Volunteer

The Food Pantry

The Jonnycake Center manages the largest food pantry in South County and provides 17,220 equivalent meals per month.  With food purchased from the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, local vendors and community donations, the Center provides a week’s worth of food to a family once a month.  With only one full time employee, volunteers play a significant role in the Pantry.  Volunteers are relied on to process clients’ food orders using a client completed shopping list.  Additionally, volunteers stock shelves and process donated food items for distribution.

Hours of operation are:

Mondays 12 – 3
Tuesdays 9 – 12
Wednesdays 9 – 12
Thursdays 9 – 12 & 3 – 6
Fridays 9 – 12

Although not required, a commitment to a regular work schedule is preferred.

Thrift Store Associates

Clothing Sale Associates

Clothing sales are a significant part of the Center’s retail operation and volunteers are relied upon to manage our retail clothing sale operation.  With hundreds of pounds of clothes received weekly, volunteers are needed to receive, sort and maintain clothing sale racks. Although not required, a commitment to a regular work day schedule and 2-3 hours per shift is preferred.  Hours of operations are Mon-Wed: 9 am – 4 pm, Thur: 9am – 6pm, Fri-Sat: 9am – 4pm, and Sun: 10am – 2pm.

Office Assistance

As a large non-profit, the Jonnycake Center has limited administrative staff.  Volunteers are needed to assist in the Executive Director’s office, the Administration office, and in the Social Service office.  In assisting these departments volunteer duties will often vary from day to day, encompassing data processing, stuffing mailings, to odd jobs.  A working knowledge of MS Word and Excel is required for those tasks involving data entry. Although not required, a commitment to a regular work day schedule and 2-3 hours per shift is preferred.

Teen Opportunities

The Jonnycake Center is proud to support local students in the completion of their school requirement for volunteerism. Students must be at least 15 years old or accompanied by an adult if younger and can work in all areas of The Center. Additionally, Seasonal Volunteer Opportunities are available for students. Students may also opt to complete an offsite project that supports the Center’s mission. Examples are a food drive to support the Pantry, a winter coat drive, backpack/school supply drive, toy drives, children’s shoe drives, and others. If you are interested in doing a drive, please start by coordinating your activity with Center staff. Student volunteer hours will be closely monitored and documentation will be provided upon completion of service.

Court Ordered Community Service

The Jonnycake Center accepts volunteers who have court-ordered community service. Certain offenses may disqualify you from doing your community service at the Jonnycake Center and must be approved in advance. As a court-ordered community service volunteer, your primary responsibility will be janitorial and maintenance tasks. Volunteering for court-ordered community service is more structured than the regular volunteer program. Your hours will be closely monitored and a letter documenting hours of service completed will be provided.

SPLASH

SPLASH is a supplemental meal program designed to provide school children a nutritious breakfast and lunch during school vacations when they do not receive these meals in school.  Volunteers are needed throughout the week to label bags, prepare and package the meals and sort packages for distribution.  This is an ideal volunteer activity for teenagers looking for community service hours.

Giving Garden in Charlestown

The Jonnycake Center of Westerly’s Giving Garden in Charlestown, formerly known as the Charlestown Community Garden, provides over 4,000 lbs of fresh organic vegetables to local food pantries and soup kitchens, including our own. The garden is in need of volunteers from May to October on Tuesdays and Thursdays mornings from 9am to noon.  Garden volunteers perform basic gardening functions such as planting, weeding, and harvesting.  No prior gardening experience is required.  The garden is located in Ninigret Park next to the Charlestown Senior Center.

Contact Sarah Shaw, the Jonnycake Center of Westerly’s Food Pantry Manager, at [email protected] or call (401) 377-8069 x112 for more information.

Adopt-a-Family Holiday Program

Our signature “Adopt-a-Family” holiday program provides magic for local children and families. Before the pandemic, donors throughout the region would provide toys and gifts that volunteers would collect, sort, and distribute. Meals containing traditional fixings for Christmas and holiday dinners were made available from the Food Pantry.

In accordance with public health measures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Adopt-a-Family program has been redeveloped. Donors now provide financial assistance and gift cards in an equivalent amount of what clients formerly received. The gift cards for local merchants, retailers, and grocery stores allow clients to make their own personal and unique purchasing decisions for their families. Gift cards and assistance are disbursed in mid-November. Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at [email protected] if you would like to be part of the process.

Office Assistance

During the holiday season, the Jonnycake Center has extensive programs to support our clients and ensure they have a fulfilling holiday. This includes help with getting clients signed on with the Adopt-a-Family program. To ensure client’s specific needs are met, they must complete an extensive packet of information. Volunteers are needed to assist clients in completing these forms.

Hours are:

Mondays 12 – 3
Tuesdays 9 – 12
Wednesdays 9 – 12
Thursdays 9 – 12 and 3 – 6
Fridays 9 – 12
Saturdays 9 – 12