VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES WITH REBUILDING TOGETHER SAN DIEGO

General as well as skilled volunteer opportunities are currently available. Some activities include debris removal, yard clean up and painting, electrical repairs, cleaning, plumbing and carpentry. For ages 16 & up. For volunteer dates and to register, visit www.rebuildingtogethersd.org or call 619-231-7873. 

COLLECT EASTER BASKETS & SUPPLIES FOR MILITARY KIDS

Operation Homefront needs your help to make Easter special for the children of active-duty military families. They need to collect 1,100 baskets and supplies, and assemble them by March 12. If you would like to support the program, send a check for $15 to sponsor a basket and festivities for a military child. You can also drop off a complete basket or the supplies for them to assemble at any participating drop-off locations at www.operationhomefront.net/socal. 866-424-5210. 

VOLUNTEER AT OLD TOWN SAN DIEGO STATE HISTORIC PARK

Join this volunteer program that enables you to help preserve and share the history of this unique community. Whether you want to interact with guests as part of the living history program, greet visitors, give educational tours for school groups or provide support behind the scenes, there are many opportunities to match your skills and interests. Free training provided. For details and to apply, call Joe Vasquez at 619-952-3897. www.parks.ca.gov/oldtownsandiego. 

CELL PHONES FOR SOLDIERS

Put your old phones to good use by donating them to this recycling program that helps our troops stay in touch with their loved ones back home. Before donating your phone, make sure to use the free cell phone data eraser on their Website that helps you remove personal information from your cell phone. For a donation center near you, visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com. 

GIVE A DAY. GET A DISNEY DAY.

Be a part of this program by the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts that celebrates the value of community service. Just sign up and complete a day of volunteer service with a participating organization, and receive a one-day admission to a Walt Disney World or Disneyland theme park for FREE! Service must be completed and verified before receiving the voucher for free admission. For details, visit http://disneyparks.com. 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED AT THE BURN INSTITUTE

Be part of a dedicated team of community volunteers that installs free smoke alarms in the homes of local seniors living in the county as part of the Burn Institute's Senior Smoke Alarm Program. Minimum volunteer time of five hours. For details, call Kathleen Frampton, Director of Volunteer Services, at 858-541-2277, ext. 11 or email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

PRESERVE SAN DIEGO'S HISTORICAL RECORDS 

Help preserve records of our community’s history and make them more accessible to others who want to know more about their past. The San Diego Genealogical Society has teamed up with Ancestry.com’s World Archives Project to preserve historical records, and through this partnership, individuals around the world will be able to index or transcribe historical data and publish a permanent archive of the data online which will be available to historians, genealogists and others researching their roots. Anyone with access to a computer can join the project. Visit www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~casdgs/wap.shtml or email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  

CANS FOR CRITTERS

Yes, you CAN help save our wildlife in your own little way. Participate in this program by collecting cans and other recyclables (glass containers, plastic bottles, etc.), redeeming them at a local recycling center and donating the proceeds to the San Diego Zoo’s worldwide conservation projects. Program ends April 30, 2010. For details on how you can help, go to www.sandiegozoo.org/cans or call 619-557-3915. 

BECOME A KIDS ON THE BLOCK PUPPETEER

Bring smiles to children and make a positive difference in the community as you become part of this puppetry troupe that teaches kids acceptance and appreciation of physical, medical, cultural and social differences. No experience needed. Contact the program director at 619-770-8689 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . www.kobsd.org.

RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE SAN DIEGO

Help provide a friendly, supportive environment for needy families by sharing your time and talents. Become an in-house or administrative volunteer, assist at special events, help prepare and serve meals, generate money to support various programs and more. Volunteers of all ages are welcome. Download a volunteer application at www.rmhcsd.org/volunteers.php. 858-292-7413, ext. 203.

More than Meals:
Volunteers bring caring and friendship

For parents wanting to involve children of all ages in community service, look to Meals-on-Wheels. This organization’s mission is “to support the independence and well-being of seniors” through their meal-delivery program.

While good nutrition for the elderly is one aspect of this program, the volunteers who deliver meals give nourishment of a different kind. A Meals-on-Wheels volunteer often is the only person a senior encounters all day.

“When children participate, they make a huge difference in the lives of seniors,” says Debbie Case, executive director, Meals-on-Wheels of Greater San Diego. “Kids make them perk up, smile, laugh and tell stories.”

Kids who participate in meal deliveries benefit from the experience, too. They gain new respect for the elderly and learn the importance of helping others. 

Get Involved!

At a minimum, Meals-on-Wheels requires 135 meal delivery volunteers daily. Volunteers choose one or more days Monday through Saturday to deliver meals using their own automobile. Children are welcome to volunteer as long as they are accompanied by an adult 18 years or older. www.meals-on-wheels.org/volunteer

Adopt a Route

Groups of eight or more individuals from a company or organization can adopt a route. By sharing the weekly responsibility for the route with others, individuals typically deliver meals once a month. www.meals-on-wheels.org/aboutus/partners.php

We Care Packages

If you don’t have time to deliver meals on a regular basis, make “We Care Packages” at home with your family. Seniors are given care packages filled with personal items for birthdays and holidays. Your children will enjoy choosing gifts and creating a cheerful note to tuck inside. www.meals-on-wheels.org/We Care Package Guidelines-2007.pdf

Speakers’ Bureau Volunteer

Help get the word out. If your talent is public speaking, consider making presentations to community groups to garner support for Meals-on-Wheels. Speakers will receive training, materials and resources. www.meals-on-wheels.org/volunteer

Donate

The need in the community is great, and meals are subsidized by the Meals-on-Wheels organization. Help seniors stay independent, and donate today. www.meals-on-wheels.org/donate

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Volunteers Spotlight on the Keshav Family

The Keshav Family began volunteering for Meals-on-Wheels in 2001, when daughters Meera and Suhani were 6 and 4. They delivered meals in South Carlsbad and Encinitas, and now have a route in the Solana Beach area. Read on to discover why the program is a win-win for the Keshavs and the senior citizens they meet.

Why did you want to volunteer together as a family?

Dr. Rohit Keshav, father
I wanted my daughters to participate in community service at a young age so they would continue volunteering as they grew older. Resh and I like to take the girls when delivering because the elderly like talking to them and showing them photos. The seniors get a breath of fresh air.
It’s also one of those rare times when we can do something for complete strangers without expecting anything at all in return.

Describe a significant moment during your volunteer experience.

Resh, mother
Most of the people we serve live in low-income communities. A big shock to my girls was delivering meals to a house around the corner from our own. The man was connected to an oxygen tank and his wife was in a wheelchair. My daughters learned that neediness and loneliness happen everywhere.

Why do you like volunteering for Meals-on-Wheels?

Suhani, 11
I like meeting all the people we serve and making them happy. Mr. Ennis makes me laugh with his jokes and Donald Duck voice. He also shows us pictures and tells us stories about playing soccer. Serving Meals-on-Wheels makes me feel like a different person from home or school.

Meera, 13
One woman on our route, Miss Dorothy, is always working on a new, complicated puzzle. I really admire that. Even when she isn’t feeling well, she greets us and asks what we’ve been doing. We care about her, but she cares about us, too.

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By the Numbers in San Diego County

• One meal preparation center cooks meals for seven vans to deliver meals to 19 drop zones where 135 volunteers deliver meals on 95 routes to 1,000 senior citizens everyday.

• 1,728 people are active volunteers.

• Six seniors over the age of 100 live independently.

• Five volunteers over the age of 90 deliver meals to the needy.

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Ronni Rowland is a freelance writer and the mother of two.