Volunteer in the Community

Open Your Heart does not work directly with people experiencing hunger and homelessness. However, many of the agencies we partner with, and support rely on volunteers to keep programs running smoothly and meet everyone’s needs. Visit one of the following websites or call us to find opportunities to make an impact on hunger and homelessness in your area:

Agate Housing and Services: There are several on-site volunteer opportunities at Agate’s Food Centre in Minneapolis. Individuals can volunteer in a variety of roles at the Food Shelf. In addition, there are off-site projects that include putting together help for our clients in the form of Welcome Home Baskets, Tie Blankets, Entertainment Kits, Immune Booster Kits, and Winter Kits. If you would like to donate or put together off-site projects, please go to our website, agatemn.org. The contact person is Abigail Abele at [email protected].  We would love to work with you. We also urge people to learn more about issues related to homelessness, recovery, and hunger through our Day in the Life Program, taught by Community Educators with lived experience of homelessness. This program is also available through our website. Visit: https://agatemn.org/get-involved/volunteer/

Align Minneapolis: Once per month, on each Second Sunday, three Align congregations come together to provide a community meal at Plymouth Congregational Church. You can also provide meals to people in encampments or meet one-on-one with clients to develop a supportive relationship to assist them in identifying and developing goals for greater stability in their lives and a step-by-step plan for achieving their goals. Please see contact information depending on which volunteer activity you are interested in: Katie Dillon, Director of Align Minneapolis, at [email protected]/ Meal Train here: https://mealtrain.com/8rlwq2/ Margaret Kelly, Director of The Dignity Center, at [email protected].  Visit: https://www.alignmpls.org/volunteer-2

Avenues for Youth: At this time, Avenues offers one-time volunteer opportunities for groups interested in assisting the staff with yard maintenance and landscaping. We need help with these activities primarily in the fall and the spring. Contact Kevin Kjonaas at [email protected] or visit: https://avenuesforyouth.org/volunteer

Community Emergency Service, Inc. (CES): CES is always in need of volunteers. Opportunities include sorting and packing food for the food shelf, greeting and assisting food shelf visitors, delivering Meals on Wheels to homebound seniors, packing and/or delivering orders for Home Delivery, office support, building maintenance, board or committee service, and so much more. This is the volunteer form for a group activity: https://www.volgistics.com/appform/480056316. Visit: https://cesmn.org/volunteer/

CROSS Services: It takes a whole lot of people to make the work of CROSS Services happen. As a volunteer, your time, effort, and welcoming heart will have a direct impact on the people who come here looking for help and hope. We can customize this opportunity to your team’s availability and size. Volunteer Needs are Welcome Desk, Food Market, Sweet Repeat Boutique, Toy Shop (for holiday and birthday gifts, Events & Community Engagement, Tuesday Team Night: Small groups are invited to sign up for a 2–3-hour block as a team building opportunity on Tuesday evenings. Contact Tracy with any questions at [email protected] or call 763-425-1050. Visit: https://www.crossservices.org/volunteer/

Division of Indian Work: We can help match you with the perfect volunteer experience. Complete the online form to get started or contact us by phone at 612-722-8722. Visit: https://www.diw-mn.org/volunteer

FreedomWorks, Bread of Life Food Pantry: Every other Wednesday we have a community outreach that could always use volunteers. The contact person’s name is Stephanie, and she can be reached at 612-449-8833. Visit: https://myfreedomworks.com/get-involved/

HOPE 4 Youth: HOPE 4 Youth provides meaningful one-time and long-term volunteer opportunities that allow you to make a difference in the lives of the young people we serve. We welcome your help with donating meals, sorting supplies, mentoring and more. The contact person is Mari Dahlke at [email protected]. Visit: https://www.hope4youthmn.org/volunteer/

Intercongregation Communities Association: Businesses, book clubs, softball teams, scouting groups, families – many groups have made generous contributions of time to ICA – and had fun in the process. Group volunteer opportunities include assembling snack bins and weekend bags for students in the area, as well as emergency bags. The contact person is Scott at [email protected]. Visit: https://www.icafoodshelf.org/volunteer-opportunities

Loaves and Fishes: There are 2 ways to sign up. You may sign up through our link below with our online platform Signup Genius. Then select the proper quantity of volunteers in the drop-down menu once you’ve selected your date. Or, for a more personalized approach to finding the right fit, contact the Director of Volunteers and Outreach at [email protected]. Visit: https://www.loavesandfishesmn.org/volunteer/

Mobile Loaves Twin Cities: Five or six times a week, Mobile Loaves Twin Cities volunteers gather in the basement of Knox Presbyterian church to prepare fresh sandwiches. The shiny silver truck is pulled to the side door of the church and the volunteer crew – the “make ready” team – loads it with fruit, cookies, snacks, sandwiches, hard boiled eggs, and dessert, as well as beverages, toiletries, and clothing. As the make ready teams finish stocking, the truck team begins to arrive. Soon they will hit the road to deliver meals to two or three of the roughly 25 different locations Mobile Loaves Twin Cities visits each month. You can contact Janet Thomas at [email protected] or Jeanne Leighton at [email protected]. Visit: https://www.mobileloavestc.org/volunteers/

Neighborhood HealthSource: Neighborhood House continues to welcome volunteers to assist with stocking and distributing food at the Wellstone Center Food market in our West Side headquarters, and at our frequent Fresh Produce Distributions, which rotate among various community sites in St. Paul. We also welcome volunteers at the 1080 Montreal Food Market. Please email [email protected] or call (612) 287-2468 Visit: https://neighborhoodhousemn.org/volunteer/

New Creation Baptist Church: New Creation Baptist Church has food shelf volunteer opportunities on Saturdays from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm. Contact Pastor Mckizzie at [email protected] to learn more. Visit: https://newcreationbaptistchurchmn.org/food-shelf

Oasis for Youth: Groups or one-time opportunities allow you to make a difference even if you have limited time to volunteer or want to volunteer as a group to make a tangible impact on our ability to help young people. Submit interest form via https://www.oasisforyouth.org/volunteer

Our Saviour’s Community Service: We are actively seeking volunteers to collect and assemble Home for the Holidays baskets for residents of the Our Saviour’s Housing Permanent Supportive Housing program. Information about this opportunity will be available soon at https://oscs-mn.org/holiday-baskets-2024. Our traditional meal provider volunteer role is really a hybrid of volunteering and either donating or soliciting sponsorships to cover the costs of ingredients. The Meal Prep Volunteer role reduces the financial barriers and those related to transportation, expanding access beyond our traditional volunteer base. Meal Prep Volunteers come onsite to prepare and freeze batch meals that our shelter staff can reheat later. We are also actively seeking community members to host drives to collect shelf-stable breakfast items for the emergency shelter. In addition to these opportunities, we have ongoing needs for meal providers, bingo hosts, maintenance volunteers, and shelter aides. Reach us at [email protected] or visit https://oscs-mn.org/osh-volunteer-opportunities

People Serving People: Off-site volunteering – volunteer with your team, company, church group, etc. Choose the project and timeframe that works best. Take a look at our off-site volunteering packet. Visit: https://www.peopleservingpeople.org/get-involved/  On-site volunteering – we welcome volunteer groups of 4-5 at a time to take part in projects supporting basic shelter operations, including supporting our Culinary Services team with day-to-day prep or working with the Housekeeping team to keep common spaces throughout the building clean. Housekeeping shifts are available 9:00am-12:00pm on the first Friday of the month and have space for up to five people. Culinary Services shifts are available Monday through Thursday 1:30-4:00 pm. Volunteers must be 16 or older, and volunteers under 18 must have at least one chaperone per four volunteers under 18. Visit: Group Volunteer Information | People Serving People. You can also email us at [email protected].

Sojourner Project: You can make a difference by volunteering at Sojourner. We rely on the support of volunteers to enhance the work we do on behalf of victims of domestic, dating and sexual violence. By fulfilling a variety of roles, volunteers significantly expand the reach and impact of Sojourner’s programs and services. Training is provided for all direct service volunteer positions. All individual and meal prep volunteers require a background check. We offer a variety of short and long-term opportunities for individuals and groups wishing to give their time and share their interests and talents. We welcome groups from corporations, faith communities, sororities and other social groups to help us with a variety of projects either on a one-time occurrence or on-going. You can email us at [email protected] or visit: https://www.sojournerproject.org/get-involved

The Aliveness Project: Putting an end to the HIV epidemic is an all-hands-on-deck effort. And we’re always in need of extra hands (and hearts!) to help us power our care efforts. So, if you’re eager to pitch in, we’ll help you find the perfect volunteer fit. Volunteers like you give the Aliveness Project life… Sign up today. Visit: https://aliveness.org/volunteer/

The Bridge for Youth: Individual and group volunteer opportunities are available year-round. One-time, on-site volunteer opportunities include organizing inventory, deep cleaning program spaces, painting, assembling kits, and helping with seasonal activities. Off-site, volunteers can organize a donation drive, create tie blankets, or make care packages for youth. Recurring opportunities for volunteers who can commit to a weekly schedule include Greeter/Receptionist positions, assisting our Outreach team, and managing inventory. The Bridge would welcome the opportunity to explore and create a volunteer experience that would further connect interested volunteers to the mission and impact of programs at The Bridge. Visit: www.bridgeforyouth.org/volunteer-opportunities

The Link: Yes, we have many volunteer opportunities that are both one-time and ongoing opportunities for individuals, groups, and businesses. With volunteer support, urgent youth needs are met, supplies for our programs are ensured, and youth gain access to opportunities that would not otherwise be possible. Opportunities include hosting a donation drive, cooking frozen meals, creating a fundraiser, and much more. You can visit: https://thelinkmn.org/get-involved/

Tubman: Examples of Group Volunteering – Improve our living spaces and give our clients comfortable places to live by organizing, cleaning, or painting our indoor or outdoor living spaces. Suitable for any size group.  Off-site help: Can’t make it into a Tubman location? Organize at your own site by collecting donations for adults, such as personal care items, or children, such as books and diapers. You have to apply via https://www.tubman.org/give-help/volunteerintern/group-volunteering/application.html. If you have any difficulties completing the application, please contact us by phone at 612.825.3333 or by emailing [email protected]. Visit: https://www.tubman.org/give-help/volunteer-intern/group-volunteering/

At Home Volunteer Projects

At-home volunteer projects such as creating feminine hygiene kits for a local domestic violence shelter or putting together snack packs for children staying at a local emergency shelter are easy and simple ways to provide support to your community during this time of need. Please refer to our in-kind needs list HERE for local agency needs. For a full list of volunteer project ideas and steps for each click HERE.

Volunteer in Your Spare Time

Open Your Heart receives almost all funds from individuals and uses social media as a way to get more donors without diverting funds from agencies to fundraising. Any of the below actions help Open Your Heart spread awareness and involve more people in our mission!

Volunteer by Throwing a House Party

Like to party? Like to raise money for a good cause? Throw a house party!

Hosting an Open Your Heart House Party brings awareness and raises funds for people who are hungry and homeless in our community.

Who do you invite? Your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, friends of friends, anyone you want!
Where do you hold it? Your home or wherever you would like to host the event (library, church basement, community center, bowling alley, etc.)
What would you need to do? You are responsible for cost of location, invitations, and food/beverages. OYH can provide background materials on the organization (e.g. brochures, video, and signs), help through the process, and a speaker!

Interested in learning more? Contact [email protected].