Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities

Last year, more than 2,400 Hopelink volunteers donated over 58,013 hours to help people in need. Please join us!

Volunteer opportunities at Hopelink:

For information about ongoing service opportunities in our food banks, adult education programs, mobility management or housing, please contact Lisa Budell, Volunteer Program Coordinator, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 425.869.6066.

For information on hosting a food drive, please contact Matthew Gockel, Community Engagement Coordinator, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 425.897.370.

OPPORTUNITY LOCATION
General Food Bank
Assist during Food Bank hours, i.e., staff food bank, check clients in & out, assist with loading into cars. 16+ years old
Able to lift at least 25 lbs. Ability to lift 50 lbs repeatedly preferred.
Commitment: 3 months 		Bellevue: M thru F 2- to 4-hour shifts between 9am and 4pm
Shoreline: W 10-12:30pm
Carnation: 2nd & 4th W 5:00-7pm; 1st & 3rd Thurs
Redmond: T 2pm-4:30pm
Kirkland/Northshore: see Page 5
Receiving/Sorting/Stocking/ Clean-Up
  • Receive, sort, & stock food donations
  • Greet donors & provide receipts when needed
  • Clean up & organize food bank as needed
  • Must be age 12+, supervised by an adult if under 16
  • Able to lift at least 25 lbs, 50 lbs preferred
Commitment: 3 months 		Bellevue: M-F 2-5pm
  1st & 3rd Tu & every Th 8-10am
  Fri 9-4; 2-4 hours per shift
  Help unload grocery rescue drop-offs, sorting, receipting, cleaning
Carnation (Sno Valley Center):
  Mon, Tues, or 2nd & 4th Thurs 10am-2pm sort grocery rescue drop-offs and donations
Redmond: M 2pm-4pm
Kirkland/Northshore: see this section
Food Donation Pick-Up Driver
  • Pick up food donations from grocery stores weekday mornings, 2-3 hours/week & deliver to food banks
  • Must have a larger vehicle
  • Able to lift at least 25 lbs
  • 18+ with valid WA State driver's license & insurance
Commitment: 6 months, weekly 		Bellevue: Shifts available:
  M through Th 7-9:00am
  M,T 9-11am Your Local Market
Carnation (Sno Valley Center):
  Th mornings - IGA on Hwy 203
Kirkland/Northshore:
  Shifts available M-F 7-9:00am
Redmond: Additional backup drivers
  T 8:30am-9:30am PCC, Safeway Redmond and Wednesday QFC Bella Botega (Redmond)
Shoreline: Additional backup drivers
  M 9:15-10:30am North City Safeway
  Tu,W 8:30-10am Richmond Beach QFC
Food Bank Greeter/Parking Attendant Kirkland/Northshore Center:
  M,W 9:30am–11:30am
  Tu,Th 11:30am–1:30pm
Home Delivery Driver
  • Deliver food to home-bound clients
  • Able to lift at least 25 lbs
  • 18+ with valid WA State driver's license & insurance
Commitment: 6 months 		All sites: On-call backup drivers
Bellevue: Twice per month
Shoreline:
  Alternating Tu or W mid-day
Kirkland/Northshore Center:
  F 11am-12:30pm
Carnation (Sno Valley Center):
  1st & 3rd Th between 10am & 2pm
Clothing bank volunteer
Sort donations, hang clothes, maintain display racks & keep area organized. 		Carnation (Sno Valley Center):
  Th during office hours between 11am & 2pm
Front Desk Volunteer Refer callers, greet walk-in guests, type, & do computer data-entry. Must be 18+, fluent in reading, writing & spoken English. Bi-lingual skills desired. Screening interview & pre-service training required.
Commitment: 6 months, 4-5 hours/wk 		Bellevue Center: M-F 9am-5pm
Willows Administrative Offices in Redmond: as-needed backup
Getting Around Puget Sound
Provide resources and information to seniors, youth, low-income individuals, people with disabilities or Limited English Proficiency, immigrants, and veterans. Locations at sites throughout King County, including food banks, libraries, community centers, and community outreach events. Hopelink Mobility Management staff provides training, support, and resource materials.
Commitment: 6 mos. 1-2x per month
Average length of shift: 2 hours
Minimum age: 18 		*Specific shifts are dependent on site and volunteer availability.
*Shift times are available M-F, 9am-9pm, and weekends for outreach events.
*Bi-lingual skills desired, but not required. Good communication a must and basic internet search skills helpful. *Sites and opportunities available throughout King County.
Housing – Moving assistance
Deliver & assemble furniture & other household items for residents.
Can lift at least 25 lbs
Valid WA State driver's license & insurance. Minimum age of 18. 		Heritage Park—Bothell Avondale Park—Redmond
  • On-call volunteer needed
  • Truck or adequate transportation & building skills required.
Housing – Homework Enrichment
Provide enrichment opportunities & supervision for children in Hopelink Housing. Screening interview & pre-service training required. Minimum age: 16.
Commitment: 6 months 		Avondale Park:
  Tu 6-7pm
Speakers Bureau
Speak about Hopelink at various events. Requests include community events, club meetings, fundraisers, church groups and other gatherings.
Commitment: 1-3 hours per event 		Various Eastside locations:
On-call for various days/times, including evenings and weekends, based on community requests. Training and scripted speeches will be provided.
Group Opportunity:
Prepare and serve monthly dinner:
Avondale Park housing facility is looking for groups to provide dinners on the first Wednesday of every month. The group is responsible to purchase, prepare, and serve a meal to the families at Avondale. We are looking for groups to make an on-going commitment. The dinner is offered to all Avondale families (59 families) and it is usually attended by about 75 people. We offer the Wednesday dinner to help build community between the members at Avondale. The volunteers are encouraged to visit with residents and create a comfortable atmosphere. There is the option to prepare and cook food on site, but all of our current groups have found it easiest to prepare at home and bring the food in. We would love to have a group willing to commit for a year. We currently have three churches serving dinner and the groups serving dinner rotate throughout the church members, so it's not as large a commitment to a few individuals. Groups serving should be between 6-10 people.
Group Opportunity:
Adopt an Apartment: Supply and set up a standard apartment with the furnishings and household goods needed to welcome a homeless family to our transitional housing program. Some of the furnishings needed may be:
  • Complete twin, double, queen beds
  • Nightstand & Lamp, Dressers
  • Small desk, bookshelf
  • Couch or loveseat
  • Living room chairs
  • Towels & sheets
  • Coffee/end tables
  • Flatware/dishes/cookware
  • Kitchen table and chairs
  • NO glass tables, TVs, or computers
Needs will vary with each family. The volunteer group will be contacted with a list of what is required and the items will need to be assembled within one to two weeks' time. All furniture items must be in excellent condition with no tears or stains and structurally sound. Preferably, the furniture should not be new or excessively elaborate, but at the same time, respectful of our families.
Groups that participate in this volunteer opportunity will need to have access to a truck to deliver the furnishings and enough volunteers to set up the apartment. The volunteer group must also have a storage space for donated items until they are needed. Some groups choose to have members store their items at their homes until they arrange for a truck to pick them up.
ESL Lead Teachers & Assistants - for beginning-level students, Winter/Spring/Summer
- Interview & Hopelink ESL pre-service training required.
Lead teachers: Teaching experience (and/or TESOL classes) mandatory
Assistant teachers: Adult teaching or ESL experience preferred.
  - Interview & Hopelink ESL pre-service training required.
Commitment: 12 months (some positions may be seasonal) 		Various locations - north & east King County:
Bellevue: Monday, Tuesday or Thursday evenings
Shoreline:
Monday or Thursday evenings
ESL and Adult Ed - Intake and Testing
Winter/Spring/Summer
Assist new & returning students at intake: check eligibility, ensure accuracy & completion of paperwork; administer placement tests. Assist with post testing.
  - Interview & Hopelink Assessment training required.
Commitment: 12 months 		Various locations - north & east King County: Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Shoreline - mostly evening, some days
Oral-English ESL teachers and assistants
Winter/Spring/Summer
Teach intermediate-advanced level ESL adults to develop standards-based listening and speaking skills: to listen and speak in a team environment; to exchange information, stories, and opinions; to communicate at work and in the community; and to speak so others can understand
  - Interview & Hopelink ESL pre-service training required.
Commitment: 6 months 		Bellevue
Tuesday & Thursday evenings Shoreline
Monday & Thursday evenings
ESL Multi-Lingual Adult Ed Volunteers for winter/spring/summer Your language ability is of benefit in all types of Adult Ed positions.
  - Interview & Hopelink training required.
Priority Languages: Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Somali, Farsi, Arabic
Commitment: 12 months (some positions may be seasonal) 		Various locations - north & east King County
Location depends on program.
GED Computer Lab Monitor
Set up and supervise open computer lab while students work independently on GED websites and homework. Training provided. 		Carnation: Thursday 10:00am – noon
Redmond: Tuesday 12:30 pm-2:30 pm
GED Classroom Volunteer
Help students one-on-one in the GED Classroom when students get stuck. Volunteer must be comfortable with explaining basic Math skills.
Commitment: 6 months. Training provided. 		Carnation: Monday 10am – noon Training provided.
Adult Education Program – Volunteers at Work!
Hopelink's Adult Education Department provides basic skills training to adult residents of north and east King County, 16 years and older. Our focus is on individual literacy development and transition to higher education and life outcomes, such as obtaining or maintaining living wage employment. Here's how volunteers make this happen:
ABE Volunteers meet with students for two tutoring sessions each week for up to a year. They tutor students in reading, writing and math for those with skills below high school completion level. Many students are immigrants with high oral English skills. Where needed, we offer the most basic decoding and phonics skills and assistance with workplace forms and documents in addition to broad literacy basics.
ESL Volunteers lead-teach or assist in ESL classes using the facilitative teaching method, and provide intake and assessment for new and ongoing students. Guest speakers and trainers visit ESL classes to integrate instruction in CPR, hazardous products, emergency prep and financial education with language learning. Classes may include computerized learning, workplace literacy competency and citizenship prep. Knowledge of languages other than English is not required but we value multi-lingual volunteers in all roles.
GED Volunteers assist in the GED preparation classroom in a variety of roles including offering instructional help to students who request it, monitoring computer lab, and assisting with student intake, orientation to the program and placement tests. Classes provide staff-guided, individualized instruction in the basic literacy skills measured by the 5 GED exams (reading, writing, social studies, math and science). Students excel in our high acceptance/high accountability/high affirmation learning setting.
NEW! We're developing an online learning capability and invite adventurous volunteers to assist in the design and implementation of new methods to reach students throughout our broad service area.