Volunteer Opportunities
Junior Achievement (Fairfax, VA)
Junior Achievement invites up to 1,000 volunteers to test the new JA Finance Park Virtual simulation October 7-8, 2020. The goal of the Stress Test is to ensure a high volume of students can navigate the online platform simultaneously without experiencing any major “bugs." The virtual simulation plays through much like a computer game and takes about an hour for an experienced budgeter to complete.
Please recruit as many coworkers and friends as you can before the October 2 registration deadline! With our JA Finance Park buildings closed, this is the best way for teams to support JA Finance Park students this school year – please join us! Your participation and feedback is critical to the success of JA Finance Park Virtual.
Twin Lakes Golf Course (Clifton, VA)
Golf Course Starter
Greet/Assist/Check-in customers to ensure timely start of play. Assist customers with course rules and course conditions while managing the course tee sheet.
**Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the Park Authority at this time. In working to ensure everyone''s safety, we are following CDC guidelines including maintaining six-feet social distancing, wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain and limiting groups. If you are not feeling well, please stay home! There will be new sign-in/sign-out procedures, so please work with your site contact to learn the new process.
Volunteers work the same day and shift (6 hours) every week.
We do have an AM and PM shift.
Click link below to apply for a volunteer position at Twin Lakes.
Food For Others (Fairfax, VA)
Mobile Market
We need your help!
Food for Others is expanding its Mobile Site program to serve additional families through pop-up food distributions at 9 locations throughout Fairfax County. Volunteers play an integral role in this program by pre-packing the boxes that then go out to families.
Mobile Site preparation Tasks:
- Reorganizing dry goods from bulk supply on pallets to individual boxes
- Bagging produce
- Station set-up and tear down will be an essential task
Mobile Site preparation Qualifications:
- Volunteers must be at least 12 years of age.
- Children ages 12-15 must be accompanied by an adult.
- No cell phones or ear buds while working in the warehouse, for safety reasons.
- The warehouse is not climate controlled, please dress according to the weather outside.
- Must be able to lift up to 40 lbs
Neighborhood Sites Food Distribution
Food for Others distributes food on weeknights locations throughout Fairfax and Arlington Counties. Volunteers play an integral role in this operation by picking up the food at our warehouse, driving it to the assigned location, and distributing it fairly among the individuals and families who come to receive services. The food is picked up at Food for Others between 5:00-5:30 pm and then distributed between 6:00-6:30 pm.
We have partnered with a number of church and service organizations to provide volunteers for most of our Neighborhood Sites. New volunteers will be added to a substitution list and contacted if a regular volunteer needs to cancel or is on travel.
Neighborhood Site Qualifications:
- Volunteers must be at least 21 years old and have a valid driver’s license
- You may take a child with you, but please be mindful of the activity at hand
- Must use your own vehicle to transport food
- Must be able to lift crates of produce and non-perishable items
- Must arrive on time to distribute the food
- Ability to treat clients with respect and dignity
- Ability to diffuse difficult situations
Neighborhood Site Tasks:
- Load food from Food for Others warehouse into personal vehicle (between 5:00-5:30 pm)
- Transport food to assigned neighborhood location
- Distribute food in equitable manner (between 6:00-6:30 pm)
- Return crates to warehouse
Food Distributor
This volunteer position involves gathering a client's food together after they have completed the intake process and distributing it to them at the loading dock.
Qualifications:
- This is a very physical job.
- Volunteers will be on their feet for the majority of their shift.
- Must be able to lift at least 30 lbs.
- Feel comfortable interacting with a diverse population.
- Patience is also important, since the loading dock can get busy at times.
Harvesting
Every year, 100 billion pounds of food are thrown away in the United States. At the same time, 49 million Americans go hungry. Food for Others is working to change both of these statistics. We are looking for gleaning volunteers to help recover excess produce from Hollin Farms, so that we may distribute it to those in need.
If you are interested in spending the day picking fruits and veggies in one of Virginia’s most beautiful farms and orchards, this is the volunteer opportunity for you!
Gleaning volunteers will provide their own transportation to and from the farm. Once on the farm, they will spend ~3 hours picking excess crops that this partner farm has so generously allowed us to harvest.
REQUIRED SKILLS
• Must be able to bend over for extended periods of time and lift 20+ pounds
• Must be comfortable working outdoors in varying weather conditions
• Must have your own transportation to the farm
• Must commit to a full day on the farm (3 hours+ driving time)
• Must be respectful of the land-- do not litter, smoke, or wander off the designated gleaning area
• Passion about food is a plus!
Meeting Directions
• Follow signs to the orchard, which has a parking area. The coordinator will meet you there and show you where to sign in.
Additional Details
• Is Family Friendly (all ages welcome)
• Is Outdoors
Warehouse Volunteers
The warehouse is the heart of our operation. This is where all of our food donations are stored and where volunteers and staff members sort, package and distribute USDA and emergency food supplies directly to our clients. The warehouse is high energy, full of activity and a great place to roll up your sleeves and make a difference!
FACETS (Fairfax and Alexandria, VA)
Office Volunteers
FACETS works to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty and to open doors for people in need. Our two office locations (Fairfax City and Alexandria) need energetic and detail-oriented individuals to help with administrative tasks. Do you enjoy working in an office setting and engaging with the community? We are looking for volunteers who are available weekdays—especially weekday afternoons—and can commit to one four-hour shift each week. Our team is mostly working remotely and emphasizing social distancing so volunteers would not be sharing office spaces. We require masks in common spaces, provide hand sanitizer, and wipe down common surfaces daily.
For more information, contact Suzanne Hough, FACETS Volunteer Manager, at at shough@facetscares.org or at 703-865-4251. To sign up for an orientation, go to https://lkessler.wufoo.com/build/fy21-facets-volunteer-orientation.
NVFS (various locations)
Virtual and In-Person Volunteer Opportunities
1) Remote Learning and Education - Assist the Remote Learning staff at the shelter in a virtual learning environment. Virtual volunteers will assist students in completing school-provided lessons based on the students’ school district’s preferred software/database, and ensure that children follow school-outlined schedules while completing virtual lessons that may include break time(s) and meals. Contact Julie Martinez for questions.
2) DIY Protective Face Masks - In an effort to preserve commercial face masks for medical facilities, we're asking for home-made face masks for our staff who continue to deliver services to local families and for guests staying at our family shelter. Contact Julie Martinez for questions.
3) Movement Matters - Stay-at-home orders are tricky for energetic young bodies. You can help keep them moving. Experienced yoga instructors, dance teachers, personal trainers, and preschool and PE teachers are encouraged to record and submit kid-friendly activity videos to keep children moving throughout the day. The A selection of videos will be posted on our YouTube Channel. Contact Navara Cannon for questions.
4) Food Recovery Drivers - Volunteers will make routine pick-ups to rescue food from grocery stores and restaurants. Volunteers must be at least 21 years old with a valid drivers license and able to lift up to 50 pounds. Drivers will drive agency vehicles. Contact Navara Cannon for questions.
5) Social Media Ambassador - Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter. Then repost or retweet our messages to your network of followers.
CRi (Chantilly, VA)
Adopt A Home – Holiday Edition
Since March, CRi’s 42 residences have been on lockdown to ensure the safety and health of both residents and the staff supporting them. No longer are residents able to take a trip to the grocery store, see their friends at the day programs, or spend the weekend with family. Staff have worked tirelessly to help residents transition into a new normal while finding new and innovative ways to help them grow and develop while staying at home. Volunteers are needed to help spice up the daily COVID routine of both residents and staff by decorating the exterior of a CRi home for the holiday of the month: Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Winter Solstice. Decorations can be homemade or purchased, more the better; we just ask that they are able to withstand the weather for the duration of the holiday month. While third parties are not allowed inside the homes, decorations can be made and given to staff to hang indoors at a later date. CRi has homes in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties.
For more information and to express interest, please email Janet Davison at jdavison@mycri.org.
Season’s Greetings Cards
The holiday season can be a lonely time of the year for some people; this year, COVID is making celebrating even more difficult. Some CRi residents are unable to see their family members in person, and others have to maintain social distancing practices – no friendly touch, no warm hugs.
This holiday season, we want to make sure that all 350 CRi residents have a card to put on their mantel. A personalized greeting card is a warm reminder that people are loved and not forgotten.
Please join us in bringing the holiday spirit to our CRi homes!
Supplies:
• Paper
• Pens
• Color pencils
• Crayons
• Markers
• Optional fun additions : Puffy paint, stickers, stamps
Getting started:
1) Grab a piece of paper. Any paper will do! Cards can even be purchased. As long as we can read your message, that’s the important part.
2) CRi has 40+ homes that we support. Making the cards generic will help with distribution.
3) Be creative! Be colorful! As long as the card comes from the heart, we are grateful!
4) Add a holiday greeting and well wishes for the season. Please avoid any reference to a religious theme, Santa Claus, or Christmas to respect the individual beliefs of the residents.
Here are some ideas of what to include:
• Happy Holidays
• Seasons Greetings
• Have a wonderful new year
• Wishing you a wonderful holiday season
• May this season bring you peace and happiness
• May your holiday season be merry and bright
• Wishing you all the best this holiday season
• May this holiday season brighten your new year
Completed cards can be dropped off at one of the following three locations:
a. CRi Headquarters
14160 Newbrook Dr, Chantilly, VA 20151
Accepting donations Monday to Sunday from 10am to 2pm
Donation boxes are located in the lobby beyond the double glass doors
b. Falls Church/Arlington Maintenance Shop
7297A Lee Hwy, Falls Church, VA 22042
Accepting donations Monday to Friday from 10am to 2pm
Donation boxes are located in the lobby just inside the front door
c. Richmond Office
808 Moorefield Park Dr., Ste. 120, Richmond, VA 23235
Accepting donations Monday to Friday from 8am to 3:30pm
Cards can also be mailed to the following address:
Janet Davison
CRi – Philanthropy and External Affairs Dept
14160 Newbrook Dr
1st Floor
Chantilly, VA 20151
Holiday Project: Homemade Melt and Pour Soap
This year has been tough one for everyone, but as the year comes to a close, winter, the loneliest season, promises to be even lonelier. COVID has taken an especially hard toll CRi residents and staff. As some residents are high risk, houses are minimizing risk of contagion by only leaving the house when absolutely necessary, meaning residents can’t take a ride to the grocery store, go for walks in their neighborhoods, or even see their family in person. This holiday season is going to be especially hard as we can’t celebrate in person with friends and family.
Our goal this year is to show our appreciation to all the individuals supported by CRi and front line staff who put their safety on the line in order to continue to provide services to some of our most vulnerable community members. There are 350 people supported through CRi’s residential programs and 500 direct support staff working hard to keep them safe every day of the year.
A unique homemade soap is both a beautiful and useful gift for everyone to enjoy. Please join us this winter in bringing a small piece of joy and normalcy to those whose lives have been turned upside down.
Supplies needed:
• Melt and pour soap base – usually comes in 2 pound blocks (Available on Amazon and craft stores such as Michaels and Joanne’s)
• Microwavable bowl(s)
• Spoon
• Microwave
• Mold of your choice – can be pre-bought from craft stores for around $3, or you can use a silicon muffin mold, or glass loaf pan. *Note – if you use a glass pan, be sure to purchase “Freezer Paper” which is different from parchment and wax paper. This will help pull up the soap from the glass pan once it cools. You can also get creative and make your own mold from yogurt containers, milk jugs, etc. Just make sure it can hold the weight and heat of the soap. https://www.cuttothetrace.com/2017/04/getting-creative-with-molds-5-dos-and-donts/
• Spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol
• Essential oil(s)
• Coloring – food coloring or soap coloring
• Optional – Add-ins such as beauty glitter, dried herbs, exfoliates like Himalayan salt or ground coffee, matcha powder, oatmeal, sprinkles, etc.
• Optional – Cookie cutters to make cool shapes!
• Ziploc bags and sharpie
Before Getting Started Tips:
• Don’t use fresh flowers or herbs. They’re more likely to brown and mold.
• Avoid adding small and plastic such as beads or toys. While pretty, they are a choking hazard for some of our residents.
• Please make sure your soaps are no smaller than 2”x 2”
• Try testing your scents and colors first by making a small sample soap. This will help you determine what your soap will look and smell like when it dries.
• Avoid making religiously themed holiday soap to respect the diversity and beliefs of our residents and staff
Instructions:
The below instructions are for a very basic melt and pour soap. Feel free to get creative! Check out the links included at the bottom for some ideas and inspiration!
2. Start by deciding what type of soap design you want to make and gather the necessary supplies.
3. Begin by cutting the soap base into small, evenly shaped cubes.
4. Place the desired amount of soap cubes in a microwave safe bowl and set for 10-30 seconds. Remove the bowl, stir the soap, and if not completely melted, microwave again for another 20 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir once more. Repeat this process until the cubes are completely melted.
5. Once the soap is melted, add the color/scent/herbs/exfoliates you want to use. If you are using a powder add in, first mix it with a little bit of alcohol to create a paste. Add a little at a time to see how it mixes with the soap.
6. Mix the ingredients really well! You do not want to have lumps from any of the additives and the oils should be distributed evenly.
7. Grab your mold. If you are using a glass mold, make sure you line the inside with freezer paper before pouring the soap. If you are using DIY molds, make sure you have enough molds so you can quickly pour all the soap while it’s still in liquid form. Here’s a great website for mold dos and don’ts - https://www.cuttothetrace.com/2017/04/getting-creative-with-molds-5-dos-and-donts/
8. Pour the soap into your mold and lightly spray the top with alcohol to help remove air bubbles. Leave it until it is completely cool and set.
9. Leave the soap to cool in the mold for several hours. Removing the soap prematurely can cause the soap to wrinkle and lose shape.
10. Once the soap is completely set and cooled, remove from your mold and place into a zip lock bag. Label the Ziploc bag with the quantity of soaps, the scent, and any ingredients used so we can avoid distributing to people who may be allergic to certain ingredients.
11. When you have made soap to your heart’s content, the Ziploc bags can be dropped off at the following locations and times:
a. CRi Headquarters
14160 Newbrook Dr, Chantilly, VA 20151
Accepting donations Monday to Sunday from 10am to 2pm
Donation boxes are located in the lobby beyond the double glass doors
b. Falls Church/Arlington Maintenance Shop
7297A Lee Hwy, Falls Church, VA 22042
Accepting donations Monday to Friday from 10am to 2pm
Donation boxes are located in the lobby just inside the front door
c. Richmond Office
808 Moorefield Park Dr., Ste. 120, Richmond, VA 23235
Accepting donations Monday to Friday from 8am to 3:30pm
Soap can also be mailed to the following address:
Janet Davison
CRi – Philanthropy and External Affairs Dept
14160 Newbrook Dr
1st Floor
Chantilly, VA 20151
Need some inspiration? Check out these websites:
• Melt and pour 101 - http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/melt-and-pour-soap/free-beginners-guide-to-soapmaking-melt-and-pour/
• Inspiration central - https://www.ruralsprout.com/melt-pour-soap-recipes/
• Cookie cutter soap shapes - https://www.stephensonpersonalcare.com/recipes/2013-08-14-how-to-make-a-beautiful-soap-gift
• Layering - https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/5-tips-layering-melt-pour/
• Swirl Designs - https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/tips-for-swirling-melt-pour-soap/
