240.777.2600

November 2023

The Volunteer Center is thankful for the wonderful volunteers who serve every day. As the leaves fall, volunteers have extraordinary opportunities to add “Happy” to the Fall season by helping those who need it. We hope you receive as much joy as you give.

—From the Volunteer Center Staff

Holiday Giving. With the holidays quickly approaching, many local nonprofits are collecting holiday meals and gifts to help more than 10,000 families through the Holiday Giving Project. You can help with these efforts and make a family's holiday brighter by donating food, gift cards, goods, and funds to one of the project's partner organizations. To learn more about donation drives and opportunities to volunteer, visit the Volunteer Center’s online list of holiday needs-related opportunities. This listing updates daily, so check back to find more options as they become available. For more ways to help families during the holiday season, visit our Holiday Giving and Donations page for information on how to contact a Holiday Giving Project partner organization directly. 

Thanksgiving Day Turkey Chase Charity Race Support Team (a.k.a., the Poultry Pit Crew). The YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Bethesda Chevy Chase Rotary need your help to make the 41st race a huge success. Visit the Volunteer Center website for details and to sign up for various roles, including race monitors and course marshals. Location: 9401 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda. Race proceeds benefit YMCA and Rotary programs supporting youth development programs focused on mental health and healthy living.

Visit the Volunteer Center Calendar for many more service opportunities.

EveryMind, an organization based in Rockville, has been bringing mental health services and support to the State of Maryland and the National Capital Region since 1957. Among their volunteer opportunities is the Friendly Visitors program, which matches volunteers age 21 or over with homebound, isolated and lonely older adults. Volunteers visit clients weekly to exchange stories, play board games, read together, watch the news, discuss current events and build a friendship. EveryMind has other opportunities that are MCPS SSL eligible. Visit EveryMind's page on the Volunteer Center website for more information and to volunteer, or email Lenice Smith at lsmith@every-mind.org.

Pictured are Sandy Smith (left) and Sylvia Fuentes (right).

Montgomery County Serves Award nominee Sylvia Fuentes sat down with Sandy Smith in October to talk about how she and her family volunteer year-round. This interview was featured on the County’s cable TV show, Make A Difference, in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month and Community Service Month. Click here to view the episode.

If you know a special volunteer whose story might be featured, please email Cassandra.Smith@montgomerycountymd.gov.

SAVE THE DATE: Monday, January 15

Coming Soon: Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day of Service. On Monday, January 15 the Montgomery County Volunteer Center asks you to join us as we celebrate the life and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by serving others. The Volunteer Center will hold its annual service event at the North Bethesda Marriott. We have also partnered with several local nonprofit organizations for service events in all five regions, with events in Silver Spring, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Damascus, North Potomac, and more. Advance registration will be required. Sign up here to receive updates on the MLK Day of Service.

As we wrap up this issue of the Volunteer News, we encourage you to peruse the Volunteer Center website—Montgomery Serves—as new opportunities are posted often. We hope the search filters are a great help to you. You can try different combinations of filters to find the best volunteer fit for you. And share exciting links and opportunities with others.

Here is a set of quick links for more information:

Search for Volunteer Opportunities

Student Service Learning - SSL

50+ Volunteer Network

Volunteer Opportunities for Groups

Search by Organization

Court - Ordered Service

Days of Service (including MLK Day and much more)