Volunteers are crucial to our ability to sustain our vital programming. Your contributions to the MLK benefit so many in such a wide variety of ways. You are the fuel that helps us continue running. Without you, our food pantry hours would be shorter and the working poor in Newport County would be unable to access food assistance. Without you, many of our neighbors would start their day without breakfast. Without you, the children in our after school and summer camp programs would not have tutors, mentors, homework helpers, or many of the enrichment activities that help them succeed in school. Without you, our historic building would be in disrepair, our staff would be working longer hours, and our families would not receive many of the services they deserve.
Thank you for the many ways that each of you contribute to the health and well-being of our neighbors.
Hunger Programs
Task: Breakfast Program Volunteer
Description: Set tables, monitor client sign-in, serve breakfasts, pour coffee, clean up breakfast room (wipe down tables and chairs, sweep floors).
# Needed: 1-2 volunteers are needed each morning
Date/Time: Breakfast program is open M-F, 8:30-9:30. Volunteers are needed from 8am to 10am M-F to assist with setup, service, and cleanup. Duration: 2 hours per visit.
Task: Feed A Friend Food Pantry Volunteer Staff
Description: Stock shelves, complete inventory, prepare food baskets for families.
# Needed: 1-2 volunteers
Date/Time: Pantry is open M, W, F, 10am to 2pm. Volunteer service can be scheduled anytime, M-F, 9am to 4pm. Duration – 1-2 hours per visit.
Task: Holiday Food Basket Help
Description: Volunteers are needed to sort and inventory food donations and then prepare holiday food baskets for up to 150 local families at Thanksgiving and for the December Holidays. In December, volunteers are also needed to sort toy donations by type, age, and gender and match those donations to the children on our list.
# Needed: 2-4 volunteers at a time
Date/Time: Beginning the 4th Monday in October and continuing typically until December 23rd. M-F, 9am-4pm, and selected Saturdays. Duration of service: 2 hours each visit.
Task: Food Drive Collection and Delivery
Description: Promote a food drive at your office, club, church, or organization, collect food donations and arrange delivery to the MLKCC Feed A Friend Food Pantry.
# Needed: As many as possible – our goal is to establish a calendar of regular community-based food drives 26 times a year (every other week) of 250 or more nonperishable food items.
Date/Time: Food drives can be scheduled on your own time, in coordination with our Feed A Friend program. Food Drive coordinators typically spend 6-10 hours on a drive within their organization, church, club, etc., promoting and publicizing the drive, preparing the collection area/containers (and replacing them when full!) and coordinating delivery of food collected to the Feed A Friend Food Pantry. We can provide food lists, some signage, and tips for how to organize and promote your food drive.
Task: Quarterly Cleaning of Food Pantry Main Storage Room
Description: Move food from shelves and pallets into holding area, keeping like items together. Clean and sanitize shelving, pallets, and floors. When surfaces are dry, move food back into food room and re-stock shelves.
# Needed: 4-8 volunteers working as a team.
Date/Time: Date is variable and can be scheduled to fit the needs of the group.
Preschool
Task: Quarterly Cleaning of Cots and Chairs
Description: Stack preschool chairs and cots, move to cleaning area and give them a good scrub down. After chairs and cots are cleaned, sanitized, and dry, move them back to the preschool
# Needed: 4-8 volunteers working as a team.
Date/Time: Date is variable and can be scheduled to fit the needs of the group.
K-6 After School Program
Task: Homework Helper
Description: Assist elementary school students with homework and literacy activities after school. Volunteers are matched by staff with 1-2 students.
# Needed: 2-4 volunteers at a time
Date/Time: M-F, 2pm to 6pm following the Newport Public Schools calendar
Task: Mystery Reader
Description: Read a story that appeals to you to a small group of Kindergarteners, first and second graders and transmit your love of learning.
# Needed: 1 Mystery Reader each week
Date/Time: Fridays, during the after school program, from 2pm to 5:30 pm. Duration – about 30 minutes
Task: IT Training and Education
Description: Help students learn gain basic computer skills, as well as familiarity and proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Teach about internet research and safety.
# Needed: 1-2 volunteers, depending on topic, for a group of up to 10 children at a time
Date/Time: TBD – workshops can be scheduled at mutual convenience.
Task: Enrichment Coordinator
Description: Work with the K-6 Coordinator to identify, plan and implement special activities for the extended learning programs: science, art, music, dance, etc.
# Needed: 1 volunteer, 4-6 weeks or ongoing throughout the school year.
Date/Time: TBD – workshops can be scheduled at mutual convenience – most likely during early evening.
Task: Property Cleanup and Maintenance 
Description: Interior & exterior painting, furniture moving/removal, grounds cleanup
# Needed: 4-8 volunteers, depending on project
Date/Time: TBD, depending on project and mutual convenience
Administrative/Other
Task: Annual Appeal Mailing
Description: Collate, fold, stuff, label and sort the annual fund mailing
# Needed: 4-8 volunteers
Date/Time: TBD – in early October
Task: Annual Appeal Phone-a-thon
Description: Contact past donors by phone to remind them to contribute again to the MLKCC. The Phone-a-thon is held in a fun, relaxed atmosphere with plenty of refreshments provided, either atSalveReginaUniversity’s phone center or another local Newport-area location
# Needed: 5-10 volunteers
Date/Time: early December 2006, over the course of 2-3 midweek evenings, 5pm to 9pm. Details TBD
Community Programs
Task: Financial Literacy Workshops
Description: Help adult clients understand basic personal finance – checking and savings accounts, student loans and “good debt”, responsible use of credit cards, avoiding predatory lending practices, etc.
# Needed: 1-2 leaders for a group of up to 10 adults at a time
Date/Time: TBD – workshops can be scheduled at mutual convenience – days between 9am and 2pm or evenings between 6pm and 9pm.
Task: IT Training and Education
Description: Help students learn basic computer skills, as well as gain familiarity and proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Teach about internet research and safety.
# Needed: 1-2 volunteers, depending on topic, for a group of up to 10 adults at a time
Date/Time: TBD – workshops can be scheduled at mutual convenience – days between 9am and 2pm or evenings between 6pm and 9pm.
Board Member/Board Committee Member
Description: Assist with strategic planning, financial oversight, program development and community responsiveness. Opportunities for involvement exist both as full board member and as a member of any of our standing or ad hoc committees or event committees.
# Needed: Variable, depending on board activity and strategic focus.
Date/Time: Board Members 25-40 hours per year, including monthly board meetings, committee meetings and scheduled events. Board Committee members 12-20 hours per year.
For a Volunteer Application, please click here or call Alyson Novick at 401-846-4828 x 102 or email anovick@mlkccenter.org.
