Wendy Sims is looking for about a dozen volunteers in North Bryan.
Sims, the director of Bryan County Family Connection, is seeking help to keep programs in the organization’s North Bryan County Service Center running.
Among the programs needing volunteer help are a food bank and a clothing bank, and she can also use some office help.
“Since we opened the center in November we have lots of programs going on and we basically have myself and a staff person to handle it,” Sims said. “We do have volunteers who help, but we have opportunities for more.”
To that end, Family Connection will hold a recruitment lunch at the service center from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 14. Those who decide to help out will get more than a free meal in return.
“They’re giving back to the community,” Sims said. “When you’re working with people who are hungry and you’re helping them meet that need, that’s a huge reward.”
Volunteers don’t have to be experienced, but they do have to fill out some paperwork and go through what Sims called “minimal” training.
“It’s very easy, and it’s a way for folks to get involved in the community and have something to do,” she said, noting most of her current volunteers are retired and can afford to donate their time in the middle of the day.
Current opportunities — answering phones, staffing the food or clothing banks — need volunteers who can devote time in the middle of weekdays or on Saturday.
The food bank is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday and Wednesday. The clothing bank is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
So far, the clothing bank, which sells clothing for $1 per item with the money going toward the food bank, has raised about $800, Sims said, while also providing clothes to those who can’t afford the $1.
The food bank, in turn, has fed around100 people in North Bryan since November. Other programs, including the Summer Lunch Program and the Bryan County Children’s Fund, also fall under the wide umbrella that is Bryan County Family Connection.
“We’re a local collaborative of volunteers, community members and agencies,” Sims said. “Our goal is to help strengthen families to enable them to have the tools to be successful.”
And even if someone can’t donate time, they can help BCFC out in other ways, said Sims.
“We always take donations if people want to donate clothes and food,” she said. “That’s another way to volunteer, donating food and clothes.”
For more information on the luncheon, call 653-3829 or visit the Bryan County Family Connection Facebook page.