Salvation Army Holiday Volunteer Opportunities

The Salvation Army of Rochester is seeking volunteers for this holiday season. Listed below are their top five volunteer needs for this year:

Bell Ringing (Nov. 14 - Dec. 24)
Through the Red Kettle Campaign, needed funds are raised to support year-round programs in your community. With the help of hundreds of generous volunteers, The Salvation Army is making a difference in thousands of lives. Bell ringing shifts are in 2 hour increments...sign up for as many as you would like!

Christmas Application Processors (Nov. 17 - Dec. 17)
Put your computer skills to work! You will be helping area families apply for Christmas program assistance. Registration will take place via computers located at our building. The program is straight-forward and people skills are a must. Shifts are for three hours, so sign up for one or as many as you would like!

Prison Toy Wrap (December 3)
Volunteers gather to wrap and ship gifts to the children of inmates at the Rochester Medical Center Corrections Facility. Before this event, the inmates are interviewed and make requests for what gifts they would like to have sent to their kids.

Children's Shopping Trip (December 10)
And the shopping continues... The 8 & 9 year old children of eligible families are invited to join the Children's Shopping Trip. This trip involves pairing up the children with a volunteer. Together they board a bus and head to ShopKo where they shop for members of their immediate family. The Salvation Army provides funds based on family size. The children and volunteers then return to The Salvation Army where they wrap their gifts and have a snack before parents pick up their children.

Christmas Toy & Joy Shop (December 22 & 23)
Shoppers, this is for you! Volunteers are paired one-to-one with needy families and literally take them "shopping" through all of the donated new toys, clothes, books and games. The volunteer will assist the parents in finding age-appropriate items and the correct number of items for each child in their family. All toys, clothing, and other gifts have been donated by groups and individuals through the Apache Mall Sharing Tree, the Marine Corps Toys for Tots, and other programs.

The information above, as well as more volunteer opportunities, can be found on Salvation Army's Web site by clicking HERE. For more information, contact Jess Urban at 507-424-4191.