Volunteer Opportunities
Jump to: CWS Clean-Up Buckets | Fresh Air Fund | Simply Smiles | Meals on Wheels | Time-Limited Mission Team | Serve a Meal at the Gillespie Center | Volunteer for the Community Thanksgiving and Christmas Feasts | Literacy Volunteers | Volunteer at a Local Agency
We Are Collecting Supplies for Clean-up Buckets
Emergency Angel Bucket Kiosk
Some of us experienced the total mess caused by flooding in recent storms. As a way of caring for disaster victims like those in our congregation, Church World Service is collecting Emergency Cleanup Buckets to be stored in warehouses and distributed when needed. The buckets will contain supplies like rubber gloves, sponges, and dust masks.
Visit the Emergency Angel Bucket Kiosk during Fellowship Hour to sign up to buy, for example, two rolls of trash bags for an estimated $20, and then bring them to church.
During our “Welcome Home” Sunday in September, we'll work together to fill 50 cleanup buckets to send to CWS.
Co-sponsored by our Christian Education and Mission Boards
A CWS Emergency Cleanup Bucket contains:
| 1 | five-gallon bucket with resealable lid |
|---|---|
| 5 | scouring pads |
| 7 | sponges, assorted sizes |
| 1 | scrub brush |
| 18 | cleaning towels (reusable, like Easy Wipes®) |
| 1 | 50-78 oz. box dry laundry detergent |
| 1 | 12 oz. bottle of liquid concentrated household cleaner (like Lysol®) |
| 1 | 25 oz. bottle liquid disinfectant dish soap (like Dawn®) |
| 1 | package of 48-50 clothespins |
| 2 | 50 Foot Clotheslines, or 1 100 foot clothesline |
| 5 | dust masks |
| 2 | pairs latex gloves (like Playtex®) |
| 1 | pair work gloves |
| 1 | 28-bag roll of heavy-duty trash bags (30-45 gallon) |
| 1 | 6-9 oz. bottle of insect repellent (pump, drops or lotion, not aerosol) |
FRESH AIR FUND HOST FAMILIES NEEDED
Give the Gift of Fresh Air This Summer!
Join over twenty Westport families in opening your home and hearts to city children from low-income communities. Children ages 6-12 stay with volunteer host families for one or two weeks in either July or August. These young visitors are eager to experience the simple life that our community has to offer.
Provide an experience they will never forget: stargazing, running barefoot in the grass, a day at Compo beach, or swimming in a pool. We are seeking host families with children of all ages, or empty nesters.
For more information, visit www.freshair.org or contact , Westport Area Co-Chair, for more information.
Adult Mission Trip with Simply Smiles
July 6–13, 2013
Brought to you by the Saugatuck Church Mission Board
Simply Smiles partners with communities in Mexico and on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation in South Dakota to overcome poverty by building homes and schools, coordinating summer camps, and addressing severe hunger. They are committed to the short- and long-term well-being of children in these communities. Based in southern Fairfield County and relying heavily on a dedicated network of donors and volunteers, Simply Smiles has become a highly respected and rapidly growing organization since it was founded in 2003.
Thanks to all who helped to welcome Bryan and Kristen to our worship service on December 9th!
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
So, what’s next?
Learn more, and explore the possibility of participating in an adult mission trip to Mexico next summer, July 13th–20th. Here’s how:
- Sign up at the Simply Smiles display at Fellowship Hour to indicate your curiosity. Signing up just means you want to hear more, not that you are ready to hop on a plane!
- Keep learning: Check out www.simplysmiles.org for more detailed stories and videos of the work Simply Smiles is doing.
- Stay tuned: We will schedule a more detailed information session with Bryan and Kristen in late January. Details to follow!
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”
Drivers Needed for Meals on Wheels
Volunteers pick up meals at the Westport Senior Center, 21 Imperial Avenue, from 9:30AM to 11:00AM, and then deliver them to the homebound. They keep the routes in specific parts of town so that no one is driving too far, and you would only have 3–5 stops to make.
Please contact Holly Betts, R.D., Senior Nutrition Coordinator, Westport Center for Senior Activities, 341-5097. We would appreciate your helping us!
Help Wanted: Time-Limited Mission Team
Congress has proposed cuts to SNAP — the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, formerly known as “food stamps” — that would mean every religious congregation in American would have to come up with an estimated $50,000/year to make up the difference. This would come at a time when food banks have seen an increase in demand of almost 50% in the last six years.
Your Mission Board has voted to join the Bread for the World 2012 “Offering of Letters” to urge Congress and the administration to form a circle of protection around programs that help poor and hungry people here and abroad. We need two people to help us for no more than two months. This would entail one Sunday during Fellowship Hour and one to two planning meetings.
The Bible repeatedly calls us to add our voices in support of the poor. The Team will plan ways to communicate this idea — to think through how to publicize and implement a coffee hour in which people would be offered a convenient way that morning to join thousands of other churches in writing letters to Congress.
For more information, contact Frank Basler at 345-5682.
Thank you so much for considering joining one of our church’s first Mission Teams!
Serve a Meal at the Gillespie Center
A grateful thanks to those who have volunteered to provide a meal for the Gillespie Center through the years. The economy has affected everyone, and food prices have jumped considerably. If you'd like to help, but find it hard to do the actual cooking, please consider donating money for those who can cook. Make checks payable to Saugatuck Congregational Church and note Gillespie Center Food in the memo line. Thank you so much! —Vonnie
Volunteers are needed for meals for the Gillespie Center for these dates:
- May 29
- June 26
- July 24
- July 31
Call Vonnie, 203-226-5513 for more information. Thank you for responding!
All the dinner meals for the residents for the Gillespie Center are provided by volunteer churches, other organizations, or individuals. Saugatuck Church is responsible for the fourth Wednesday of each month, and the fifth, if there is one. Families, friends, scout troops, and other groups are welcome to do this together. Meals may be cooked at home or at the church, or purchased. All meals should be well-balanced and enough to feed at least 35 people, as the number of men and women coming to the center has recently increased from 25 to 35.
Cooked meals should be brought to the Gillespie Center by 4:45PM; there is an oven/stove there and a small microwave if you need to heat anything. Please think about volunteering with friends or neighbors to fill this need.If you don't have time to cook, you can also donate money so that others who may not be able to afford the expense would be able to prepare the food.
To volunteer, or if you have any questions, please contact Vonnie Spies at 226-5513. Thank you for your help!
Volunteer for the Community Thanksgiving and Christmas Feasts
The 2010 Christmas Feast Leaders and Servers.
Click here to see photos from the 2010 Christmas Feast.
In addition to the many volunteers needed to help with shopping, set up, decorating, food prep, cooking, serving, meal delivery and cleaning, The Feast Team and Mission Board need some special Church friends to fill very important roles for our Feasts. Here are some volunteer positions that may be open:
- Feast Team Members: help plan and execute the Feasts, including areas such as publicity and promotion, Health Department compliance, managing volunteers, et cetera.
- Manager, Floor Operations: helps manage the Feast setup and the flow of volunteers and guests on the floor of Hoskins Hall.
- "Chief Turkey Inspector": manages the check-out of turkeys for cooking at home and the return of these birds to the SCC kitchen, assuring that we adhere to all Health Department food safety regulations.
- Manager, Hospitality Room: manages the Fellowship Room where early Feast guests can come and get coffee, Danish or breads and mingle with Church members and the community.
- Manager, Clean-Up: directs and manages the numerous volunteers who will clean the kitchen and the serving areas after the Feast (an underrated, but essential, role!
Please visit our Community Feasts page to learn more…
Literacy Volunteers Needed
Did you know that one in every FIVE Connecticut adults (age 16+) reads at the lowest literacy level – about fourth grade or lower?
Helping someone improve their reading and writing skills or learn the English language can open up a world of opportunity. Experience the joy and fulfillment of helping someone complete a job application for the first time, be able to help their child with homework, or become a United States citizen. We can introduce you to an experience that will make a difference in someone’s life, as well as your own.
Please contact Marigrace Dubas, Volunteer Outreach Coordinator, FSW Literacy Volunteers, at 203-853-7437 or if you would like to register for the next orientation, which will be held this Thursday, September 20th, at the Westport Library.
FSW is a 163-year-old nonprofit social service agency in Bridgeport whose mission
is to empower people to build a brighter future. Over 11,000 low-income individuals
access a range of direct services to improve their quality of life each year.
For more information, visit the FSW website.
Volunteer at a Local Agency
Help sort food and clothing donations, assist at an after-school program, mentor a youth or adult, join an advisory committee. Opportunities are unlimited! See our list of local agencies we support, or visit the websites below:
- Christian Community Action (203) 899-2485
- Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport (203) 334-112
- Covenant to Care for Children (203) 377-4037
- Habitat for Humanity (203) 333-2642
- Homes with Hope (HwH) (203) 226-3426
- Norwalk Emergency Shelter (203) 866-1057