry (575) Wednesday Market Greeter Ongoing every Wednesday Every Wednesday the Homeless Service Center hosts a free market for the homeless to receive clothes and food items! The Wednesday Market team works together to: Set up and break down the Market Receives donations from the community Oversees the operations of the market Works with our safety team to maintain a friendly environment! To volunteer: contact Miranda Pettiford Winter Shelter Ongoing everyday This year s Santa Cruz Winter Shelter is bigger and better than ever!! It will be open for people that need a place to sleep from November 15th to April 15th. We are looking for more players, more agencies, and more services to be involved and to join us in becoming a model for other areas on innovative collaboration. The volunteer possibilities are endless - somebody donating flower arrangements for the dinners to someone wanting to read children s stories to the kids. To volunteer: contact Serg Kagno Organize Presents Nov. 24 th to Dec. 15 th Be an elf at the Capitola Mall and help support a child with cancer. Each year, Jacob's Heart helps ease the burden of shopping for gifts for families. We need your help to make this year's holiday season that much brighter! Volunteers will staff a store front at the Capitola Mall that will serve as a donation drop off point. Volunteers will help accept the donations, sort through them, and organize them. To volunteer: Alex Dami, alex@jacobsheart.org, (831)

5 Homeless Garden Project Store Nov. 20 th to Dec. 24 th Our Holiday Store is where we make about 1/3rd of our yearly income to support our transitional employment and job training program for folks experiencing homelessness or housing instability. Crew members hand-make over 40 types of products using materials we grow on the farm, including food products, bath and body products, and dried-flower wreaths. We need volunteers to support the Shift Managers in the store to greet customers, restock shelves, use our point of sales system, and communicate about Homeless Garden Project and homelessness to shoppers. Volunteers learn customer service skills, business and sales knowledge, and communications skills. To volunteer: Keren Reichler, x10, Happy Holidays at Wilder Ranch Dec. 9 th Step back in time for an old-fashioned holiday celebration at Wilder Ranch State Park. Hands-on activities and presentations include candle and wreath making, cookie decorating, machine shop and blacksmith demonstrations. Come join us early in the morning (8:30am to 11am) to help set up crafts, food and/or booths. You can also choose to assist a docent with an activity during the festival if you would like (11am to 3pm)! Finally, we are also in need of help cleaning up crafts and booths after the holiday festivities (3pm to 5pm)! For more information and to sign up to volunteer contact: Jorge at Jorge@thatsmypark.org WATSONVILLE Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes Meal Team Ongoing Every Mon Fri Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes is grateful for all the volunteer help we received during the holidays. If you are interested in volunteering with PVLF during the holiday season, please contact before hand to talk to us about our opportunities and when we could best use your generous help! To Volunteer: volunteer@pvloavesandfishes.org or Toys for Tots Nov. 11 th to Dec. 21st Make sure you make it onto Santa's "Nice" list this year! We need elves at the Watsonville North Pole! Opening day is Nov 18th from 11am to 2pm and we need Volunteer Elves who can help transport items, load trucks, or have an SUV to lend to the cause. Lots of physical work involved, but the rewards are tremendous! From Dec 4th - Dec 21st we need volunteers in the evenings to help with sorting and

6 distributing gifts. HOLIDAY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES 2017 To Volunteer: Delilah Valadez,