Union County Community Shelter – Monroe
Individual/Family Volunteering
- Make sure to read over Volunteering FAQs HERE
- Minimum volunteer age (all volunteers under 18 must have a waiver signed by parent or guardian):
Group Volunteering
- Provide and serve a meal in the feeding program-No minimum or maximum group size. Recommended maximum is 18.
- Financially sponsor a meal and shelter staff will plan, purchase, and cook the meal. Your group will show up the reserved day to serve and clean up. –No minimum group size, max group of 12.
- Serve a meal provided by the shelter in the feeding program. Maximum of 6 people.
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.
Youth Sports Coaches – Monroe
The Monroe Parks and Recreation Department relies heavily on volunteer youth sports coaches to help provide participants with quality recreational experiences. See the link for more details.
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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 at 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 Division of Social Services 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, Marshville
All kinds of different volunteers. See link above for more information.
Program area volunteers: Food Pantries: Delivery, Grocery Rescue, Pantry worker
Administrative area volunteers: Receptionist, office assistant, project managers, special event planners.
Specialized talents: finance, web design, network administrator, videographer, board members, tax preparers (training provided), etc.
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 their time, money and expertise to helping North Carolina’s birds in need. Volunteer opportunities include:
Outside Animal Care – Provide animals in the outside cage facility with food, water and a clean cage. You must commit to at least one shift a week for 2 hours.
First Responder – be trained to arrive on the scene of an injured or orphaned animal, assess whether it actually needs help, safely capture it and bring it back to the facility for care.
Transport Drivers – Take injured animals to veterinary appointments, to the sanctuary, release sites and other facilities.
Community Coordinators – Help CWR maintain and build online communities through Facebook, Twitter and other networking sites. Also, cross-posting on Craig’s List and other free classified to help obtain donations and other materials. If you’re spending time online and like dealing with people this job is for you!
Adoption Coordinators – Assist with the placement of exotic and domestic animals. You would be accepting applications, doing home checks and making sure animals are going to an appropriate loving home. Adoption coordinators can assist with their local area or all over the state.
Fund Raising – You can assist with holding fundraisers, bake sales, collecting ink cartridges and cell phone or just about anything you can dream up!
Educational Ambassadors – Visit schools, scout troops and other groups to talk about wildlife and our environment. If you are going to school for environmental studies, teaching or just want to work with the animals this is a great opportunity for you!
Hotline Volunteers – Assist callers with orphaned or injured animal, provide referrals to other rescuers and give out nuisance wildlife advice. This is a great opportunity to work from any location, making phone calls from any phone.
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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 communitys 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 our 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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Signposts Ministries – Monroe
Signposts Ministries is always in need of volunteers that can spend time with the families they are serving. Many talents and skills are needed, including childcare, website management, administrative tasks, writing, home repair, financial advice, graphic design and event planning.
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.
.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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Paws4Life – Indian Trail
As is the case with many animal welfare organizations, volunteers play a big role in their mission and the success of that mission. Listed below are areas where volunteers are needed:
Fostering; transporting pets to or from another shelter, vets, adoption events, etc.; preparing photos and biographies for adoption website; writing & sending newsletters, hunting for coupons and deals; fundraising & event coordination; finding local business sponsors; website expertise; legal services; grant application writer. 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.
Follow the Phil’s List/Union County Charities and Services Awareness Facebook Page for resources, upcoming events and more volunteer opportunities.
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