Written below is an uplifting message from Colleen O’Connor, the Volunteer Coordinator at Our Saviour’s Housing. Colleen wrote this article from an organizational perspective on how helpful Impact Now projects and their volunteers are to the operations and livelihood of organizations.

   A few months ago, Our Saviour’s Housing began hosting Impact Now projects. We have been a HandsOn affiliate for many years, but Impact Now has been an exciting new venture. Supper Servers @ Our Saviour’s has been the perfect solution to our challenges: offering accessible volunteer opportunities, meeting our meal needs, and reaching new supporters.

Volunteers serve dinner at our Emergency Shelter every night of the year, but they must be self-organized teams.  I often receive phone calls from people eager to help, but unable to bring an entire group and provide the whole meal. Until Impact Now came along, we weren’t able to accommodate these volunteers. We didn’t have other equivalent opportunities to offer them either; most of our positions for individuals require a long-term commitment. Impact Now offers an easy and flexible alternative by making it possible for individuals to be a part of our work without them needing abundant time or resources.

This partnership has helped my organization connect with dozens of new supporters who otherwise may not have known about us or been able to volunteer. Thanks to the volunteer Project Coordinators, the added workload for me has been minimal. Not only do our Project Coordinators lead and educate the volunteers, but they have become advocates for us, as well. They’ve helped with other projects, attended our special events, and sent new volunteers my way.

Every Impact Now shelter dinner is a special one. The volunteers are eager and friendly. Their menus are delicious. Even better, the servers share a true kindness and hospitality with our residents. I love the chatter, laughter, and games that are a part of an Impact Now evening here. I can’t thank our HandsOn volunteers and Project Coordinators enough!

To find volunteer opportunities that spark your interest and fit your schedule, please take a look at our Project Calendar. Together, we can be the change.