A new coalition called Volunteer Peterborough is aiming to make the volunteer process easier for both prospective volunteers and area organizations.
Founder Lois Tuffin said the organization was born out of a need in the community.
“We realized that there are groups in desperate need for volunteers. Meanwhile, there are all of these people that are disconnected where they used to volunteer, or they have moved to the city, and they want to find something that really engages them,” Tuffin said.
“So, there is this gap and we thought, OK, we need something where you don’t have to look at 20 websites to figure out if the charity works for me and we built this ‘dating website’ to make the matches.”
And she said, so far, matchmaking has been going well.
“We have had a lot of early success with people finding roles they may not have known existed or they haven’t heard of. We made a list of 170 organizations, and it hasn’t even scratched the surface,” Tuffin said.
“The Peterborough Humane Society, for example, you can work with animals, but they also need help with their gardens. You could volunteer on a board, there are programs supporting seniors, coaching or training with sports teams — the menu is endless.”
Salvation Army in Peterborough, Ont., is one of the organizations that rely heavily on volunteers. Darlene Ewing is the toy co-ordinator for the annual Christmas Assistance Program, an initiative that provides grocery gift cards and toys to families in need during the holiday season.
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“They meet with one of our shoppers and go around and get toys, stocking stuffers, knitted items, sports things, crafts; we try to make sure the parents go away feeling good knowing their children will have a good Christmas,” she said.
But in order to do that, they need the support of the community, sometimes enlisting the help of some 50 volunteers per day.
Along with the Christmas Assistance Program, the Salvation Army’s annual Kettle Campaign is also underway. JoAnne Leach, a Christmas support worker for the organization, said the need this year is greater than ever.
“The new users to our food bank, at the end of October, was up 74 per cent based on the same time last year,” she said, noting she suspects a similar increase in their seasonal programs.
“We are just starting to get involved with Volunteer Peterborough and hoping it can help with our year-round programs as well as during the holiday season.”
Tuffin said when you sign up with Volunteer Peterborough you indicate your availability, special skills and interests.
“Everyone has a skill that is needed somewhere,” she said. “Maybe you want to just do something that takes a couple of hours, or maybe you’re looking for something to really sink your teeth into. There are so many options.”
Like, for example, a breakfast program.
“The program is run completely on volunteers,” said Samantha Dennis, the student nutrition co-ordinator at Edmison Heights Public School in Peterborough. “We have about 450 students a day that we serve. We do a bit of everything, we shop, we bag cereal, wash apples and just make sure that the kids have a nutritious snack throughout the day.”
She said programs like this are essential for the community.
“Without this program, there would be lots of hungry kids and hungry kids just don’t learn. It’s not good for anyone and no one should go with being hungry. When the kids see you, they get excited, and it is just so rewarding knowing that you’re making a difference,” she said.
Tuffin, a longtime volunteer herself, agreed, saying the process can be more rewarding than you think.
“It really connects you to a group of people that have the same heart as you,” she said. “It is just another way to get a deep connection to your community and get a difference in all of these lives.”
And while the name is Volunteer Peterborough, she said they have opportunities in the surrounding area as well.
For more information or to sign up, as a volunteer or as an organization, you can visit the Volunteer Peterborough website. For additional information on Salvation Army programs, or to register for the Christmas Assistance Program, you can call (705) 742-4391.
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