Volunteer Opportunities
There are many needs in this world and many opportunities to fill those needs. It isn’t your age that matters – it is your willingness to see the needs and make a commitment to take action. Listed below are just some of the many opportunities for people of all ages. You can always call the Volunteer Center to help you with your search to find the perfect opportunity for you!
Operation Backpack Donations Drive 2011
Organize a drive to collect backpacks and supplies for students from Kindergarten to High School. Your efforts will be a great help to those who are not able to purchase much needed school supplies for the upcoming year. To find out more about this opportunity, click on Center for Family Services, Inc.
Also, check out Angles of God for additional ways to donate clothing.
Join the Fight Against Hunger – Organize Your Own Food Drive
Hunger isn’t just a holidays-only occurrence for many families in the area. You can do your part by organizing a food drive with friends, neighbors, or community group. Click on Food Bank of South Jersey to find out more about how you can help.
Additional groups: Philabundance, Gloucester County College food drive, Faith Fellowship Ministries Joseph Storehouse. Also, the Gloucester County Division of Social Services has a list of food pantries in the county.
Organize a Donations Drive to Help People in Need
Organize a drive to collect much needed items such as baby bundle items (diapers, wipes, etc.) or raise money to purchase gift cards for youth that reside in supportive housing. To find out more about how you can help, please click on Robins’ Nest, Inc.
Help Improve the Environment
There are multiple environmental organizations in South Jersey that are always in need of volunteers for their many events. The South Jersey Land and Water Trust has several volunteer opportunities for young people: volunteers are needed for stream cleanups, tree plantings, preserve maintenance, help with education programs, volunteering at events and other community events, and in office help. The New Jersey Tree Foundation has tree plantings in Camden every Spring and Fall. The AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassadors Program is an environmental community service program administered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to raise public awareness about water and watershed issues and to promote watershed stewardship through direct community involvement. Volunteers are needed to help assess trees and at other volunteer events such as tree plantings and cleanups. The Scotland Run Nature Center, located in Clayton, offers many environmental education programs to children and adults and could use volunteers to help out at these events. The Nature Conservancy protects thousands of land in New Jersey and could use volunteers at a variety of events such as cleanups, preserve maintenance, and habitat restoration. In Haddon Township, the Saddler’s Woods Conservation Association is a group dedicated to the protection of an old growth forest in Camden County.
Teach Someone How To Read
Not knowing how to read can be a very demoralizing experience. It can prevent someone from getting a job or stymie someone from participating in society. The mission of the Literacy Volunteers of Gloucester County is to teach people to learn how to read and write English. Volunteers are needed to tutor adults. Click here to find out how you can make a difference in someone’s life.
Give a Child A Head Start on Their Future
Many children are not as fortunate as others and never get the opportunity they deserve. There are multiple volunteer opportunities in Gloucester County to give back and provide a child a fulfilling childhood. The Boys and Girls Club of Gloucester County provides a safe place for disadvantaged children to learn and grow. Volunteers are needed to help with programs in the areas of education, fitness, social recreation, teen issues, bullying prevention and more. Big Brothers Big Sisters provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. Don’t forget to visit the Woodbury Child Development Center and the Glassboro Child Development Center to find out how you can give back.
Be There for Someone in Their Time of Need
Many of our partner non-profits work in the healthcare sector and need volunteers to give comfort to those who are sick, provide bereavement for those terminally ill, provide support to the elderly, and help with the disabled. If you are interested in volunteering and helping those in need, please consider volunteer with some of these organizations:
Abilities Center of South Jersey
NewPoint Behavorial Healthcare
Samaritan Healthcare and Hospice
Visiting Healthcare and Hospice
Walk for a Cause
Many of our member non-profits are advocacy groups whose mission is to raise awareness about certain issues, whether its trying to stop substance abuse or trying to find a cure for a disease. Volunteers are needed to help with donation drives and at their many events as well as be support. Some of the many advocacy groups that the Volunteer Center works with are:
American Red Cross of Gloucester County
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Provide Someone With A Roof Over Their Head
Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization that builds or repairs homes so families healthy, safe, and feel a sense of self-worth. Volunteers are needed weekly to help build homes. Whether you want to volunteer in Glassboro or Camden, volunteers are always needed.
Volunteer with Animals
Most of our member non-profits work with people trying to overcome challenges, but some also work with animals. There are thousands of pets ready to be adopted in the county. Volunteers are needed to help out at shelters, to take care of the animals and provide love. Some of our non-profits that work with animals include:
Gloucester County Animal Shelter
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Gloucester County
Donate Your Bicycle and Help Someone in the Developing World
Not all of our non-profits work with people in Gloucester County. Some work to help people in other countries. There are hundreds of volunteer and non-profit organizations that work to help people abroad, such as the Peace Corps. One local non-profit allows you to help people overseas without leaving the county. Pedals for Progress is a non-profit that recycles your old bicycle and sends it abroad to someone in need. If you are interested in donating your bicycle, click here.
A full list of the non-profits that need volunteers in Gloucester County can be found on our Non-Profits page. Volunteer opportunities can be found on Volunteer Solutions or on our One-Day/Short Term Volunteering page. Call us at 856-415-9084 to find out what volunteer opportunity is right for you.
