While businesses are struggling to find employees, non-profit organizations also are seeking help this summer.
Arizona Helping Hands, which provides essential needs to children in foster care, is in dire need of volunteers to help this year. Two of its volunteers, pictured here are Cyndy Kapci, on left, and Anne Christensen (photo courtesy of Arizona Helping Hands).
One of those non-profits is Arizona Helping Hands (AHH), which is the largest provider of essential needs to children in foster care in the state. Marketing and Communications Manager Lori Calhoun said AHH is in urgent need of volunteers as the number of people volunteering for the organization is down 50 percent from 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Volunteers are critical to the organization and they donated almost 13,000 hours of work in 2019. Arizona Helping Hands expects about 6,000 volunteer hours to be completed this year.
Volunteers for Arizona Helping Hands do everything from stuffing backpacks with school supplies for children to answering phones, assisting in the warehouse operations, helping at events and much more. They help the non-profit organization aid the more than 14,000 children in foster care in Arizona.
Volunteers are the driving force behind Arizona Helping Hands’ Birthday Dreams Program, through which gifts are wrapped and birthday packages are decorated to give to more than 300 children every month. Not only do volunteers help the non-profit organization’s core programs but they also help save Arizona Helping Hands nearly a quarter of a million dollars by donating their time.
Anne Christensen, who has been volunteering for Arizona Helping Hands for a little more than four years said the organization “fills a big need in the community.” She added that she feels “needed and appreciated” and enjoys volunteering for the organization.
There are many volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups ages 16 and older from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. To learn more, visit https://azhelpinghands.org/volunteers.
