A great opportunity for you exists to help jump start the holiday season. On Friday November 20, at City Hall Plaza the Downtown Holiday Lighting Festival will take place.

This is a great event that brings the community together. There will be entertainment, food, decorated trees from the neighborhood associations, a visit with Santa, goodie bags for the first 1000 children, an opportunity to meet some of the Wizards’ players, free movies, popcorn and crafts for the children.

Activities will take place at City Hall Plaza. The event is planned to start at 4pm and end at 7pm with the lighting of the mayor’s tree.

In order for this event to be successful we need volunteers. Volunteers act as greeters and direct visitors to various activities. They guide guest through the display of trees decorated by the neighborhood associations. 

Other volunteers will see that those guest watching movies have popcorn and still others will help give cotton candy to the children. Some volunteers will help guide the line of children and families waiting to see Mr. & Mrs. Clause. For those volunteers who like to ham-it-up, there are opportunities for you to dress in costume and visit with the guests.

There is also a need for volunteers to help with the various costumed characters and entertainers. These are just a few of the many volunteer opportunities available.

To volunteer or to find out more information please contact Diane at 913-371-3674 or a dhentges@unitedway-wyco.org.

St Paul’s Episcopal Church serves as a resource for those in need in our community. Two days a week they operate a food pantry. The pantry is open on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings.

The pantry relies on the commitment of volunteers to keep the doors open the neighbors served.

Volunteers can do a variety of jobs on pantry day. Deliveries need to be unloaded and the goods need to be sorted and put on the shelves. Sometimes donations are received in bulk and volunteers then need to break down these donations into small useable quantities.

These jobs are great for a small group of volunteers and prefect for the teen group, at least 14 years old, who come with an adult supervisor.

It takes volunteers to help prepare the pantry for clients by cleaning and readying the shopping carts and helping to carry groceries to the car for neighbors. Volunteers help keep the site clean and organized. They can sweep and mop and sanitize all the work surfaces,

The pantry also needs volunteers to serve as a receptionist to welcome and greet neighbors. Volunteers also work at check-in to enter appropriate information in the computer.

This volunteer needs to know basic data entry and the ability to stay calm when the environment is hectic and to maintain confidentiality. The other volunteer position is that of registrar.

This volunteer helps to sing-up new neighbors, first time visitors to the pantry. This volunteer needs to have good people skills, be able to maintain confidentiality, and apply the guidelines established for the pantry.

Training is provided to all volunteers. The amount of training varies with the volunteer position. It is hoped that volunteers can make a commitment to serve the pantry on regular basis.

If you would like more information on these volunteer opportunities please contact Deacon Gail at 913-485-2527.