Greetings, Prince William - Call to Action will be taking a holiday break, so will not publish for the next two weeks. We will resume the column on Friday, January 8, 2021. We wish all of you a Safe and Happy Holiday Season, and all the best in the New Year!
Non-COVID-19 Opportunities:
- For Children's Sake (FCS) needs Foster Parents to open their home and help youth in the community. FCS serves youth from birth until their 21st birthday, but the biggest need at this time are homes for youth ages 10-17. If you are interested in learning more about either short term or long term foster care or adoption, please email Kelley Willis at kwillis@fcsva.org.
- Historic Manassas Visitor Center is looking for volunteers age 18 and up to work 4 hour shifts on weekdays, 9am-1pm and 1pm-5pm. Friendly customer service required, as you will be the face of Historic Manassas, the first person people meet. Duties include answering phones, providing information about Old Town businesses, shops and restaurants, sharing historical information and helping with special projects as needed. Training is provided. Working for the Visitor Center is a great way to connect to the City and be in the know of what is going on, along with helping out of town travelers navigate the downtown businesses. Please email melissa@historicmanassasinc.org for more information.
- BEACON for Adult Literacy is recruiting volunteers to become Substitute Instructors for the current session which began November 30 and runs through March 5, 2021. Volunteers are needed to provide small group instruction to English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). No second language or teaching experience required; free training is provided. Standardized curriculum and textbooks are used. Volunteers teach 2-4 hours per week. Classes are offered both in the morning 9:30-11:30, (Monday-Friday), and evening, 7:00-9:00 (Tuesday and Thursday). Please call 571.428.2507 or email cturner@osbva.org to learn more.
- Did You Know: Prince William Food Rescue Heroes who are "55 and better" can also join the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)! Along with the benefits of volunteering to do home food deliveries, RSVP members also receive a mileage stipend and insurance coverage while on their volunteer shift. Just an hour or so of your time helps provide food to local families facing food insecurity! Please email jhawkins@volunteerprincewilliam.org to learn how you can join.
- Do you enjoy taking photographs? The staff at Serve Our Willing Warriors wants to meet you! They're looking for professional photographers to take individual and group pictures of Wounded Warriors and their families during their stay at the Warrior Retreat at Bull Run in Haymarket. You'll help create special memories for these brave veterans and their families with your photographs! For more information, please contact Larry.Zilliox@willingwarriors.org.
COVID-19 Volunteer Opportunities:
- The Community Feeding Task Force urgently needs muscular volunteers ages 18-55 on weekdays to either pack nonperishable boxes or help move USDA boxes that weigh between 30-40 pounds to be redistributed to over 70 local food pantries. This will be held in the central food warehouse located in Manassas; volunteers should be prepared for considerable lifting of boxes. A few hours a week will help to deliver food to vulnerable families in our local community! Please visit volunteerprincewilliam.org and visit the organization called VPW-COVID 19 Response to view the opportunities. To register, you must create an account on our website, then go into the opportunity to Respond to the opportunity. Please email bnahas@volunteerprincewilliam.org to learn more.
- Medical Reserve Corps Support your local health department and your community during a public health emergency! Volunteers are needed to support several missions, including public health education and outreach, disease investigation, vaccine clinics, and more! Medical experience is not required; they have roles for everyone! Bilingual volunteers are especially needed. Volunteers must be 18 years of age, complete minimum training, and pass a state background check to serve. Please fill out an application at vamrc.org. Questions? Please email Amy at princewilliam@vamrc.org for more information.
- American Red Cross needs volunteers to be Shelter Service Associates in the event of a disaster during COVID-19. Volunteers work in person in a Red Cross shelter before, during and/or after a disaster event, completing tasks necessary for shelter operations and providing assistance for disaster clients. Duties include working in reception, registration, feeding, dormitory, information or other areas within a shelter. Please email ncgcvolrecruitment@redcross.org for more information.
- Prince William Food Rescue (PWFR) needs Food Rescue Heroes as the program is super busy delivering food to both ACTS and SERVE homebound senior citizens. Volunteers are urgently needed countywide! Home food deliveries are no contact and follow social distancing guidelines. PWFR is an app-based program enabling volunteers to pick up viable, close to expiration food from supermarkets, restaurants, food pantries, etc., and then deliver it to a program that can immediately use the food. Just an hour of your time will do much to provide relief for food insecure families in our community! More info on PWFR may be found at https://pwfoodrescue.org/. Please contact Shirley at scouteau@actspwc.org or call 703.441.8606 ext. 212 for more information.
If you are looking for other opportunities, please don't forget to call our wonderful team at Volunteer Prince William at 703.369.5292. You can also visit our website at www.volunteerprincewilliam.org. Thanks so much for all you do in our community.
