ThinkingaboutDONATING?
Stop thinking about it and start taking part. Prince of Peace is always looking for great people to help provide a hand up to those who want it. Click here to fill out our volunteer form and a representative will contact you to find out how you can help.
Volunteering
Prince of Peace Center relies heavily on volunteers in order to carry out our mission of building community, strengthening families, and reducing poverty throughout Mercer County. The Center only has a few full-time employees, so volunteers play a crucial role in enabling us to offer such a wide variety of services. Those who choose to volunteer are willing to give their time and energy towards becoming a better and more self-sufficient community.The Center has more than 300 active volunteers who offer their support on an ongoing basis; in 2010, volunteers donated an average of 388 hours per month. Each volunteer shares valuable skills, serves as an organizational advocate, and provides Center staff members and other volunteers with the valuable opportunity to look at our services from a new perspective.
Each new volunteer attends an orientation session that reviews the mission and Child Protection policies of the Center, and discusses the specific programs in need of volunteers, either on a regular or one-time basis. This ensures each volunteer is aware of the problems faced by those in our community and the actions we take towards helping each other solve those problems.
Volunteering has benefits for not only Prince of Peace Center, but also the volunteers. The Center provides people with an opportunity to serve their neighbors and community directly, to interact with a marginalized section of the population that they might otherwise never encounter, and to gain a profound, personal understanding of the daily struggles faced by the people who may very well be living right around the corner.
Regardless of your age or life experience, you can make a meaningful contribution as a volunteer at Prince of Peace Center. Volunteers perform a wide variety of tasks here, including:
• Sorting donated items
• Working in the Thrift Store
• Assembling emergency food bags
• Working on food distribution day
• Serving in the soup kitchen
• Helping with office tasks
• Assisting with special projects
• Aiding in fundraising efforts
If you wish to volunteer at the Center as part of an individual project (high school senior projects, Confirmation hours, and so forth) or as a group activity (Student Council, Key Club, Scouts, church youth groups), please do not hesitate to contact us. There is a place for everybody at the Prince of Peace Center, individually or in larger groups; the earlier you contact us with your ideas and availability, the more opportunities will be open to you!
When Can I Help?
The Center is open for business between the hours of 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Individual volunteers are always useful in the Thrift Store or Soup Kitchen as a set of extra hands. Groups are invited to cook and/or serve meals in the Soup Kitchen on an as-needed basis. Meals are served every Monday & Wednesday between 3:30 and 5:00 PM. Groups (preferably six or more people) are also needed once a month to pack our Senior Emergency Food Bags. This usually occurs on the second Thursday of each month – if you have a group wishing to put in an hour or two on a Thursday morning to help keep our Food Day running smoothly, please call and let us know!
You can volunteer once a week, twice a week or every day. You can volunteer for an entire day or for a few hours. We welcome all assistance, whenever it is available. Prospective volunteers can fill out our online application, or the hard copy available at the Center, with contact information and availability.
Whom Do I Contact?
The Center's volunteer coordinator is Erica Wenger. You can contact her by e-mailing erica.wenger@princeofpeacecenter.org, or you can call the Center at 724-346-5777 (ext. 15). She will happily discuss available volunteer opportunities with you and answer any other questions that you may have.
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