17 Jan Boca Helping Hands Urgently Seeking Volunteers
The recent spike in COVID-19 infections from the Omicron variant continues to create staffing and operational challenges in our community. Local nonprofit Boca Helping Hands is currently short-handed and in need of volunteers to help feed the community.
“Our volunteers have been critical to being able to continue serving people during this crisis,” said Executive Director Greg Hazle. “We have seen younger volunteers stepping up to relieve many of our older ‘at risk’ regulars. Our community has shown they want to be part of this effort, so we are hopeful we will find some new volunteers to carry the baton.”
Shifts are available Monday through Saturday from 8:30 am – 12:30 pm at the organization’s main facility in East Boca Raton (1500 NW 1st Court, Boca Raton, FL 33432).
During the pandemic, Boca Helping Hands has been running its food distributions as drive-thru services at all locations. In addition, the organization is abiding by CDC guidelines and requiring masks for all volunteers and staff.
Priority volunteer jobs include prepping food in the kitchen, helping make sandwiches, packing pantry bags of food, and packing meat and produce. There are also group volunteer opportunities for up to 20 participants to assist in the warehouse.
Individual Volunteer Opportunities:
- Monday – Friday (8:30 am – 12:30 pm)
- Food Center – Sandwich making
- Warehouse – Packing pantry bags of food, packing meat and produce, packing weekend meals for schoolchildren
- Saturdays (8:30 am – 12:30 pm)
- Food Center Kitchen – Prepping food for hot meal program
Group Volunteer Opportunities:
- Monday – Friday (1:00 pm – 3:00 pm)
- Warehouse – Packing weekend meals for schoolchildren or packing meat and produce
To volunteer, visit www.bocahelpinghands.org/volunteer and fill out the online application to be contacted about next steps. If you have questions, please email the Volunteer Manager Tara Currier at Tara@BocaHelpingHands.org.
About Boca Helping Hands
Boca Helping Hands (BHH) is a community-based nonprofit that provides food, medical and financial assistance to meet basic human needs as well as education, job training and guidance to create self-sufficiency. Through its various programs, BHH assists over 27,000 people annually.
In 2021, BHH distributed more than 70,000 pantry bags from five Palm Beach County locations and served nearly 80,000 hot meals. The organization expands access to affordable medical, dental and behavioral care through its partnerships with Genesis Community Health (serving clients at clinics in Boca Raton and Boynton Beach) and Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing Community Based Clinics (serving residents in West Palm Beach). In addition, BHH sends weekend meals home with food-insecure elementary school students via the BHH Backpacks Program and assists working families with the rising cost of childcare through the Children’s Assistance Program (CAP).
With an increased focus on client self-sufficiency, BHH awards scholarships for qualified candidates to attend accredited vocational training classes that prepare them for careers in the healthcare, information technology, construction, and transportation industries. BHH also offers free English as a Second Language (ESOL) classes, courses in nutrition, and other life skills. In addition, staff and volunteer mentors counsel the unemployed and underemployed in basic workplace skills and help them polish resumes and search for jobs.
Boca Helping Hands is a partner agency of The Town of Palm Beach United Way. Since 1945, the Town of Palm Beach United Way has been committed to improving lives and building strong communities throughout Palm Beach County by focusing on programs and priorities that promote education, health, and financial stability.
Charity Navigator named Boca Helping Hands a Four-Star Charity for the 15th consecutive year in June 2021. Boca Helping Hands is located at 1500 NW 1st Court, Boca Raton, FL 33432. For more information, please visit BocaHelpingHands.org.
Photo: Courtesy Boca Helping Hands
