Friday, December 14, 2012

Community Service Opportunities Over Winter Break

If you're one of the many students looking for how to get some community service hours over the break, check out these six opportunities: 


*Remember to pick up your community service form BEFORE you leave for break! You can get a form from Ms. Hutchinson in the Main Office. 




1. Food and Friends is in Fort Totten and has holiday volunteer opportunities: http://www.foodandfriends.org/site/pp.asp?c=ckLSI8NNIdJ2G&b=7968713

2. Neighborhood Farm Initiative  is a farm right near the Ft. Totten metro station, and students can email Kristen Georger to see if they need any help over the break:


3. You can also email wangarigardens@gmail.com and ask Josh Singer or Sarah McLaughlin if they have any volunteer opportunities at Wangari Gardens, a community garden in NE DC, near the Washington Hospital Center. 

4. We Are Family DC has the following volunteer opportunities over Winter Break. To sign up, go to: www.wearefamilydc.org/calendar and click on the “Volunteer” button next to the date you want to volunteer.

Holiday Gift Wrapping Party
Tuesday, December 18 – 5pm-8pm
See Volunteer Spot sign up for location details

North Capitol Grocery Delivery
Saturday, December 22 – 10am-1pm
Meet at the Metro Community Church, 474 Ridge Street NW
2.5 blocks from the Convention Center metro, near 5th & M Sts NW

Holiday Gift Wrapping Party
Tuesday, December 23 – 3pm-6pm
See Volunteer Spot sign up for location details

Holiday Gift Delivery
Tuesday, December 25, 10 am – 1 pm
Meet at the Metro Community Church, 474 Ridge Street NW, 
2.5 blocks from the Convention Center metro, near 5th & M Sts NW

5. Books to Prisons: Information is Hope!
Location: Foundry Methodist Church
Address: 1500 16th ST NW, Washington, DC 20036
Date: Wed, January 2nd  5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Description: Come spend an evening reading letters from prisoners and answering their book requests, some of which are very interesting! We will select books according to these requests from prisoners around the country and package them for sending.
Other Info: Please bring any paper grocery bags that you have at home and don't need. They use them to pack the books and have a tough time getting enough. The books we most need right now are African American books (about or by), Westerns, Spanish learning books, Native Americans, dictionaries, GED, math, basic literacy, drawing, and science paperbacks - donations are welcome!
Since 1999, a concerned all-volunteer group of individuals has been responding to requests from prisoners around the country for books. They also develop and support local prison libraries. Unlike many programs, they do not limit requests to a particular geographic area or, for example, to women. Thus they receive a tremendous amount of requests from prisoners around the country and are truly swamped. In the past twelve months, they have sent out close to 4,000 packages containing over 10,000 books. These packages have gone to prisoners in 150 different prisons in all 50 states. The U.S. has one of the highest incarceration levels in the world (1 in 37 adults), but many prisoners have little access to books or educational material. Many face substantial barriers and are cut off from family and friends on the outside. While some prisons have libraries, many do not. Of those that do, access and selection can be extremely limited. Often, prisoners are not allowed to receive books from friends or family.
Transit: Located 2.5 blocks east of Dupont Circle. To get there via metro, one can either take the red line to Dupont Circle, leave via the south entrance, walk partially around the circle to P St. and go east 2.5 blocks. To get there via the blue/orange line, one can go to McPherson Square, leave via the White House exit, walk one block west on I St. Once you get to 16th St., wait for buses heading north (come about every 5 minutes or so, before 7:30). When the bus goes through the tunnel, pull the "stop requested" wire and get off at the next stop which is the intersection of P St and 16th St.
Please Note: Once you get to the church (door on 16th St.) ring the doorbell to be let in, then go downstairs to the basement. Turn left, go to end of hall, then turn right, and we are the last door on the right after the bathrooms (B2). There is not a parking lot, but it is generally not too difficult to find street parking if you look around a bit.
1500 16th ST NW, Washington, DC 20036


6. 2011 Holiday Gift Wrapping Fundraiser Arms Outstretched Ministry

Event to be held at the following time, date, and location:
Dec 7 through 24
Mon-Sat: 12:00-9:00 p.m.
Sundays: 10:00 am-6;00 p.m.
Dec 24th: 8:00 am-6:00 p.m. To sign up, email:
Fashion Center At Pentagon City
100 South Haynes Street
Arlington, VA

We hope you can make it!

All proceeds benefit our wounded warrior and Adopt a Soldier programs, along with other programs to the community through ARMS OUTSTRETCHED MINISTRY, INC. Learn more about our cause and programs at www.armsoutstretchedministry.com armsoutstretchedministry@yahoo.com