The following information is provided weekly by the Community Service Center
Highlighted Volunteer Opportunities for week of June 20:
1. URGENT NEED: Assist with Summer Food & Fun Program at McDonald Hughes Community Center each Tuesday from 10 am to Noon. The “Summer Food and Fun” is a project coordinated by the Community Action Team of the Region Two State Perinatal Association whose purpose is to build community capacity for improving the pregnancy outcome through education and related activities. The project is a community initiative designed to address health and wellness issues while engaging the participants in other meaningful activities. The summer project will be at the McDonald Hughes Community Center beginning June 14, 2011 through July 28, 2011. The CSC will be taking students to volunteer on Tuesdays during that time from 10:00 am to 12 noon. They anticipate 300-400 participants each day from ages 3-18 and parents whose meal we will provide with funds collected from donations. We will engage participants in age appropriate group activities. Daily themes will include: Healthy Living and Wellness, Arts/Crafts/Music/Dance, and Enrichment. If you can volunteer, please email Caroline Dorning at [email protected] or call 205-348-2865 and let us know which of the following days you would like to volunteer: June 21, June 28, July 5, July 12, July 19, July 26.
2. URGENT NEED: Volunteering at West Alabama Food Bank on Wednesdays from 10 am to Noon. Join the CSC in volunteering at the West Alabama Food Bank in the month of June each Wednesday from 10 am to noon. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Charlotte Brown at [email protected] to let her know which of the following dates you would like to volunteer: June 22, June 29, July 6, July 13, July 20, July 27.
3.URGENT NEED – Assist with Salvation Army at McFarland Mall. The Salvation Army needs volunteers at their distribution center at the McFarland Mall (in the old Goody’s Store). They need 30 volunteers each day to help families load carts with needed items, put items into their cars, assist with mobile kitchens who are providing meals, and assistance with data entry. This is an on-going need. The hours for the distribution center are Monday-Friday from 9 am to 4 pm. To volunteer, please contact Jennifer Lee-McCusker at 862-248-9138.
4. URGENT NEED: Assistance with Volunteer Reception Center & Volunteer Hotline Call Center. The City is in need of volunteers to help check in volunteers at the Volunteer Reception Center at the McAbee Center and to help answer the City’s volunteer hotline. The hours are Monday-Saturday from 8 am to 7 pm pm; and Sunday from 12 pm to 5 pm. If you would like to volunteer, please go directly to the McAbee Center 3801 Loop Road (take 15th Street/Veterans Memorial Parkway out passed Home Depot. There will be sign for Loop Road/Veteran’s Hospital/UA Arboretum. You will loop to the right and then take a left into the road for the McAbee Center. It is a large building with a blue roof. Please enter the door with the awning over it.) The group of Americorps volunteers who have been working with this for the last few weeks will no longer be available in the near future to assist each day. The VRC & Call Center would love some volunteers who could come on a consistent basis.
5. URGENT NEED: Assist with Tuscaloosa City Schools Donation Center. Volunteers are needed to assist at the Tuscaloosa City Schools Donation Center on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 am to 4 pm to unpack, sort, and organize teacher and student school supplies in order to prepare Fall supplies to fill needs created by the tornado. They will not be running the distribution center the week of June 27. Stop by (1210 21st Avenue) or email [email protected] to sign up. Contact phone number is 205-759-8300.
6. URGENT NEED: Volunteers needed at Forest Lake Baptist Disaster Relief Center. Volunteers are needed to sort new clothing & shoes, shelve the food & toiletry items, and package baby items into bags. The hours of operation are Thursday & Friday from 10 am to 6 pm and Saturdays 9 am to 2 pm. The church is located at 107 18th Street. To volunteer, contact Aaron Barnes at [email protected] or by phone at 205-759-1569.
Other Volunteer Opportunities:
1. Volunteers to assist Temporary Emergency Services with client services. TES needs volunteers to assist with client services. Volunteers would work with individuals who have been impacted by the tornado to help them get clothing and other items they need through TES. They would like 10-15 students who could work consistently with client services. If you are interested in volunteering at least 5 hours a week, please contact Sharon at 205-758-5535.
2. Holt Community Partnership: The Holt Community Partnership needs assistance this week at their distribution center at Holt Baptist Church (3101 Alabama Avenue Northeast) on Tuesday from 1-7 pm, Wednesday from 9 am – 5 pm, and Thursday from 1-7 pm. If you can assist, please contact Tonya Appling at 205-826-0262 to sign up for a shift. The hotline number for the partnership is 205-523-3817.
3. Office Assistance Needed at Tuscaloosa’s One Place: Because of the increased workload and some staff being personally affected by the tornado at Tuscaloosa’s One Place, they need volunteers who can help with answering phones, data entry, and other odd jobs. Please contact Emerald Autrey at 462-1000 or [email protected] if you would like to help.
4. 2 Temporary Emergency Services Warehouses: TES is in desperate need of individuals who can help to sort items at both of their warehouse locations. At the primary location (1705 15th Street), volunteers are need to sort donations. At the secondary location (5510 McFarland Blvd., Northport – Old Foodmax Building), volunteers are needed to unload trucks and sort donations. Their hours are Monday-Saturday from 8 am to 6 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm. Go by to volunteer or call 205-758-5535 to schedule a time to volunteer.
5. Project Blessings: Project Blessings located at Woodland Forest Baptist Church (6701 Hargrove Road East) needs volunteers to help sort items and help with other recovery efforts. Their hours of operation are M-F from 9 am to 4 pm and Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm. They would appreciate consistent volunteers who can be trained and continue to help. They also have a great need for plastic storage bins if you know anyone who would like to make a donation. The person in charge at the location is Chase Sprayberry. Please check out their website for more information about what they are doing at www.projectblessings.org.
6. Tuscaloosa’s One Place (TOP): Volunteers are needed at Tuscaloosa’s One Place at 867 Redmont Drive, Tuscaloosa 35404 for 2 different programs. (1) Volunteers are needed to work with TOP in partnership with Hopewell Baptist Church (which is next door) to help sort and distribute donated items. Volunteers are needed from 10 am to 5 pm Tuesdays/Thursdays/Saturdays. Please go by the TOP office first and let them know you are there to volunteer. (2) Volunteers are needed to work with participants of their program to work on resumes and apply for jobs online. Students who help should be knowledgeable about computers. Volunteers are needed from 8 am to 4:30 pm on Mondays/Thursdays/Fridays. Please contact Emerald Autry at 205-462-1000, ext.33 to sign up for a time to volunteer. TOP is located about a half mile from the Winn Dixie in 5 Points (From the Winn Dixie traveling on University Blvd towards campus, Redmont Drive will be on your right immediately after Hopewell Baptist Church. TOP is a blue house).
On Going Volunteer Sign Up and Service Locations:
- · Temporary Emergency Services on 15th Street needs volunteers to help sort and distribute donations. They are open from 8am – 6pm M-S and Sundays 10am – 6pm. They need your help to sort donations so they can be given to those who need the items.
- · Samaritan’s Purse at First Baptist Church downtown is doing volunteer orientations each day at 8 am and 1 pm. You need to go to one of the orientations in order to be placed.
- · Warehouse Assistance: The City of Tuscaloosa has opened a new warehouse to house donations that have been given. They need help each day from 8 am to 5 pm to help with deliveries. The warehouse is the Phifer Warehouse located at 2505 Greensboro Avenue. You MUST become a credentialed volunteer through the VRC at the McAbee Center in order to volunteer here.
Important Information:
- · Faculty, staff and students who suffered hardship following the April 27 tornado are encouraged to apply for financial assistance through the UA Acts of Kindness Fund, an emergency-assistance program for UA employees and students. Please go to http://financialaffairs.ua.edu/benfund/ to find the application.
- · Individuals who have be impacted by the storm need to file with FEMA to receive aid. The last day to apply for FEMA assistance is June 27. You can call 1-800-621-3362 to register.
- · Check out the United Way homepage to find out more information about other services available: http://www.uwwa.org/news.html
IMPORTANT NOTE: All volunteers working in the recovery areas can become credentialed through the Volunteer Reception Center (VRC). Credentialing will occur at the McAbee Center, 3801 Loop Road, Tuscaloosa. Hours are Monday through Saturday: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. You can fill out the form electronically at http://www.givetuscaloosa.com/wp-content/themes/premiumpixels/forms/Individual_App.pdf. For more information, please visit http://www.givetuscaloosa.com/.
