USCJ Celebrates its Day of Chesed with Met Council

Volunteers from United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism spent the day volunteering with Met Council with 2 different projects that provided insight to the struggles faced everyday by members of the community that receive SNAP benefits. 

The first group of volunteers arrived at Met Council and participated in a program called Project Reach Out. Volunteers made follow up phone calls to clients that have received SNAP benefits from Met Council in the past in order to gauge client response of the services that have been provided. The USCJ reached out to over 80 clients resulting in a successful event that identified what needs are being met as well as the needs that members of the community are still struggling with. The volunteers gave positive feedback from the event, stating the phone calls provided a sense of realism to the ongoing struggles of people who receive SNAP benefits.

The second volunteer activity of the day was an event called SNAP Cooking. A different group of volunteers arrived at Met Council's Food Rescue Site; a place where food is distributed to members of the low-income community within the Lower East Site. From there, volunteers were given a budget to go grocery shopping with - except with a twist. The purpose of the budget is to simulate a scenario that teaches the volunteers the challenges of only having a certain amount of money to spend on food for an entire month. After the food was purchased, USCJ prepared the food, measuring out servings that indicated how many meals their budget provided to a family of four. All the food prepared was donated to Met Council Clients living on the Lower East Side.

Both were extremely successful events!

If any of these volunteer opportunities sound appealing or you'd like to be apart of Met Council's mission to ending poverty, please be in contact with the Volunteer Department. They can be reached at volunteer@metcouncil.org or 212-453-9508.  

Appointment Buddies!

Appointment Buddies is a direct way to help a home bound senior in need. Volunteers partner with senior clients to help them get to and from medical appointments. This program aims to offer assistance and support to our senior clients as well as to provide them with an important social network.

It is often a challenge for seniors to travel to and from appointments, and they are often forced to rely on inconsistent services that may get them to their appointments either late or hours before they begin. By participating in Appointment Buddies, the client will have a Met Council volunteer to travel with and get them to their appointment safely and at an appropriate time while also decreasing the feeling of loneliness.

If you would like more information about this amazing program that really reaches out to the community please e-mail us at volunteer@metcouncil.org or call Joey directly at 212-453-9675.

MVP Happy Hour

MVP Happy Hour at Ainsworth Park

MVP is a young professionals (20’s and 30’s) group who are looking for philanthropic and social opportunities. MVP brings a new voice to Met Council and engages young people in Met Council’s fundraising campaigns, volunteer opportunities, and advocacy efforts. MVP gives young professionals a role at Met Council and the opportunity to grow within the organization and the philanthropic community. MVP members bring value to Met Council through their planning and participation in volunteer activities and benefits. We aspire to see MVP members stay involved with Met Council for many years, eventually becoming long term donors, volunteers and board members. Get involved now!

If you cannot attend, you can still help by donating online.

Questions? Contact Stefanie Greenberg: Sgreenberg@metcouncil.org or 212-453-9619.

Open Bar: 7pm-9pm 

Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2014 

Time: 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM 

Address:

111 E.18th Street

New York City, NY 10003 

United States

If you'd like to attend this event you can purchase tickets online.

Buy Tickets

Top Nine Benefits of Volunteering

Recently Yahoo posted a blog entry going over the Top 9 Benefits people encounter who step into the realm of volunteering. Check out the list below!

While the purpose of volunteering is to help others, volunteering can be as rewarding for you as it is to those you help. This list covers some of the most rewarding aspects of volunteering. 

Help People in Need
The number one benefit of volunteering is helping someone in need. A little volunteer work can make an immeasurable difference to those in need and knowing that you've truly made a difference in the life of a child or a family in need is something that you can't get anywhere else.

Make New Friends
Working with others on a group volunteer project is a great way to meet new people with a shared interest in helping others. If you've recently relocated and you're looking to meet people in the area, or you're interested in meeting people abroad, volunteering can connect you with a diverse body of caring and passionate people.

Explore Career Opportunities
Volunteering gives you the opportunity to explore a variety of careers with very little background or expertise required. This can help you to learn and gain experience in fields you might have otherwise never considered. Volunteer work also presents opportunities to connect with institutions and leaders that support your causes.

Gain New Experiences
In addition to the potential career experience, volunteering offers countless life experiences as well. Whether traveling abroad, or working in your home town, the experiences you gain while volunteering can be among the most enriching aspects of your life.

Travel the World
Volunteers are in demand throughout the world. There are many programs that need people to travel to exotic - though rarely luxurious - locations, for weeks, months or even years at a time. There's no shortage of adventure in the world of volunteering.

Become More Active
Volunteer work is an excellent reason to get outside and be more active. Working with parks, children, or environmental causes can keep you on your feet and give you more time with nature.

Learn New Skills
Many volunteer programs provide extensive training in a wide variety of disciplines. The skills you learn through your volunteer work can be applied to benefit your personal or professional life.

Gain a Sense of Fulfillment
Volunteering for a cause that you find meaningful and engaging can provide you with a fresh perspective and a sense of fulfillment. There are few things in life that are more rewarding than helping others and having a positive impact on the world around you.

Have Fun
Doing volunteer work that you enjoy can be as fun for you as it is beneficial to your cause. There are many ways to volunteer that allow you to do the things that you both enjoy and are passionate about. 

Volunteer Coordinator Internship

Want to get some professional experience this summer or know someone who does? Met Council is reaching out to college students who are interested in pursing a career in the nonprofit sector where the intern would learn first hand how to balance office responsibilities while assisting the coordination of volunteers events. Details below if interested:

Location:  Met Council Main Office, 120 Broadway 

Salary: Unpaid

Term: June 2nd to August 8th

Hours: Monday- Thursday 10am-5pm Friday 10am-3pm

Primary Purpose: 

Internship will assist the volunteer department in inspiring people to give of their time and talents to create a positive impact in the community. Met Council's volunteer department works with 2,000 volunteers a year in meaningful service opportunities. Being an intern in this department within Met Council will provide the intern the opportunity to enhance communication skills, written and oral as well as understand what it takes to put on an event. This internship provides a chance to have direct contact with our volunteers and to see a project through from start to finish. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Coordinate weekly senior lunch- including outreach to volunteers and phone calls to clients 

2. Research and write two blog entries per week 

3. Data clean up, input and organize information for our volunteer database of Raiser's Edge 

4. Return phone calls to clients inquiring about career workshops 

5. Brainstorm ideas and assist with Volunteer Services Outreach Expo 

6. Additional duties based on skills of the intern

Qualifications:

* Very strong communication skills 

*Comfortable with phone work 

* Interested and able to work with a variety of people from all different backgrounds 

* Willingness to pitch in when needed 

* Proficient in Microsoft outlook and Excel 

* Great with people 

* Ability to manage own schedule

* Must be a student

To apply: 

Email resume to Stefanie Greenberg at sgreenberg@metcouncil.org

No phone calls please.

Include “Volunteer Coordinator Intern” in the subject line.

Met Council's own featured in Huff Post

Check out this article written by Met Council's own Director of Volunteer Services!