For the past several years, Care & Share has been hosting a Volunteer Happy Hour one evening a month to welcome new and existing volunteers to the fun of serving in our operations! The Happy Hours provide an opportunity to expand our volunteer base and make serving more accessible to those in our community. With no registration or orientation required, it is an easy way for people to find out what volunteering at Care & Share is all about. Staff and volunteers alike make an enormous effort to make this a fun and enjoyable evening for those that are joining us for the first time. Those efforts are not in vain! We find many first time Volunteers come back to attend orientation and begin to serve regularly in the Shoppes. We cannot thank our team members enough for the work they put into this event. We recently received this communication from a first-time volunteer:
“A small group of friends and I recently had a fantastic time at Care & Share’s Volunteer Happy Hour! Together, we rolled up our sleeves in the back, weighing out shells and marbles for the Variety Shoppe and learning to tag and price items. It was a blast chatting and laughing while we worked side by side. We were impressed by the friendliness of everyone at Care & Share, making it easy to connect and feel right at home. We all left feeling inspired and were thrilled to be part of the larger mission of supporting our local community and the work of Mennonite Central Committee.
Since then, we have all jumped into regular volunteering in different departments, helping out in clothing, books, arts, and crafts, and more! Thanks, Care & Share, for the opportunity to meet new people and serve in this meaningful way!”
Volunteer Happy Hour runs 5 to 8PM on the last Tuesday of each month. As a regular volunteer, you already know the impact your work is making. Please consider attending a happy hour, perhaps performing your normal work, or giving another task a test run. Importantly, consider inviting a friend, co-worker, or a grandchild to come with you. This is also a perfect opportunity for a youth group, social club, or Sunday School class. We welcome you to join in!