Category: Interfaith Hospitality Network

There are all sorts of volunteer opportunities available during our hosting week. Nearly all of the volunteer opportunities are children & family-friendly. Children are welcome to accompany their parents during volunteering and play with our guests. Here is a brief description of each opportunity:

• Set-up/Clean-up, Sunday, – After the church service on the morning that our week of hosting begins, we will prep the rooms, bring in the rollaway beds, make the beds, set-up the rooms with alarm clocks, lamps, towels, etc. Our goal is for it to look as welcoming as possible. The more help we have the more quickly it will go.
  Before church service (about 7:00 AM) we will need to load up up the beds, bag the laundry, clean the rooms, and store any IHN items (alarm clock, lamps etc) for the next time.
• Host, 5:30-8:30 – Hang out and oversee families until the next shift.  Assist with setting out leftovers for lunch. Depending on what is going on at church, you can supervise play in the gym or just hang out in the basement. Answer guests’ questions or provide assistance as necessary. There may not be any guests at church during all or part of this shift, but we must have the church open and available to the families in case they want to be there. Volunteers may wish to bring their children to play with our guests. On weekends there are additional host opportunities during the day.
• Dinner Host/Meal Preparation, 5:00-7:00 – Bring and prepare dinner, offer a prayer, serve, eat with the guests, and clean-up the meal after completed (including loading the dishwasher, packing up the leftovers for future use, wiping the tables and counters, and sweeping). Set aside food for any guests who are arriving late due to work or appointments. Bring enough food for the families we are hosting, the evening hosts, and the dinner hosts. On weekends there is also a Breakfast host opportunity.
• Overnight Host, 8:30pm – 7:00am – Sleep at the church overnight, to be available in case any of the families need assistance. We generally prefer a male and a female (we have two rooms available for the hosts if necessary). Beds are provided; please bring your own bedding and pillows.  Sometimes the overnight hosts have to let people in who are returning from a late shift of work.  Make sure people are up and ready to be on the van at the arranged time for that week (generally 7AM). 
• Laundry, Sunday Afternoon – On Sunday after the guests have left, volunteers are needed to help launder the sheets and blankets used. Please take a bag/tote of laundry home with you and return next week so we are ready for our next host week. 
• Van Driver, weekends. The 15 passager van will be left for our use on the weekend. Driving for a scheduled outing may be needed. The driver must be over 21 and have a valid driver’s license. On Sunday morning 2 people are needed to return the van to the family promise office (one to drive and the other to bring the driver back home).
• Uhaul Driver, Saturday and Sundays. The beds and family items will arrive in a rental truck. The Sunday we set up, two volunteers are needed to return the truck. The Saturday before our guests leave, two volunteers are needed to pick-up the rental and then on Sunday drive it to the next church. The truck driver must be 21 and have a valid driver’s license.