During the holiday season, people tend to feel more inclined to give their time and money to those less fortunate than themselves. And the agencies that work with members of the community in need say they need that help more than ever this time of year.
It’s “the nature of the holiday season” that motivates people to volunteer, believes Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Arizona’s volunteer coordinator Mikay Wright.
“As we are all reflecting on the gifts or the blessings that we have, I think it tends to be a perspective shift season for a lot of people,” she said. Volunteering helps places like the Ronald McDonald House, Casa Maria, Sister José Women’s Center and The Salvation Army operate on a day-to-day basis.
Casa Maria Soup Kitchen is part of the Tucson Catholic Workers Movement. Their mission is to feed and clothe those in need, whether that be the unhoused or people living in low-income situations.
Brian Flagg has worked and lived at Casa Maria for 41 years.
“The Catholic worker believes in living simple and in community and everyday seaking to practice the works of mercy and the works of justice, so we are always out doing justice work,” said Flagg, who identifies as a Catholic Worker .
Casa Maria needs volunteers in the soup kitchen every day from 8:30-11:30 a.m. All you have to do is show up and Flagg will put you to work, or, you can fill out the volunteer form at casamariatucson.org/get-involved/.
Casa Maria relies almost entirely on volunteers and donations; the organization doesn’t receive government funding
Jobs in the soup kitchen include packing lunches, bagging chips and cookies, serving soup, doing food preparation and cleaning up.
Flagg said it seems like people want to volunteer more during the holidays, but they need help year round.
Casa Maria is located at 352 E. 25th St. The only two days they’re closed are Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Sister José Women’s Center is a nonprofit that serves women who are unhoused, experiencing insecure or insufficient housing and severe poverty. Sister José can house up to 60 guests in need of emergency shelter. The organization also serves women through its day program. Any guest who walks through their doors can receive meals, clothing, do laundry and use their showers.
The volunteer opportunities at Sister José seem to be endless. “We are always looking, we’re always happy to bring new people on board, especially people who are really ready to serve and to be present,” said Rachel Milles, the volunteer outreach coordinator.
A lot of volunteers work in their morning emergency services, helping guests get clothing, do laundry and serve breakfast.
Food preparation volunteers are important at Sister José. These jobs include preparing and serving breakfast, prepping snacks, lunches and dinners.
The most popular volunteer work is their supper club, which serves dinner to the overnight guests at Sister José and is open every night, even on days when the center isn’t open.
While Sister José is a women’s center, they have opportunities for male volunteers. Working in donations, indirect service areas, cooking for supper club and doing donation pick ups are typical jobs for male volunteers. Sister José is also open to non-binary and gender conforming people.
Volunteers usually get to choose what they want to do, but sometimes Sister José will ask for specific help in areas.
Right now, the biggest need for volunteers is for supper club during the week of Thanksgiving and throughout December.
Sister José sees a spike in people wanting to volunteer during the holiday season, which is a benefit.
“As the weather turns, that creates a very immediate need,” said Jamie Albrecht, the volunteer engagement coordinator.
The center has already filled its volunteer spots for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but they still need help on other days around the holidays.
“People focus a lot on the holidays, and we do serve meals on those holidays which we’re very proud of, but we also like to sort of call attention to the other days, too,” Albrecht said. “The days surrounding those holidays are very important to our outside guests to receive services.”
To volunteer at Sister José, you can visit the website sisterjose.org/volunteer/
The Ronald McDonald House of Southern Arizona is a nonprofit organization that houses families who have a sick child in the hospital.
Families can stay at the house free of charge, allowing them to focus on their child’s care. Everything from meals to accommodations is taken care of largely with year-round volunteer help.
One of the most popular volunteer opportunities is “Chef for A Day,” where volunteers buy and prepare meals for all of the families staying at the house. With a large group of volunteers pitching in, the cost of food can be quite inexpensive, Wright said. She’s seen people cook extravagant meals and not so extravagant ones including hot dogs and fruit salads.
The Ronald McDonald House event season happens in the fall and early winter of each year, where the nonprofit needs volunteers to help with their events and offer one-time volunteer opportunities.
Coming this December and January, the organization will be looking for long-term volunteers to work at the house and their family rooms at the hospitals. Long-term volunteers will work one shift a week at the same time every week for a minimum of six months.
The family rooms are spaces in hospitals where families who have sick children can go and relax. A family does not have to be staying at the facility to use these rooms.
The responsibilities of volunteering in the family rooms include keeping the rooms tidy and stocked with drinks and snacks.
“But ultimately, the greatest role that the volunteers get to step into in the family rooms is they just get to be a warm presence, a warm, welcoming presence to families using the room,” Wright said.
Volunteers ask how the families are doing, and sometimes, it’s the only time they are asked during the day, as every other conversation is about the sick child, Wright points out.
These rooms are meant to feel like home, and one parent even described it as an oasis, Wright said.
At the house, volunteer responsibilities can look different each shift. Jobs include loading and unloading the dishwasher, keeping the common rooms clean, tidying up the toy rooms, working at the front desk or helping with administrative work.
Shifts in the house are three hours and four hours in the family rooms. Applications are on the website at rmhctucson.org.
Wright said the house also needs help in May, when students leave for the summer. The Ronald McDonald House has many University of Arizona student volunteers who leave when school ends in May.
The Salvation Army has multiple programs in Tucson including the Amphi Corps Community Center, the Hospitality House and All Nations. These programs help unhoused and low-income people in need of food, shelter and other services.
The Amphi Corps is a neighborhood center that serves the Amphi/Flowing Wells area and the city of Tucson by offering programs, services and food boxes to economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, according to the website.
According to the Tucson Amphi Corps website, the greatest need right now is volunteer bell-ringers for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign. The money raised from the Red Kettle will be used locally to “make a year-round impact in your community through social services assistance, homeless shelters, disaster relief, children’s programs, rehabilitation services, anti-human trafficking, and more,” according to the website.
To volunteer for The Salvation Army, join the opportunities list and wait to hear from a local volunteer coordinator, or contact the Salvation Army volunteer centers: Tucson Amphi Corps, (520) 888-1299; Tucson Hospitality House, (520) 795-9671; Tucson All Nations, (520) 795-4504.
