• Create opportunities for a Haven staff member to speak to your class, faith
group, or club. Creating awareness of the Haven in our community is of the
utmost importance to the success of our organization.
• Write a letter to the editor or to your local legislator about lack of
low-income housing in your community. Public awareness is a great
way to affect change.
• Organize a food drive and deliver items to the Food Shelf. If you and your
friends and family would like to stock the food yourself, schedule a time after
regular hours to do so.
• Organize a coat or boot drive. These items are essential to any family living
in our climate!
• Lead skill development workshops on topics of interest to our guests (interview skills, parenting, computer skills, budgeting, arts etc.)
• Have a “giving party”! Choose something to celebrate and have guests bring items that can benefit those in need. Remember that we accept unexpired food items and clean, lightly used, in season clothing.
• Join in on one of our “Day’s of Service”. Four times annually we have a day when families, groups, or individuals can all pitch in to make the Haven a better place. You will have the opportunity to organize our storage area, deep clean the Food Shelf, wash windows, do yard work, and participate in other painting and maintenance items. We provide drinks and snacks for all who participate. We end the day with a question and answer session and a time for volunteers to meet with one another and reflect on the importance of volunteerism.
• Collect and organize cloth bags or recycle plastic bags for use in the Food Shelf and Clothing Room.
• Participate in a sort-a-thon for the Vermont Food Bank located in Barre. This helps the Haven in two ways. Until food is sorted and packaged, it is not available for purchase at discount to food shelves like ours. Also, volunteers who participate in a sort-a-thon can designate an organization to donate food bank money. For every hour spent, the Haven could be designated to receive $2 worth of food! ($2 can go further than you think at $0.18/lb!) For more information visit http://www.vtfoodbank.org.
