There are several reasons why one would want to partake in local volunteer opportunities.
For one, people of all ages typically need to volunteer at one point or another as a form of community service in order to fulfill a specific requirement for a separate program, such as Girl Scouts, CCD, extracurricular activities, school credit and/or fro a career.
Secondly, volunteering allows you to get free, firsthand experience in a field that interests you. Most organizations welcome people with open arms, and there are many different specialized organizations to choose from.
Thirdly, volunteering allows you to partake in something new and actually feel good about yourself for helping other people. Volunteering is perfect for those out of work or those who have no desire to work, as well as those wanting an extra activity on the side.
Here are five local volunteer opportunities in the South Jersey area:
1. Volunteer Center of Burlington County
Burlington County College, Parker Center, Room 221, 601 Pemberton Browns Mills Rd., Pemberton, NJ 08068
The Volunteer Center of Burlington County is an excellent place to volunteer at, as they have tons of different opportunities available through their system, for people of all ages.
If you’re between the ages of 12-17, they have opportunities in helping out in various children’s activities (with kids younger than your present age.) They also have programs based on maturity level, and programs for generally anyone under 18, as well as programs with adult supervision for those on the younger side.
In addition they have several programs consisting of mentoring opportunities.
The Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Burlington County is a group that seeks volunteers to assist in helping kids with educational activities. Bordentown Regional schools seek community volunteers to assist kids ages K-12 with mentoring, reading, listening and also with clerical/library duties and arts/crafts. The Boys and Girls Club of Burlington County seeks assistance in helping kids grades K-12 with after school homework and tutoring. The Burlington City Youth Education Program seeks people for a 1 hour a week commitment, October-June, mentoring students and chaperoning free activities.
If you’re looking for something a bit more specific, the Family Service is a community mental health agency seeking people for office work and fundraising, while the Heureka Center is looking for mentors to help pregnant women. The Retired Senior Volunteer Program seeks volunteers 55 and over to help out, and the Triple M-Plus Technology Center Inc. seeks church volunteers.
If you’re interested in any of these programs, simply check out the website here, and click on the corresponding email to each program.
2. Ronald McDonald House of South Jersey
550 Mickle Blvd., Camden, NJ 08103
The Ronald McDonald House is an international organization that helps to raise money for families whose children have been critically injured or suffer from a traumatic illness.
Specifically, the House itself puts a roof over the heads of these families, and their loved ones, in the time of need. They raise money through grants, corporate sponsors an individual donations, but you can help too by volunteering your time.
The layout of the Camden house consists of 20 themed suites for each family (typically themed in a children’s manner for the children’s enjoyment) on four stories, while also including a garden, kitchen, TV room, lounge with fireplace, laundry, internet access and dining area. There are also playrooms with video games, fish tanks, art, computers, and other kid-related activities.
You can volunteer either as a house volunteer- inside the house itself- or on a separate occasion, if you have less time to spare.
For the former, volunteers will help the regular staff with the typical daily routines, such as giving tours, conversing with families, assisting with meals, clerical duties, laundry, gardening, event planning, and errand-running. For the latter, host a family fun night at the house, encouraging the families to participate in activities (volunteers in the past have done ice cream parties, manicure nights, game nights, etc.) If you like to cook, you could also host a family meal night, in which you would cook for a certain amount of families in the house. You could also join in at Deptford’s Sam’s Club on November 13th and 14th in handing out wish-list fliers to customers.
For more information on volunteering, click here.
3. Food Bank of South Jersey
1501 John Tipton Boulevard, Pennsauken, NJ 08110
Self-explanatory: There are hungry people in this world. Help to end this hunger by assisting in a food drive. This is a great gig for those that need to volunteer to fulfill a requirement for a separate service. Often the Food Bank will allow large amounts of people to come together and/or at once, including youth groups ages 8-15, as long as they are accompanied by an adult.
In helping out, volunteers would be sorting the food (checking expiration dates,) stocking, packing (sometimes creating specialty kits,) doing clerical work, cleaning inside the warehouse, picking up/delivering food, staffing special events and even doing public speaking if they so wish.
For more information on volunteering with the food bank, click here.
4. Cooper University Hospital Volunteer
1 Cooper Plaza, Camden, NJ 08103
Servicing Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Cooper Hospital is accessible by all nearby areas, and is one of the best hospitals to volunteer at, especially for those wanting to break into the field of medicine or hospitality.
There are over 50 assignments to choose from, and Cooper also offers a student volunteer program for 14-18 year olds. To get started, volunteers have to schedule a brief interview, where you will speak to a supervisor about a position in the hospital that would best fit your needs. You’ll also participate in an orientation in order to get adjusted with the new setting. (In order to make an appointment for an interview, call 856-342-2995)
Some of your assigned tasks may include conversing/helping patients and nurses, bringing items to patients’ rooms, assisting visitors, clerical duties, running errands, or helping in a specified department, such as the Child Life program or the Cuddling program.
To discover more details about this opportunity, click here.
5. South Jersey AIDS Alliance
80 W Broad St, Bridgeton, NJ 08302-2421
The South Jersey AIDS Alliance is looking for people to help out in various departments, such as within their own Food Bank, clerical duties, and basically anything needed by the client.
In order to apply, volunteers should fill out the application form which can be found on the website, and mailing and/or faxing it to the above location. (There are also various other locations one could volunteer at.)
Sign up to volunteer on the website here.
