Good Shepherd Center

Volunteers are the lifeblood of our work, offering their time and talents to everything from the preparation of meals, to checking in homeless guests of the Night Shelter, to collecting donated food from around the community. Opportunities are available for individuals of every age, interest, and schedule—days, evening, and weekends. Call today for a tour and to explore the many ways that you can make a lasting positive impact on the lives of those in need, whether as an individual volunteer, family, group, or congregation.

If you are interested in volunteering or know someone who is, please contact our Director of Resource Development, Suesan Sullivan, at 910.763.4424 x113 or sssullivan@bellsouth.net. She will be happy to discuss with you current volunteer opportunities and requirements in order to help you begin your volunteer experience with Good Shepherd Center.

Soup Kitchen—The Soup Kitchen requires the help of more than two dozen volunteers each day to help prepare and serve approximately 500 meals daily. The kitchen is open to all individuals in our community Monday through Friday for breakfast and lunch and serves guests of our Night Shelter an evening meal every night.

Second Helpings—Our Second Helpings program picks up and distributes surplus community food Mondays through Saturdays. The food is retrieved from such places as grocery stores, restaurants, and bakeries throughout our community. The food is then sorted and prepared for delivery to approximately 20 charities in the Wilmington area or sorted and shelved for use in our Soup Kitchen. Because individuals usually complete their assigned route by themselves, it is important for the volunteer to note that this position requires the ability to lift 20-60 lbs as well as familiarity with the Wilmington area. We are presently in need of individuals willing to regularly offer 2-4 hours per week of their time between 8-11am to help sort food, complete a route, or to serve as on-call route drivers (with 24 hour notice).

Day Shelter/Jobs Program Support—Our Day Shelter offers those in need with access to a variety of resources and opportunities. As this program operates during the busiest time of day, we require a great deal of support in carrying out an array of activities:

Transportation
Reception
Organization of donations
Activity direction/skilled service provision
Monitoring

At present we need help in all listed areas; however we are most in need of volunteers able to schedule 3 hours per week of their time to transport guests in our vehicles to job sites/appointments. Also, if you have any special skills or services you would like to offer to our guests (e.g. barber/beautician, music, art) that would enrich their lives or improve their sense of self worth, please let us know how we can make your talent available to them.

Night Shelter —We began the operation of our Night Shelter in October 2005 with the intention of

providing a place of safety for up to 118 homeless individuals and families each night. Coordination of each night’s schedule of activities and meeting the needs of all individuals staying with us requires help in many forms:

Monitoring (e.g. assisting with check-in, including bag check, use of a metal detector, assignment of beds, linens disbursement)
Reception
Organizing clean up
Overnight supervision (e.g. assisting with wake-up calls, monitoring)

These activities take place between the hours of 4:30pm – 7am.
We are currently looking for dedicated people willing to devote a scheduled amount of their time each month during these hours.

Ashley Center & Fourth Quarter—GSC operates two transitional living programs for formerly homeless people who are striving to re-enter mainstream life. In order to help them while on their way toward self-sufficiency, we provide them with transportation to appointments and work in our agency vehicles.
We presently need volunteers able to dedicate their time at least one regularly scheduled day, 3-5 hours per week, in order to meet our guests’ transportation needs. Also, we are looking for those who are willing to serve in an on-call capacity (with 24 hour notice.)

Administration/Maintenance Support—In order to properly and appropriately serve our guests, we rely on the help of others to assist us with operational support. We are always looking for individuals who have experience in skilled trades - plumbing, landscaping, auto repair, etc. - and help with general building maintenance. Also, our administration staff continuously needs groups of individuals willing to facilitate/manage supply drives, and those willing to help with bulk mailings and general clerical work.

No matter how often or how much you decide to give of your time and energy, please know that your “donation” is always appreciated and always valued. Because of this, we will work to help you find the best possible fit for you within our organization. Similarly, if you think there is a way that you can help us to be of better service to our homeless guests, please feel free to share your thoughts with our Director of Administration, Verna Mansfield, at 763.4424 x105, vernajm@bellsouth.net.