National Contracting Center encourages its agents to support the older population in their communities. Each quarter we will feature nonprofit volunteer opportunities in different areas.
Get ideas here for volunteering in your community and share your volunteer work on your social media pages. Sharing nonprofit content is another way to help organizations spread the word.
Feel free to send us a pic of you and your agents in action – email, share, tag – and we will post it on our social media. Your pics may give other agents ideas of how they can help their own communities.
If emailing your photos please include a description with your name/agency name, city & state where you volunteered, and the name of the nonprofit organization. Send pics to maeve.smith@nccagent.com
Featured Volunteer Opportunities
Montgomery Area Council on Aging (MACOA)
Location: Montgomery, AL
The Montgomery Area Council on Aging assists senior citizens by providing services to promote independent living, by offering opportunities to enhance quality of life, and by increasing community awareness of senior issues.
Opportunities To Volunteer with MACOA
Your contribution helps seniors in the River Region fight senior hunger and insecurity! Contact Traci Herndon therndon@macoa.org to Volunteer!
Meals on Wheels (MOW) Drivers: Every day there is a Meals on Wheels route that is not covered. Sometimes multiple routes! Meals on Wheels Drivers deliver Meals on Wheels route during the lunchtime hour Monday – Friday. A route consists of approximately 10-14 stops and takes approximately 1 hour to complete. Drivers choose to drive weekly, bi-monthly or monthly. Volunteer drivers need two containers for delivery: either an insulated bag or a cooler. This keeps the hot food separate from the cold food. Volunteers must wear a face covering until the City of Montgomery ban is lifted when picking up and delivering meals.
We also recruit businesses/organizations as CORPORATE ROUTE PARTNERS. Corporate Route Partners consist of businesses, church groups, service clubs, etc. and promote teamwork and team building.
Click HERE to view instructions on becoming a Meals on Wheels Driver. Please read this as it serves as training.
Welcome Center Volunteer: Volunteers greet the public*, answer a multi-line phone and often help with administrative work. The shifts are 4 hours; 8 am until noon or 12 – 4 pm. *At this time, MACOA is closed to the public. CDC guidelines and social distancing is practiced at the Welcome Desk.
Frozen Meals Volunteer: Frozen Meals Volunteers help cook and/or package food to be used in our Frozen Meals Program. It’s a great opportunity for churches, service organizations, and individuals. This is a flexible volunteer opportunity. To volunteer contact Renee Lozano rlozano@macoa.org or (334) 263-0532.
MACOA Meal Makers: MACOA Meal Makers feature individuals, groups, organizations, businesses, churches, etc. that want to give back and make a difference in our community serving seniors. The MACOA Meal Makers help individually package food for meals in our kitchen located in downtown Montgomery, 115 East Jefferson Street, Monday through Friday from 7:30 am until 9:30 am. Proper attire for the kitchen includes closed-toe, slip–resistant shoes, and pants, or knee-length shorts or skirts. All participants will be required to wear hairnets/beard nets, gloves and an apron, all of which will be provided on the day of your service. *Due to COVID-19, we are limiting our Meal Maker groups to no more than 4 – 6 participants.
Birthday Cake Program: Meals on Wheels helps to celebrate the client’s special day by delivering a birthday cake along with their hot nutritious meal. The cake is specially baked for them by a Meals on Wheels volunteer and is delivered in a festive box. Cake mix is provided.
Pet Food Program: After realizing our seniors were sharing their Meals on Wheels hot lunch with their pets, MACOA launched the Pet Food Program in December 2014 to help seniors provide food for their pets. For many seniors their pets make life worthwhile. With this in mind our program provides cat and dog food twice a month to our meal recipients. MACOA accepts unopened bags of DOG or CAT pet food or monetary donations to help support this program. We also welcome volunteers to help bag the PET FOOD.
If interested in any of the above click HERE to enroll online or contact Traci Herndon, Volunteer Coordinator, therndon@macoa.org or 334-263-0532.
Duet Partners in Health & Aging
Location: Phoenix, AZ
“Imagine a community where every person can age with compassion, dignity, and hope. Duet is turning this vision into reality through its vitally needed, free-of-charge services to homebound adults, family caregivers, faith communities and grandfamilies.
No one should have to face life’s aging challenges alone. Too often, older adults and family caregivers feel isolated as they deal with the most overwhelming experiences of their lives. Duet eases the journey by walking alongside the people we serve on the path of caring. From giving rides to the grocery store and medical appointments, to offering health promotion activities and support groups, Duet is here to provide the compassionate help you need. Volunteer. Donate. Ask for help. Together, we are partners in health and aging.
We are a nonprofit, interfaith organization that has been serving older adults in greater Phoenix since 1981.
Volunteers make our free-of-charge services possible to homebound adults who can no longer drive – we affectionately refer to them as “neighbors.” Even a few hours go a long way in helping a neighbor age in place. Volunteer services include grocery shopping, rides to medical appointments, technical assistance, friendly visits and more! Duet puts your time and talents to good use, right here in our community in six local cities.”
Find out how to Become A Volunteer with Duet.
SilverSource
Location: Stamford, CT
SilverSource provides a safety net for seniors when there is nowhere else to turn. Those we serve – veterans, grandparents, single mothers, laborers, first responders – are vital members of the community who now find themselves as seniors in-need.
Looking to help SilverSource and our older neighbors in Stamford?
Volunteer to host a Food Drive with your co-workers, congregation, school group, sports team, book club, scout troop, community group, yoga class, neighborhood, or gang of friends and family.
HELP US PACK THE PANTRY!
SilverSource delivers groceries to seniors in need each week to prevent hunger and provide nutritious food to keep them healthy. Many older residents require restricted diets due to chronic health conditions, so we work to ensure they receive specialized grocery items to meet their health needs.
Food Drive Shopping List
Non-perishable food items needed for grocery bags for older residents:
- Breakfast items (cold cereal, granola bars, oatmeal packets, pancake mix)
- Canned soup (low sodium)
- Canned tuna or chicken
- Pasta and sauce
- Rice and beans (canned or dried beans)
- Peanut butter and jelly
- Canned fruit and/or vegetables (low sugar and low sodium)
Honor Flight DCA Reagan National Airport
Location: Washington, DC
Volunteer to Greet Honor Flight Veterans at DCA and the World War II Memorial
There are several ways to volunteer with Honor Flight DCA Volunteers, including greeting the veterans or serving as a guardian (volunteers who accompany individual Veterans throughout the trip).
The Honor Flight Network flies veterans from 127 cities, free of charge, to visit their memorials in Washington DC. The easiest way to volunteer is to greet our veterans as their flight arrives at the airport or their bus arrives at the WWII memorial.
For more information about these opportunities, please check out the Volunteering section of Honor Flight’s website.
Things to Remember When Volunteering
- Be aware of the organization’s COVID-19 policies.
- Know what is expected of you.
- Don’t volunteer outside of your home if you or someone you live with is sick.
- Do not conduct or engage in business while volunteering.
- If you are working or volunteering in your community, always make sure that you are compliant with CMS guidelines. Please contact your Marketing Specialist if you have questions.
