Why Volunteer for LINK?
LINK needs the continuous financial and volunteer support of our local residents, churches, and businesses. Many in Loudoun and Fairfax Counties enjoy great prosperity and privileged circumstances but, many others do not. As our community continues to become more aware of neighbors in need, it becomes more apparent that we all must help one another. What better way to reach out than by serving others?
What Can You Do?
LINK is run entirely by volunteers. Please contact us if you are interested in helping! Typical volunteer needs include food sorting, packing, food delivery, screening food applicants, and coordination of these activities. There are spots for occasional or routine volunteers, individual or groups. LINK uses electronic volunteer calendars for many positions to make it easy for you to pick times that are convenient for you.
If you belong to a church, civic group, business, or other organization that shares our compassion for those in need, and with members who are eager to be engaged in LINK activities, contact us about becoming a member.
Details about Volunteer Roles
Food Coordinators retrieve food request messages from the LINK voice-mail box. FCs call the applicants who are requesting food and interview them to determine their financial situation, number of family members, and whether the applicants qualify. Once qualified, the FC establishes a daily delivery schedule and notifies a Pantry Distributor (see below) and the LINK Member Representative on duty for that designated time period to provide family size and the food recipient¹s name, address and telephone number. The LINK Member Representative then calls the Delivery Volunteers (see below) to schedule food delivery.
He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor.
Pantry Distributors pack the food, using LINK guidelines for items and quantities, for the specific individual or family recipients and position it at the pantry for pick up by the Delivery Volunteer.
Drivers make deliveries to households in need and pick up donations from schools, area merchants, and other locations. Deliverers contact the qualified applicant, schedule the time of delivery and transport the bags of food to the individual or family's place of residence. Pick up drivers may be on call as needed or, agree to pick up on a scheduled basis.
Partnerships and Volunteering
LINK works closely with The Closet in Herndon and the Good Shepherd Alliance Thrift Store in Sterling. These stores are not for profit facilities that collect donated items and sell them at a nominal price. LINK encourages its members to volunteer their services at these stores, and the Closet and Good Shepherd, in turn, provide LINK customers with low cost or free clothing, and the Good Shepherd can occasionally provide furniture from its Thrift Store. Qualified families are provided certificate letters of credit or vouchers authorizing them to obtain a specified dollar amount of clothing articles or furniture.
Holiday Program
Hundreds of volunteers are needed for LINK's special holiday programs held at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Help make someone's holiday special. Please go to our Holiday Program website link - http://www.linkagainsthunger.org/holidayfooddistribution.html
