Volunteers Now Needed:

So many of you who are donors, or bring items to the Thrift Store, or attend the Gala, or join us for Thanksgiving dinner. However, would you consider volunteering? It's fun and it's rewarding. We now need volunteers in these areas:

Dinner Servers: Please think about serving dinner to the families and live-in staff on Sundays and alternating Wednesdays from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. Everyone in the house looks forward to suppertime and preparing the dining room and serving the meal is a happy way to end the week.

After School Tutors: Every week day the children at Raphael House come back from school to a nutritious snack and share the news of their day. Afterwards they bring the homework out from their backpacks and settle in with Children's Program staff and our volunteer tutors to finish the work they bring home. When that is completed, they read out-loud to an adult and finally go to the Roof Garden to play. If you are available one afternoon a week from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m this could be the perfect position for you.

Evening Family Program: Join the families and staff for dinner at 6:00 p.m. and then care for the todllers while the staff and some of the mothers do the dishes. Afterwards, assist staff during the nightly activiites and bedtime routine. Volunteers come from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.Your help is urgently needed on Sunday evening.

If you are interested in learning more about these opportunities, please contact Carol Field at volunteers @raphaelhouse.org or by phone at 415-345-7265. We will schedule a tour and volunteer information session. We would love to have your help!

Volunteer Job Descriptions:

Weekly Opportunities

After-School Tutor

During the school year, volunteers give homework assistance to both children now staying in Raphael House as well as those who formerly lived in the shelter. Under staff guidance, volunteers help the children with their daily assignments as well as identifying and filling in gaps in their understanding of a school subject. Children, staff and volunteers also celebrate every birthday and holiday! After homework is completed, volunteers may listen to a child read to them or help supervise play on the roof garden. Hours are Monday through Thursday, from 3:00 to 5:30 pm.

Evening Children's Program

After joining staff and families for dinner, volunteers assist staff with a children's program that includes singing games, art activities, a bedtime story and a singing, candlelit procession back to their bedrooms. For the older children, the night concludes with a game of fooz-ball. Happy, loving volunteers who can establish good boundaries with children are needed. Hours are Monday through Friday from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

Evening Family Program Volunteer

Each evening the family program volunteers bring fresh energy and enthusiasm to the shelter while tending to the needs of our families - anything from holding a baby so a mother can take a break - to helping reset the dinner tables. For a volunteer, the evening begins at 6:00 pm with dinner with the families, staff and other volunteers. Toddler care is from 6:30 to 7:15 pm, and volunteers are engaged in creative play with 2 and 3 year olds in a very pretty nursery room. From then until 9:00 pm, you would be assisting the staff with the Residential Program. There are many opportunities to develop relationships with the children and parents during the evening. You can also learn about individual families and the challenges of their situations and the way we work with them on an everyday basis to lead them to stability and wholeness. Above all, there is ample opportunity to practice kindness and compassion, which is what really makes a difference in the lives of our families. Hours are Monday through Friday from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.

Kitchen Volunteers

Raphael House serves dinner seven days a week and we need volunteers to help prepare, serve and put food away. Kitchen prep volunteers are needed in the afternoons, Tuesday through Friday. Diner servers make coffee and tea, put out condiments and serving utensils, and serve dinner and dessert to the families, staff and volunteers, and put away the leftover food. Volunteer dinner servers are needed Tuesday through Sunday from 5:15 to 6:45 pm.

 

For these opportunities, please respond via e-mail to or call Volunteer Coordinator Carol Field at (415) 345-7265.