Volunteer

Emmaus Holiday Gift Delivery:
December 24, 2008. Volunteers will assemble at the Arthur S. Flemming Center at 9am on Christmas Eve. For further information, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator.

Emmaus Volunteers in Action

November 23, 2006 - Thanksgiving Day Meal Delivery to Homebound Seniors

October 14, 2006 - ALA Volunteer Day "Feast for All" Food Pantry

Emmaus Volunteers Newsletter

Download our monthly volunteer newsletter!
October 2007
November 2007 - Coming Soon!

How can you volunteer?

Our offices are open on Saturdays, and we can accommodate individual volunteers, families, students with community service hours to fulfill, or out-of-town groups. Be a star! Call us at (202) 745-1200 to see how volunteering can fit into your life!

Here are some examples of ways to volunteer, based on your time and interests:

Call a Senior • Visit a Senior • Cleaning • Outreach • Grocery Delivery • Write for Us • Special Events

You only have five minutes a day, you want to volunteer from home, or you are on the road frequently: Volunteer to call a senior daily! You might remind him or her to take medication, or just check in to make sure they haven't fallen and can't get up. If there is a problem, or if the senior doesn’t answer the phone, volunteers call the office to alert us, and we’ll go and visit to make sure everything is all right. You can be the lifeline for a senior. And, if there are any problems, call our office and we'll visit them personally. This is a great volunteer opportunity for those who don't have much time, but still want to help. Back to top

Volunteers visit a senior on a weekly or regular basis, to run errands, to help with household chores, or to sit and listen to the senior and become a friend. Visits are scheduled at a time that is convenient to both the senior and the volunteer. You might help run errands, or just sit and listen to an older person's stories. Having a senior in your life is like having a grandmother or grandfather. One volunteer said, “My children call her Aunt Jessie: she's like family to us.” Another volunteer said, “He's my grandfather in Washington.” Many say they get at least as much out of it as they put in. It makes a real difference to elderly people to know that someone cares. Back to top

You want to work in a team with other volunteers: help clean an older person's home. Many people need help keeping their homes clean. Emmaus Services helps by sending in cleaning teams as needed. Often, this helps seniors get rid of clutter that's become a fire hazard, and keeps them from being evicted. This is great work if you have a team of people coming in from out of town, or you would like to work with others on a one-day project. Back to top

If you would like to meet new people or work in teams with friends, visiting seniors on Saturday mornings is the perfect opportunity! This is called Outreach, and you team up with other volunteers to visit an elderly person to help figure out how Emmaus can meet their needs. Then the teams regroup to compare notes and to alert the staff to the seniors’ needs. See our calendar for scheduled outreach visitation times. Back to top

Teams of volunteers go out on two Saturdays a month to deliver free groceries to seniors. These groceries, from the federal Commodity Supplemental Food Program and Bread for the City, help seniors stretch their dollars (most of our seniors live on incomes of $540 a month from the government, so every little bit helps). Also, once a month on Friday afternoons, teams of volunteers help prepare the groceries for delivery (we could use your help if you're available!). Back to top

You'd like to be a published writer: We love to tell the stories of our seniors, and you can help! You would visit a senior and listen to them, then interview staff members to see how we've helped them. Your work could be published in our quarterly newsletters, which are read by thousands of people. This is an ideal opportunity for a student or someone looking for clips to update their resume or change careers. Back to top

You'd like to participate with your kids, or you are a student looking to fulfill community service time, or you're planning to be in Washington with a group of other volunteers: We can work within your schedule. Perhaps you might volunteer with us on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day, to visit seniors and deliver holiday meals and gifts. Or, we'll work with you to develop a special project, perhaps taking seniors to see the Cherry Blossoms, or to a theater matinee. Back to top