Getting Involved

Volunteers are a very vital part of this work. We use volunteers for almost every aspect of the work and there are so many ways to help. We have projects to do on the premises and off. Groups are welcome too! The giving of yourself is the best gift to give and has never been so much fun! Not ready for a project? Do you have at least 3 hours a week? We have routine volunteer work to get our daily food orders out in a timely manner! If you would like to volunteer, please call or email us and we would be glad to send you a volunteer application or better yet, stop by and fill one out, we would love to give you more information on it.

Organizations can get involved too!

All through Christmas we hear people saying “why do we only have that giving spirit during Christmas”? They are right; giving shouldn’t be limited to only once a year. So here are a few ideas to help you and your organization continue that giving spirit 365 days a year!

• Collect A Can Competition
  competition between company departments by collecting different pantry items like.. one month it’s cereal, another could be soup or even peanut butter!
• Everyone Eats Covered Dish
  a few times a year or even once a month, have everyone bring in a covered dish and charge a $2 cover charge and donate to the American Rescue Workers.
• Competitor Collection Competition
  Who is your biggest competitor in the area? Challenge them to a food drive competition. If you schedule with us, we can weigh the donations when the drive is over and name your winner!
• Harvest Home Collection, Company Wide
  We provide special marked “Home Harvest” bags with a suggested items list on it for your employees to take home and fill and then return. Did you know that the American Rescue Workers Food Pantry gives out approximately 15 bags of groceries for every 2 people and last year we gave out 43,455 bags of groceries!
• Personal Amenities Challenge
  Most of our clients are living on such a tight budget, things we take for granted, they cannot afford. Did you know that food stamps does not cover soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, deodorant? Sometimes the only time they get that stuff is when they come to us. You can do the same thing as the “Collect A Can Competition except do Personal Amenities instead.
• Stuffing Christmas Stockings
  each year we give hundreds of kids gifts at Christmas time along with a stocking stuffed with candy and toys. We provide the stocking and the suggestion list, your employees can fill and return to us for distribution.
• Adopt a Child for CHRISTmas4kids!
  In the fall, you can adopt a child and give out different parts of the child’s wish list to your employees to purchase and return for distribution. It’s your employees working together to make a difference in a local child’s life.
• Project Esther
  each year we reach out to low income families to help their girls attend prom by providing a dress and the means to prepare for the event. Please see our “News” page for more information on that. Contact Nicole at arwcounselors@verizon.net or 695-0766.
• Back To School Backpack Drive
  When the economy gets rough, you start cutting out the extras, even if they are necessary. We provide low income school children with backpacks and school supplies in August to start the new year. You can start collecting now and assemble them during a lunch break to get everyone involved!

These are just some ways you can get involved locally with the American Rescue Workers, we would love to talk to you about more opportunities!

Contact Michelle McGowan at MMcGowan811@arwholly.org or call at 695-0762.