Opportunities From: Haywood Pathways Center

Haywood Pathways is requesting the help of volunteers willing to be "on-call" for helping host the guests who need to stay in the dining room on nights that are freezing. The night-time shift responsibilities will include checking in guests and helping settle everyone to their mats for the evening. The morning shift responsibilities will include helping get breakfast served, retrieving guests' personal belongings, and checking out for the day. The people who come to Cold Grace are usually people who don't qualify for our regular shelter services.

We are looking for volunteers who are confident and comfortable directing others and taking charge. Training is provided by HPC staff.

This is scheduled as "on-call" because we have no way of knowing when temperatures will drop below freezing. Temps are checked via WeatherBug app and each team will have to check with the HPC office by 2pm the day of "on-call" duty. 

The students from HCLC will come and help Chef Shawn cook, clean, and organize the kitchen.

We need help addressing and stuffing envelopes. If you can come and share your handwriting skills or simply folding, stuffing, and sealing envelopes with us, we would very much appreciate it. Please see the specific shifts I have created and select one or more that you are available for and would be joyful in helping fill. You may need to address envelopes or fold and insert the mailings into the envelopes and seal them. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

We are making an effort to communicate with our supporters and would love to have help with this task ongoing so it never gets to crunch time at mailing deadlines. HPC has never attempted this before!

If you don't see a time slot that works for you, but you would like to help with this opportunity, please email me at volunteer@haywoodpathways.org and I will work with you on a time slot not listed. 

A few volunteers will come and open up the conference room for a Winter Coat Giveaway on October 18th, from 10-12.

We also need coat donations! We are currently receiving donated winter coats of all sizes- from child to adult XXXL.

We need men's and women's coats in various sizes.

We need fixers and builders to take care of the same types of things you do at home!  We need painting, machine (lawn mower, weed eater) repairs, upgrades, dripping faucet repairs, and occasional building projects. Volunteers for this opportunity make things better-- functionally, efficiently, and more beautiful.

Call us at 828/246-0332 or email volunteer@haywoodpathways.org to set up times and dates!

We have some beautiful landscaped beds here at Pathways and they need maintenance. We wouldn't say no to expert advice and efforts, but we are also happy to instruct a novice in some basic best practices. 

Call us at 828/246-0332 or email volunteer@haywoodpathways.org to set up times and dates!

Our residents love to use their hands to create beautiful or functional objects. If you also love to create objects of joy, please share your hobby with us! The best time for art experiences or crafting classes are the weekends and weekday evenings.

We can always use great photos of our events. Sometimes the need will be at special events and sometimes on campus.

A talented, well-informed volunteer could partner with our admin team to create social media posts or even a PowerPoint to share Pathways with the community.  

Prepare about 25 sandwiches and wrap individually.

Occasionally, Chef Neil will ask for help putting out condiments for those as well as a variety of prepared salads, canned foods such as Ravioli or soups, chips, cookies....leftovers from the walk in refrigerator that Chef Neil has designated for lunch.  

Quick and easy does it! This commitment requires about one hour anytime between 9am-11:30am. 

Help Chef Neil prepare dinner for 100!  No experience required and NO DISHES to wash! We have a fully functioning Industrial Kitchen with walk-in fridge/freezer, 6 burner gas stove, double oven and large convection oven. Through our partnership with MANNA and Publix, the fridge is always stocked with chicken, ground beef and other proteins. There is also plenty of fresh produce as well.

Dinner is served in the Dining Room and Family Dorm at 6 pm each night. We also pack to go boxes for non-residents to pick up after dinner is served to our residents.

Cook Teams bring 2-5 helpers, start prepping around 4:00 pm, ask grace at 5:50 and serve at 6:00. We encourage our teams to eat the meal and visit with our residents until 6:30. Your gift of presence means more than you know! Pathways residents are blessed by a thriving chaplain ministry, so our cook teams can simply enjoy table fellowship with our residents over the meal they have prepared.

Our Kitchen Manager, Chef Neil, is on-site to help as needed. Cook Team leads can contact Chef Neil prior to their scheduled cooking night to plan the menu and allow Chef Neil to pull the ingredients, and, of course, you can bring your own items if preferred. If you prefer to just show up and cook what Neil has planned, you can do that too!

This is a great opportunity for all levels of expertise and age groups. No clean up necessary since the residents take responsibility for leftovers and cleaning.

*note for Dining Hall.  Please park on the right side of our parking lot and enter the dining hall up the ramp on the right.

We have regular and on-going tasks around campus. A few examples are:

Our laundry detergent is measured out in single use bags to provide to our residents.  We need folks regularly to measure it out and put into zip lock baggies.  Good project for young folks or someone who enjoys menial tasks.

Pantry items get disorganized and could be organized by type, kind, etc.

Donated linens need to be labeled and folded. 

If you are interested in a one-time day of service or a regular commitment to come on campus and meet needs, please respond and then email or call our Volunteer Coordinator to arrange specific times and details.

Days are based on your availability, typically between the hours of 3:30-5:30 pm or 7:00-8:30 pm. We will pair up your preferred subjects and skills with our residents/children. On occasion we have adults completing their G.E.D who could benefit from additional support as well. Some residents need help learning to read.  Reach out if you’re interested, we would love to add your name to our call-list. Please note, this position is need-based and will vary depending on the current individuals staying with us.

If you have only one hour to give and like to drive a van… this is the job for you! Each week-day morning, for one hour, between 8:00-10am, we take our refrigerated van to Publix for the daily food donation. It’s like Christmas, you just never know what the boxes will hold! No CDL is needed, but heavy lifting is required. The boxes can weigh up to forty pounds. Once back on campus we can assist with unloading if needed.

Opens the Clothing Cottage for our residents once a week for 2 hours and once every month on a Saturday for a few hours. 

We receive many generous donations and our office fills with them regularly. We need volunteers to help us sort the items, put them away in their various locations, and keep them organized.  

The parents at Haywood Pathways are being treated to Renting and Financial support classes. So, the children need supervision and care. The particular ages and needs will change as the residents move in and move out, but I envision the team of babysitters working best with 2-3 adults and 2 teens. The time will be spent in the upstairs floor of the family dorm because there is a common room and a play room. Time can also be spent in the outdoor play area if weather and light permits. 

This team of volunteers needs to be characterized by resourcefulness, courage (not easily scared), the ability to handle awkward situations calmly, skills to defer giving an answer and taking a message, and firm kindness. We will train you for the specific tasks! Volunteers will answer the phone, do brief phone interviews to determine eligibility for entrance, and greet guests who come in the front door of the office.

Ideally, our team would fill the hours of 9-5, Monday thru Friday. I am happy to fill the team with different levels of time commitment. For example, if one volunteer is willing to come every day from 9-12 but one volunteer is willing to come one day a week from 3-5, all are welcome. I think 2 hours per week is probably the minimum commitment. I would also like to have a list of willing “substitutes” in the case of travel or an emergency.

This team of volunteers will assist our residential staff by completing check-in for families from 4:30-5:30.  At 5:45 the Family Dorm Hostess will get dinner from the kitchen (prepared by volunteer cook teams) and take it to the family dorm. The hostess is then welcome to stay and help parents with dinner if they want or go home for the evening. There are two floors in the family dorm and each floor eats in the common area of their floor, so there are two groups eating. This is a great job for a single person, a small group, a couple of friends, or a small family. 

The family dorm closets need help staying organized. This would require lifting, decision making, and organizing skills.