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Volunteer Opportunities for Children Under 15
Youth volunteers make a tremendous difference to Stepping Stones Shelter. We are SSL
approved, and welcome volunteers younger than 15. Whether you are planning a
confirmation/bar mitzvah project, getting community service hours for school, or just want to
get more involved in the community, Stepping Stones Shelter is a great place to do it. The below
opportunities are helpful ways for children under 15 to get involved. Our regular volunteer
opportunities (listed on a separate document) can be extended to volunteers under 15 if a
parent is present each time volunteering. If you would like to do any of the regular volunteer
tasks, you must be able to commit to at least a 2 month period of volunteering once a week.
If you are interested in any of these opportunities, please contact the Donations and Volunteer
Coordinator: Devan Wilber. devan@steppingstonesshelter.org (301)-251-0567
Cook/Meal Provider
Purpose: To provide a meal for Stepping Stones Shelter. Cooking is a resident chore so by having volunteers cook a meal
for the shelter, the resident parents have more time to work towards their goals of housing and employment. Groups
welcome!
Description: Dinners must serve about 20 people and we ask that it be a well-balanced meal. Dinners must be prepared
and set on the table by 6 PM. Meal volunteers are needed for Sunday-Thursday evenings (no Friday or Saturday nights).
Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator to set a date to bring in a meal.
Details- Cooking at home: If you choose to cook at home and bring the meal to the shelter, you can drop the meal off
any time before 5:45 PM on the day you are signed up for. Dinners are served at 6 PM so it must be at the shelter by
5:45 PM. You can either drop the dinner off with the staff person on duty, or come in to set the table and set out the
food (you can also reheat the food if necessary). If you come into the shelter to set up, you must be sure that you sign a
confidentiality agreement since you will be spending time in the shelter.
Details- Cooking at the Shelter: You can cook at the shelter and bring your own ingredients or use what food the shelter
has. If using the shelter’s food, you will need to come in before you cook to assess what we have and what will need to
be bought. We have a full kitchen that has all the basic cooking equipment. Meals prepared at the shelter must be ready
by 6 PM. Since you will be spending time in the shelter, you must be sure to sign a confidentiality statement.
* We have limited space in the kitchen so all volunteers must be out of the shelter by 6PM so that families can eat.
Because of this, it is best to use disposable pans. Clean-up will be done by residents.
Time Commitment: Very flexible. It can be a one-time meal donation or reoccurring. Please contact the Volunteer
Coordinator, Liz Trabucco, to set a date to bring in a meal or if you have any questions.
* Volunteers can 3 community service hours for preparing a meal off site.
Donation Drive
Conduct a drive at your school, congregation, organization, neighborhood or social group to collect needed items for the
shelter and our residents. Drive ideas include but are not limited to: items from our ‘urgent needs list’, paper products,
gift cards, cleaning supplies, diapers, toiletries, etc. A full needs list can be found on our website.
You can make a donation drive into a specific project, such as:
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Make welcome bags for our children. When new family moves in, we give each child a welcome bag. Bags for
younger children can include: A blanket, brand new books, a brand new stuffed animal, a coloring book with
crayons, a small toy, etc. Bags for the older children can include: Brand new books, a journal, nail kits/ nail polish,
card games, etc.
Put together welcome baskets for families. We give families laundry baskets full of toiletries when they move in. You
can include full size adult shampoo and conditioner, children’s shampoo, adult and child body washes, toothbrushes,
toothpaste and mouthwash, tissues, Q-Tips, Body Lotion, etc.
Put together food baskets for past resident families. Even after families move out of shelter, they sometimes reach
out to us if they are running low of food, clothing, or other household items. Put together boxes of food that
include: 2 boxes of cereal, 3 boxes of healthy snacks, juice mix, 3 boxes of pasta, 3 pasta sauces, canned tuna or
chicken, 5 cans of fruit, 5 cans of vegetables, 5 cans of beans, 2 packages of rice or other grains, etc.
Put together ‘Birthday Kits’ for when there is a birthday at the shelter. Kits can include cake mix, icing, sprinkles,
candles, party hats and favors, fun tablecloth with napkins, forks and plates, balloons, etc.
We are also open to any ideas that you have for a donation drive/project!
Donations are an integral part of shelter operations. We would not be able to run our shelter without them. We
replenish needed household items with donations we receive (paper products, cleaning supplies, food, etc). We also
have residents fill out wish lists for their new homes (kitchen appliances, bedding, household items, etc.) when they
move out and we provide them with those items if we have them. Past residents can always come back to the shelter
and ask for items that they need.
Holiday Donation Drives
During each Holiday Season, we provide current and past resident families with Thanksgiving food and Christmas
presents. These are great projects for groups, organizations and families to partake in. Each Thanksgiving and
Christmas, we serve over 50 of our families. Please let the Donations and Volunteer Coordinator know if you plan to
make Thanksgiving baskets or if you would like to sponsor a family for Christmas.
Thanksgiving Baskets: We need donors to buy items and
put together Thanksgiving baskets for our former residents
who still need assistance.
Each basket should have a $25 Gift card to the grocery
store to purchase a turkey (we do not have the freezer
space to store all the needed turkeys), Fresh Potatoes or
Rice, (2) Stuffing Mix, Fresh or canned fruit, fresh or canned
vegetables, Rolls, Cranberry Sauce, Gravy, Apple Juice or
some other kind of beverage, Dessert (Ex: Pumpkin Pie Mix,
Graham Cracker Crust and a disposable pie tin).
Feel free to include other festive items too!
Christmas Presents: Resident families provide a ‘wish list’ of
items that each person in their family would like for Christmas
(our families range in size from a single mother with one child to
a two-parent family with five children.)
We will match you with a family depending on how big of a
family you are able to sponsor (or how many families you can
sponsor).
Each individual should receive three presents valued at $20 to
$25 dollars each. (Plan to spend about $60-$75 per person).
You will collect the items on the wish lists and deliver them to
the shelter at a designated time for the family to pick up before
Christmas.
Hold a Fundraiser to Benefit Stepping Stones Shelter
Purpose: To coordinate and hold a fundraiser (yard sale, lemonade stand, car wash, bake sale, restaurant, etc.) and
donate proceeds to Stepping Stones Shelter.
Key Responsibilities: Please coordinate with the Donations and Volunteer Coordinator the date and place of when you
plan to hold a fundraiser. You are welcome to use any marketing materials we have on our website, or stop by the
shelter and pick some up. Please be mindful that you are representing our organization, even though it is in an informal
way.
Preferred Times: Anytime!
*Volunteers can get community service hours for coordinating a fundraiser. Hours vary. Please discuss this is more
detail with the donations and volunteer coordinator.
Lead a Family Activity
Purpose: Provide a fun, interactive activity for the families (children and parents, or just the children) to partake in.
Examples are: Holiday Parties, dance night, arts and crafts, charades, Birthday Parties, cookie decorating, board game
night, etc. Groups welcome (maximum 10 people). Groups: If you are leading an activity and under 15, you must have
equal parts adults to children volunteers.
Key Responsibilities: You are welcome to use what is at the shelter but you must provide any materials that the shelter
does not have. Make sure the activity is appropriate and approved by the Donations and Volunteer Coordinator. Contact
the Volunteer Coordinator to set a date to do an activity. You will be given the ages/genders of the children 1 or 2 weeks
before you are scheduled, make sure to have enough volunteers available to effectively lead the activities. We have
childcare volunteers that can assist with these activities if you need more helpers.
Time Commitment: Can be a one-time activity or an on-going activity. Time slots for activities are Sunday-Thursdays
from 7 PM-8:30 PM (7:30-8:30 PM on nights that we have tutoring).
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