Did you know that it takes a team of over 40 dedicated volunteers to operate Nest Community Shelter on a weekly basis? From kitchen staff to train volunteer counsellors, housekeeping to gardening to administrative work, many hands come together in one common goal: to improve the support healing for those experiencing homelessness. As an organization, we welcome volunteers, both young and old, singular or in a group. The adage is true that many hands do make lighter work. Today, we want to highlight some areas where we need to add volunteers urgently.
Kitchen Staff:
Last year, Nest Community Shelter served over 20,000 meals to men, women, and children in need. We provide each guest with a hearty dinner and a solid breakfast before they leave the shelter for the day. The vast majority of our food is donated. We rely on trained volunteers to help put together menus of this donated food, prepare food, and serve it to our guests. We welcome all levels of culinary experience with a heart to serve. Through providing dinner and breakfast to our guests, we provide food security, something that many experiencing homelessness struggle with. The basic act of providing a meal means so much to those who have so little.
General Volunteering:
Our shelter is staffed with trained volunteers and paid staff from 5 pm to roughly 7 am. During this time, while our guests are in the shelter, a dedicated team helps support their needs, from trained volunteer counselling to facilitating the daily running of the shelter. We rely on our trained group of volunteers to make our small shelter work.
We also have many volunteer opportunities when our guests are not residents. Each day, our guests leave the shelter by 7 a.m. After our guests leave, volunteers and staff launder and clean our shelter to ensure a comfortable, safe, and sanitary environment for guests, volunteers, and staff.
Maintenance, Technical and Gardening Volunteers:
During the daytime, when our guests are not at the shelter, we complete any maintenance needed on the building, from basic repairs to more substantial projects. We always welcome those who are handy to help support the upkeep of our beautiful and historic building. If you are a skilled tradesperson who can lend a hand, we abundantly welcome your experience.
Additionally, as the weather warms and spring plants begin to grow, we also have need of those with a green thumb to help keep our garden beds in order, and the outside of our shelter looking as tidy and welcoming as the inside.
Administrative Volunteering:
Nest Community Shelter is funded through grants and generous donations provided by community members, sponsorship partners, and corporate donors. Ensuring that the funds needed to operate our shelter are continually replenished is full-time work. We would love to have volunteers who have previous administrative work experience, are great on the phone, or have office experience.
As an organization, we could not provide the services to positively impact the lives of those experiencing homelessness without our small army of volunteers. We truly appreciate every person who gives of their time. If you are interested in volunteering or learning more about how to give of your time at Nest, we encourage you to go to our volunteer page here to learn more. If you don’t see an exact area for your skill set but are still interested in giving our time or talent, please reach out to us. We always welcome volunteers.
