Here are 5 places to volunteer during the holidays:

The Thompson Senior Center

The Thompson Center is located at 99 Senior Lane, Woodstock, VT 0509 and services the senior community with events, meals, transportation, and resources in the Upper Valley. There are numerous opportunities to volunteer and provide services that are matched with your unique interests and schedule. Many services can only be provided through the time and effort donated by volunteers willing to dedicate their energy to serving the center and their community. It is an excellent place to give back, and volunteers are welcomed and appreciated.

There are a variety of different positions to fill here. There is a “Bingo Caller” where you get to help facilitate a fun bingo game, call out the Bingo numbers, and interact with participants. There is a volunteer opportunity for “Meal-on-Wheels” drivers where volunteers deliver meals to individuals needing to stay home and act as liaisons between them and the Thompson Senior Center. Volunteer receptionists are also needed to greet guests, collect donations, provide information about upcoming events, and answer phones. Wait Staff is needed at the center to serve meals at lunch, which is a great way to get to know people. There are also other clerical work opportunities if that is better suited for you! Call their number at 802-457-3277 or email them at [email protected] to see what would be the best fit for you. Do be sure to check out their website for any updates regarding Covid-19 and how that affects volunteer opportunities.

The Woodstock Community Food Shelf is dedicated to providing food to those in need. It was founded in 1984 by Martha Lussier and has continued to provide support and basic nutrition to the community. In 2008 it incorporated as a non-profit and was run completely through volunteer work. The Woodstock Community Food Shelf seeks to diminish hunger in its communities by maintaining full, well-stocked, and accessible food shelves.

Here is a great opportunity to volunteer your time to this organization by staffing at the location at 217 Maxham Meadow Way in Woodstock during open hours and distributing food. They need assistance in stocking the shelves after food drives and packaging the food/ putting bags together. They also need help writing thank you notes to donors and setting up a database to store information and track aspects of the organization, which would be great if you had administrative skills or organizational skills handy. They are open Mondays from 4 pm to 6 pm, Wednesdays from 1 pm to 3 pm, and Saturdays from 10 am to 12 pm. Call their number at 802-457-1185 if you are interested in helping out. If you would like more information, you can check out their website here.