December 1, 2024 | Volunteering

Greetings, Volunteers!

Happy December! We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! As the cold weather is now on the horizon, stay busy with one of the following opportunities.  Westbrook Food Pantry and Partners for Word Health are both great opportunities if you are looking to stay toasty and volunteer indoors. Below you can find a list of new and ongoing volunteer opportunities for the month.

To sign up for an event this month and receive a month of free Garbage to Garden service, RSVP by email and we will help answer any questions you may have. Then simply send confirmation of your volunteer hours to volunteer@garbagetogarden.org to receive credit.

Just a reminder or a notice for those who are new to volunteering, we do ask that you try different opportunities each month! 

Happy Composting,

10 am – 2 pm Saturday, December 7th
Boyd St Community Garden, 58 Boyd St, Portland
All are welcome!

Volunteers Needed! 
They are hosting a raised bed building workshop at Boyd Street Community Garden. Help them transform this in-ground garden into a beautiful raised bed garden before winter comes!

- This is a drop-in event. Come for as long as you’d like. Whether you are an experienced gardener or just starting, this workshop is designed to be informative and enjoyable for everyone.
- Instruction from 10-11 am; bed building from 11 am  – 2 pm
- Free meal! Lunch, snacks, gloves, tools, and water provided for everyone. 
- Meet your neighbors, fellow gardeners, and learn about building and maintaining raised garden beds.
- Registration ahead of time is appreciated.

Sign up here!

The Westbrook Community Food & Resource Center is an all volunteer non-profit organization providing free supplemental food to Westbrook residents on a monthly basis.

Volunteers are needed to:
* Pick up donations from local businesses.
* Prepare the pantry and guide clients through the food selections.
* Serve as a member of our Food Pantry Board.

To sign up, complete the volunteer application or email the Food Pantry Director. 

Age Friendly Portland needs help maintaining and expanding the snow shoveling for seniors program. Each year, a growing number of older Portland homeowners (aged 65+) are seeking help with snow removal. In order to keep up with demand, additional volunteers are needed in all areas of the city. Volunteers are asked to shovel steps, walks, and sidewalks for an elderly neighbor.

Want to help but can't shovel? Become a Neighborhood Coordinator!

They are looking for individuals willing to coordinate volunteer matches within their own neighborhood. Volunteer coordinators are needed in the Back Cove, West End, Munjoy Hill, Deering Center, Nason's Corner, and North Deering neighborhoods. 

Contact Linda Weare at 207-541-6620 or email her at LSW@portlandmaine.gov to learn more!

PWH collects thousands of pounds of medical supplies every day and all of it needs to be evaluated, sorted, and repacked before it can be loaded in containers and sent to under served populations in the developing world.  This is what a majority of our volunteers enjoy helping with and tasks can include:

- Macrosorting - opening bags and boxes and sorting items into general category bins

- Microsorting - further sorting general category bins into bins of more restrictive categories

- Counting, bagging and labeling similar items

- Creating kits of supplies (respiratory kits, surgical kits, birthing kits, etc.)

- Packing, sealing and labeling boxes for shipment

See their website to sign up!