Volunteer Opportunities

Union County Community Shelter – Monroe

Volunteer Opportunities include:

Kitchen

Serve a Meal
Serve a breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Prepare Meals
Help us prepare for the week’s meals ahead! Chop produce, pre-cook meats, prepare baked goods, etc.

Pantry
Stock and organize new donations and prepare bags for our drive thru pantry.

Food Distribution

Drive Through Food Pantry
Fill shopping carts with food and load them into car trunks. Help distribute food boxes on-site to senior citizens.

Home Again

Furniture Donation Pick Up/Warehouse Organization
Pick up furniture donations from all over Union County using our box truck, weekly. Organize our warehouse.

Move Ins/Warehouse Organization
Help shelter clients move into their new home! Organize our warehouse full of furniture donations and household items.

Administration

Administrative Building Lobby Receptionist
Greet clients and guests at the front door and connect them to the appropriate staff member.

Administrative Volunteer
Assist our staff with a variety of administrative tasks, such as organizing, filing, making copies, and more.

Special Events

Birthday Fun Makers
Help us throw a birthday party for our kids in the emergency shelter! Decorate, play games, sing happy birthday, and have fun!

FUNdraising Events
Help us raise FUNds for the Community Shelter through Special Events. Contact us about our next event.

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Bright Blessings – Matthews

Bright Blessings’ mission is to bring joy, care, and hope to homeless and impoverished children by mobilizing community volunteers of all ages. Bright Blessings offers a variety of projects and volunteer opportunities for all ages, whether you are an individual, a family or a small group. Volunteer opportunities exist on location, from your location, and at local shelters. See the link above for more information.

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Foster Caregivers – Union County

To provide foster care, one must be willing and able to provide a temporary home to a child when the child is unable to remain in his or her own home due to the parents’ inability to provide care for the child. Foster parents will complete 30 hours of free training which will equip them to handle the emotional needs of children in care, to administer appropriate discipline and to understand the types of children who are placed in foster care. See link above for more information.

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Guardian ad Litem – a Child’s Advocate in Court – Union County

A Guardian ad Litem (GAL) advocate is a trained community volunteer who is appointed, along with a Guardian ad Litem attorney, by a district court judge to investigate and determine the needs of abused and neglected children petitioned into the court system by the Department of Social Services. 

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Union County Government Volunteer Opportunities – Union County

Do you have a passion for giving back to the community and making a positive impact on the lives of others? Volunteering with Union County Government offers a variety of volunteer opportunities across several departments that enable you to use your skills and interests to help others and make a meaningful impact.

If you have a soft spot for animals, volunteering with Animal Services at the shelter may be the perfect fit for you.

The Senior Nutrition Program provides a crucial lifeline for seniors who may have difficulty leaving their homes or cooking for themselves by delivering meals to homebound seniors or helping serve seniors at congregate sites.

If you enjoy reading and learning, volunteer with the library at one of many locations. There are even opportunities available online to volunteer. 

Seasonal opportunities include helping families in need during the holiday season with the Christmas Bureau or helping individuals navigate the complexities of the tax season with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. 

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Common Heart  – Indian Trail and around Union County

Many kinds of volunteers are needed, especially for the food pantries. See the link for more information.

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Adult Literacy Program  – Monroe

.The Adult Literacy Program for Union County is located at South Piedmont Community College. Tutors are needed. Training will be provided. For more information, email rlightsey@spcc.edu or call 704-290-5261.

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Carolina Waterfowl Rescue – Indian Trail

Carolina Waterfowl Rescue (CWR) is an all-volunteer group that donates its time, money and expertise to helping North Carolina’s birds in need. Volunteer opportunities are broken up into three categories: weekly onsite, weekly remote, and flexible onsite or remote. See the website for more information.

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Misty Meadows Mitey Riders – Weddington

Mitey Riders offers equine-assisted activities for children with special needs which positively affect a rider’s posture, balance, strength, focus, coordination, flexibility, self-awareness, confidence, and sense of independence. Riders experience social and emotional growth gained from the bonds they create with their horses and people at the facility. 

Volunteer opportunities include:

Lesson Volunteers
These are the volunteers who work directly with the riders and the horses in class. One can choose to be a Horse Leader, a Sidewalker, or both. Training is provided for all lesson volunteers.

Barn Team
For those volunteers who want to really get up close and personal with the horses and/or increase their horse-handling skills, this is the perfect job. These volunteers provide special horse and stall care for their assigned horse each week. 

Facility Management
From painting to irrigating to building fences to cleaning and everything in between we have endless volunteer opportunities for handy individuals or groups that want to work together on a project. 

Office Volunteers
These very important volunteers help with an array of tasks – including bulk mailings, photocopying, filing, word processing, computer/systems support and answering the phones. It is a wonderful volunteer opportunity for people who may not be keen about being around horses or may need to limit their physical activity but still really want to lend a hand.

Fundraising and Special Event Volunteers
Mitey Riders can always use volunteers to help plan and implement fundraising and other special events. These are fun and rewarding opportunities to be creative and really bring a project to fruition. Such events make an impact in drawing the community’s attention and support to the Mitey Riders.

Special Skills
If you possess skills or professional/technical experience that may benefit Mitey Riders, such as photography, grant writing, computer knowledge, use the link above to contact them.

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Operation Reach Out – Monroe

See the link above for more information. Operation Reach Out has a food pantry and also provides emergency funds for food, clothing, medicine, fuel as well as Christian counseling. Volunteers are needed to:

  • Volunteer at Operation Reach Out or Finders Keepers
  • Donate items to Finders Keepers
  • Donate food to Joseph’s Pantry
  • Encourage your school, church and other organizations to have a non-perishable food drive
  • Provide lunch for the weekday Bible study
  • Help with several annual events
  • Pray for the ministries and clients.

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JAARS  – Waxhaw

JAARS’ mission is to make Bible translation and language development possible, especially in the most remote and difficult places on earth. JAARS has a wide variety of volunteer opportunities in multiple departments. They need everyday, hands-on skills, as well as technical, logistical, and professional skills. There are also opportunities to bring a mission team from your church to help with needed projects at their campus in Waxhaw, North Carolina. Finally, if you would like to serve overseas for up to two weeks, enriching missionary kids’ lives and helping them with their unique situations, you can apply to serve on a Refuge 139 trip. See link above for more information.

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Matthews HELP Center – Matthews

Matthews HELP Center offers a variety of volunteer opportunities to match the interest of anyone 14 years of age or older. Volunteers normally work one four-hour shift per week. See link above for more information.
Some of the volunteer opportunities available are: Thrift Shop Worker, Food Pantry Volunteer, Perishable Food Pick-Up and Handyperson. Donations of clothing and household items are also needed.

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Turning Point NC – Monroe

Turning Point is a group of committed professionals, volunteers, and survivors who strive to provide victims of domestic violence with the skills, encouragement, and confidence to break free from the cycle of domestic violence. All volunteers participate in comprehensive training that includes the fundamentals of domestic violence, agency policies and procedures and the necessity for strict confidentiality. In addition, volunteers will take part in thorough training relative to the specific job they are interested in.

Ways You Can Help
Administration: Perform administrative duties as assigned by Turning Point staff.
Child Care: Offer constructive and age-appropriate activities for the children.
Facility Maintenance: Perform routine cleaning, lawn care, and repairs to shelter as needed.
Receptionist: Responsible for answering the telephones and greeting all visitors, donors, staff, and clients.
Companion: Provides accompaniment and/or advocacy for a crisis response to our hospitals and hotline for sexual assault/child sexual abuse victims.
Food Services: Provide a nutritious meal for the clients.
Event Planning: Helps plan events and fundraisers.
Thrift Store/Donations: Offer customer service, manage inventory, and help with the display of clothing and accessories; help sort and receive donations and supervise clients in the donation building for shopping.
Community Outreach: Educate the community about domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse, distributing Turning Point literature to local businesses, organizations and community events.

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Union-Anson County Habitat for Humanity – Monroe

There are many ways to get involved and volunteer with Union Habitat for Humanity, including, deconstruction, building, home repair and providing lunch for volunteers.

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HELP Pregnancy Center – Monroe

Faithful volunteers counsel, work at the front desk, clean the building, conduct building maintenance, organize clothes, teach classes, watch children, perform ultrasounds, do pregnancy tests, act as ambassadors for the Pregnancy Center, and so much more. See link above for more information.

 

Council on Aging in Union County – Monroe

Volunteers needed for minor home repairs, yard work, office/clerical, teaching classes, Medicare counseling, preparing meals, planning/leading activities, companionship and light cleaning. Volunteers can assist individuals with memory loss attending the Next Door Group Respite Program by providing stimulating conversation for participants, assisting with daily planned activities, and serving lunch. See link above for more information.

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Humane Society of Union County – Monroe

Foster caregivers, vet assistants, event assistants, and people to make treat bags and pet toys are some of the volunteers needed. See link above for more information.

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Volunteer Opportunities at Atrium Health Union

There are many volunteering opportunities throughout Atrium Health. Volunteers are an important part of the healing process, and can offer assistance in different ways, including:

  • Hospitality cart server
  • Clerical assistance
  • Guest services greeters and escorts
  • Pet visitation
  • Special projects
  • Patient discharge transporters
  • Courtesy cart drivers
  • Emergency room assistants
  • Gift shop attendants

Email volunteer manager: Hollis.Breeden@AtriumHealth.org

Phone: 980-993-3264

Follow the Phil’s List/Union County Charities and Services Awareness Facebook Page for resources, upcoming events and more volunteer opportunities.