Volunteer

Serving the Community, Together as a community

There are many ways to give back. Whatever your path to developing your influence on Portland’s Jewish community, we can guide you. By investing time, talent, treasure, or all three, through the JCA, your gift and involvement will do more good for more people — including you — than you may have thought possible. 

Refugee Resettlement

As a HIAS affiliate network partner, the JCA is committed to resettling refugees, helping them to find housing and work, and connecting them with services in Maine during their first three months living here. The HIAS volunteer program offers a wide range of options to support refugee clients: 

• Cultural Orientation: Meet with families weekly to cover a wide range of training topics designed to acclimate clients to their new surroundings.
• Digital Literacy: Educate clients on how to adapt to navigate government websites, social media, online translation services, search engines, email and more.
• English Tutoring & Support: Help clients learn & practice conversational English.
• Financial Literacy: Teach clients important skills such as spending, saving, borrowing, budgeting, earning & taxes.
• Furniture Sourcing: Assist with locating key furniture items to be set up in client homes.
• Grocery Shopping Consultant: Take a new family grocery shopping on a weekly basis.
• HIAS Food Pantry: Help supply and stock the food pantry with culturally appropriate food.
• Household Item Sourcing: Assist with finding household items to stage client homes.
• Housing Task Force: Work with HIAS staff and landlords to identify housing resources.
• House Raising Team: Prepare permanent housing for client arrival by unpacking household items, light cleaning, and staging furniture.
• Mentorship: Support clients by helping them acclimate to life in Maine.
• Moving Team: Support HIAS staff by picking up and unloading furniture at client home.
• Pre-Arrival Set-Up: Bring supplies & groceries to temporary housing and stage for arrival.
• Public Transportation Education: Teach clients how to navigate public transportation.

Diaper Bank

The Diaper Bank at the Michael Klahr Jewish Family Services (KJFS) distributes diapers that support children of all backgrounds. The Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine is the only diaper bank in Southern Maine that is affiliated with the National Diaper Bank Network. We distribute diapers and wipes directly to clients and also partner with more than a dozen agencies to reach even more families in need.

• Diaper Packaging, Labeling & Sorting: Prepare diapers for distribution to client families 
• Storage Management: Move diapers to and from storage unit
• Diaper Delivery: Deliver diapers to the homes of clients experiencing diaper need

Essentials Pantry

The Essentials Pantry is designed to provide individuals and families with crucial essentials items that are not available through the Supplemental Assistance Program (SNAP).

Now key essential items such as basic toiletries, period products, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, first aid items and more are available to families in need. 

• Essential item packing & sorting: Prepare essential items for distribution to client families 
• Essential Item distribution: Assist with giving essential kits to clients during distribution months

Community Programs

The JCA offers diverse cultural, educational and social opportunities for engagement with our community, through films, exhibits, music, book talks, adult-ed classes, children’s programming, informal clubs and discussion groups, and holiday celebrations and gatherings.

We welcome volunteers to share ideas, energy, and participation in JCA programs! If you have time and talent to share, or are interested in organizing or leading an activity we want to hear from you! Potential volunteer roles include:

• Greeting visitors at the front desk (particularly needed during evenings and weekends.)
• Managing/supporting major events like the JCA’s Annual Meeting each September
• Teaching a class in an area of your expertise

Center Day Camp

Center Day Camp was established in 1949 and is located in Windham on 27 spectacular acres of woods, fields, and shoreline. Generations of campers have spent their days lakeside, forming lifelong friendships, learning new skills, and experiencing the magic of camp. Today, CDC is a non-denominational day camp of the Jewish Community Alliance, welcoming campers age 5-15 of all faiths and backgrounds, while exploring Jewish traditions. Volunteers can support CDC by assisting with:

• Camp Preparation & Set-Up (April – May)
• Assist with weekly maintenance of camp buildings
• Camp Break Down (September – October)

Questions?

Contact Adam Seigal or sign up through Better Impact.