Are you age 50 or over and looking to make a significant contribution of time and talent to serve our community? The 50+ Volunteer Network can help. Through personal consultations, the program connects you with service opportunities that match your interests and experience.

Here's how it works: Eligible individuals who want to commit to a purposeful volunteer position meet (currently virtually) with network advisors. These conversations help guide volunteers through not only the types of organizations they'd like to serve, but also the types of service they want to provide--whether it's direct services to agencies' clients, ongoing organizational support, or short-term professional services. Advisors then offer specific recommendations for volunteer opportunities with the network's partner agencies.

In the three years since its launch, the 50+ Volunteer Network has connected hundreds of volunteers with a broad range of organizations, including many with needs directly related to the pandemic. Current network volunteers are engaged as food distribution volunteer coordinators, tutors and mentors, program managers and assistants, outreach and advocacy specialists, board members, communications and marketing professionals, and more.

Ready to get started? Complete the 50+ Volunteer Network application and email it to 50plus@montgomerycountymd.gov.

With the weather warming up, there are a variety of new volunteer opportunities popping up, including outdoor activities, virtual volunteer needs, and socially distanced indoor opportunities. Find some of them below and be sure to use the search box at the top of this email or on any page of the Volunteer Center website to search for more ways to serve.

MEDICAL APPOINTMENT DRIVERS: Drive seniors to critical medical appointments, including COVID vaccinations, chemotherapy, dialysis, and counseling. Sponsored by Senior Connection. Volunteers must be age 21-64 and pass a background/reference check. They will not enter client's homes or medical buildings. Training and liability insurance provided. Apply online, email Susan Girard, or call 301-962-0820.

CARD CREATORS: Make holiday, seasonal, and other supportive cards for residents at The Village at Rockville's assisted living and long-term care communities. Cards should be created from your own home and can include artwork, inspirational quotes, jokes/riddles, and/or kind thoughts. Finished cards can be mailed or dropped off, preferably in sets of 30. Email Isabel Bouchard or call 301-354-8462 x18462.

HOSPICE PATIENT CARE VOLUNTEERS: Assist patients with terminal illnesses and their families. Volunteers with Holy Cross Home Care and Hospice may serve in a variety of ways, including assisting patients with daily activities and tasks, providing patient companionship and respite care, and running errands. CDC social distancing guidelines followed. Minimum age: 18. Email Karen Galdamez or call 301-557-4663.

GIRLS' FITNESS MENTORS: Help girls in grades 3-8 develop skills designed to prepare them to become happy, healthy, self-confident adolescents and adults. Adult coaches and high school-aged junior coaches for Girls on the Run of Montgomery County commit to serving once or twice a week, in person and outdoors at locations across the county. The spring season runs April 6-May 18. Online training provided; running experience not required. Apply online, email Claire Paz, or call 301-881-3801 x104.

ADOPTION RECORDS SUPPORT VOLUNTEERS: Help the post-adoption search services program at Catholic Charities make its adoption records available electronically to adults who were adopted as children through the organization. Committed, organized volunteers are needed one or two days a week to scan files, upload documents into an online system, and keep records organized. Volunteers will serve in person, at the organization's offices in NE DC, following mask and social distance protocols. Attend Catholic Charities' online open house on March 16, 6-7 pm, to learn more about this and other ongoing needs (most of them virtual) with the organization. Apply online by March 31 or email volunteers@cc-dc.org.

BOOK DRIVE HOSTS: Manage a collection drive for new books for underserved local students. Volunteers have the flexibility to host a book drive wherever and whenever suits them, but to earn SSL hours they must plan the collection to coincide with Small Things Matters' food distribution events held 8-10:30 am on the first and third Fridays of every month in Takoma Park. Donors can also purchase books through the organization's Amazon wish list. Email Roxanne Yamashita or call 202-669-8550.

GOLF TOURNAMENT ASSISTANTS: Help with check-in, distributing gift bags, collecting scores, and assisting participants on the course at the National Capital Optimist Club's qualifier golf tournament to be held on Sunday, April 18, in DC. Minimum age: 14. Golf experience is helpful but not required. Email Ed Justice or call 301-787-0616.

Opportunities marked with the graduation cap icon meet the MCPS guidelines for Student Service Learning (SSL) hours--but they're not just for students! Other opportunities may be eligible for SSL hours; visit the MCPS SSL website to learn more.

Many volunteer needs have evolved since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but one need has remained paramount throughout the last year: food assistance. Throughout every zip code in the county, individuals and families continue to turn to food providers to help keep food on their tables. And food providers continue to turn to volunteers to help serve these needs.

Here are three general ways to get involved:

Learn more and find a list of food hubs and nonprofits needing regular assistance with food needs online.

Make a Difference, a monthly County Cable Montgomery program, highlights the contributions of stellar county volunteers and organizations that work to better our community.

This month's episode features a look at how volunteers can get involved with serving Empowered Women International and KindWorks.

As you reach out to help others during the pandemic, please protect yourself and those you are serving by taking the following precautions developed by Montgomery County’s Office of Emergency Management and Department of Health and Human Services: