Volunteers are the heart and soul of Sustainable Ballard
Volunteers don’t necessarily have the time; they just have the heart!
~ Elizabeth Andrew
We wouldn’t exist as an organization without the volunteers in our community who come together to organize us, lead our projects, help out with events and programs and expand our hearts and souls. If you’re looking for a way to share your time and energy with your community, we’re sure to have something that fits your skill set, time available and/or passion.
Listed below are the opportunities currently available. Click on the titles and/or reach out to the contact person to learn more.
Free Letters Home
Free Letters Home™ offers members of the homeless community the opportunity to reestablish relationships and connect with loved ones via a mailed letter or card. Volunteers set up a table and offer greeting cards, postcards, stationery, stamps, help and encouragement in hopes that our guests will take the opportunity to write and mail a card or letter.
Sometimes letters are already written and just need to be mailed. Sometimes the sender needs a little more assistance (“I have lousy handwriting, can you write it for me?”). But mostly, volunteers just help people re-establish relationships. Like the woman who was thrilled to be able to write to friends and loved ones. The woman writing to her son, who is in prison. Or the man who hadn’t spoken with his brothers since their father passed away, and wanted to reconnect. That’s what it’s all about.
If you’re thinking “I can do that!”, here’s the contact info:
To help on Tuesday evenings, contact Bev
To help on Wednesdays, contact Kate.
Market Gleaning
Fall is here and that means the farmers are bringing less and less produce to the Ballard Farmers’ Market — a perfect time to learn the ropes, when things are a big slower. Our Market Gleaning project is looking for volunteers to help collect fresh produce from these generous farmers on Sundays for delivery to the Ballard Food Bank.
Are you interested in keeping good produce out of the compost bin and getting it to our Ballard neighbors in need? Then this project is for you. Even better if you have a station wagon or truck for transporting boxes! High schoolers! You can get community service hours!
Teams of gleaners rotate so the commitment is no more than once per month, 2:45-5pm, on Sundays. Fall is a great time to join up — it’s a little slower and less hectic, and you can learn the ropes before things pick up again when the growing season returns. Sign up as a team or individual. The more volunteer teams we have, the less often each team will be put onto the schedule — many hands make light work!
Interested? Contact Katie: ktshinn@outlook.com
Ballard Tool Library
Ballard Tool Library is created for the community, by the community. We rely on volunteers for everything from spreading the word about us to helping keep our tools clean, organized and in working order. Interested in volunteering? Come to a volunteer orientation to learn more about how to get involved – held every first and third Sunday of the month from 4 – 5pm. Fill out a volunteer application and waiver, learn about how you can make a big impact at Ballard Tool Library, and even start signing up for shifts!
Take a look at the volunteer positions available below, or let us know if you are interested in donating your talents in a different way.
Tool Librarian
Minimum 2 hr/month suggested
Staff the Ballard Tool Library during our open hours. Duties include signing up new members, checking tools in and out, accepting and cataloguing tool donations, and being a warm and welcoming presence at the BTL. We encourage tool librarians to sign up for at least 1 shift/month. General experience / knowledge of tools strongly encouraged but not required.
Tool Librarian shifts:
- Sundays, 1:45pm – 3:30pm and 3:30pm – 5pm
- Tuesdays, 10:45am – 1pm
- Thursdays, 4:45pm – 6:30pm and 6:30pm – 8pm
- Saturdays, 8:45am – 11am
Tool Maintenance Team Member
Minimum 2 hr/month suggested
*Calling all volunteers with tool maintenance experience!* Many of our tools could use some TLC, and we’d love your help with monthly maintenance events. If you have experience keeping tools sharpened and maintained, this is the perfect opportunity for you. If you’re willing to help train other volunteers in the fine art of tool maintenance, even better! Beginners are welcome to help with basic cleaning and labeling of tools, although must attend a BTL maintenance training if interested in learning more in-depth upkeep methods.
Contact: JB Harmon; jbharmon@ballardtoollibrary.org
Meals with Neighbors
Ballard Sunday Dinner
Sustainable Ballard participates with five local churches to produce a hot, wholesome Sunday dinner every week. The meal is prepared under the leadership of volunteers from one or two of the participating churches. Sustainable Ballard volunteers work alongside the church volunteers in various positions: cooking the meal, setting up the dining hall, greeting the guests, serving the meal, or cleaning up.
Edible Hope Feeding Program
Every weekday morning at 7am, breakfast is served at St. Luke’s. We support this program with additional volunteer service.
Contact: Camilla; camilla@sustainableballard.org
ON-GOING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Projects & Events Group
We’re seeking a few folks who enjoy working with others, putting your skills to good use creating and supporting cool events and projects for the community.
Contact: Andrea; andrea@sustainableballard.org
Community Outreach (COre) Team
Join this team charged with developing messaging and marketing for our outreach and membership efforts.
Contact:Jacob; jacob@sustainableballard.org
Meaningful Movies Team
We are looking for team members to help select the documentary movies we screen and to organize the screenings we present every other month.
Contact: Donna, donna.linn@comcast.net
Thank you!