Get Involved

We have opportunities for you or your group to volunteer with us and truly make a difference in our community.

Volunteer With Us

At Friends Association, we believe that we build unity with our neighbors through collective care and community impact. We hope you will consider joining us as a volunteer.

Volunteers are brought into the fold of Friends Association to support and partner with our neighbors, and through those connections, we see personal wins and community success.

Just like our organization, equity and justice are at the foundation of the volunteer program. We are working together to repair systemic harm while treating every individual as uniquely valuable. This means long-term solidarity with the community, not a momentary act of charity. We are committed to building a transformational volunteer movement where we work towards confronting our own biases and showing up in the best way possible for our community.

Our dedicated volunteers are crucial to the success of Friends Association, and many serve in key roles within the organization.

If you feel like you are committed to these values and are interested in learning how to become a volunteer partner, please use the link below to fill out our volunteer interest form or email Karina Olmeda at k.olmeda@friendsassoc.org.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

MEAL TRAIN

The first few nights after a family moves into our Family Center can be overwhelming. Preparing a meal is often low on the list. Imagine the connection a family will feel from a meal prepared just for them by our community for those first few nights as they are settling in.

We would love you to share your cooking and deliver a message of care by bringing a home-cooked meal (prepared by you or purchased) to welcome our neighbors into our community.

BEAUTIFICATION CREW

We all have tasks in our life that just need doing, plain and simple. Some are easier than others, but they all need tending. Everything is growing and thriving at Friends Association, including our well-loved outdoor spaces that need tending.We are in need of individuals and groups to join our Beautification Crew to show your care for our community through regular sprucing up of our outdoor spaces.

TURN-OVER TEAM

We are recruiting Turn-Over Team volunteers to help us get apartments ready for new families at the Family Center – helping with things like deep cleaning, painting, putting new sheets on begs, stocking the kitchen and bathroom, and sprucing up the space for the new family.

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

If you are interested in volunteering in other ways, we would love to discuss how we can partner together for the community! Whether it be in office administration, Charity Ball Committee, or perhaps engaging in recreational activities, we welcome your support and assistance.

“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” – Elizabeth Andrew

Interesting in Volunteering with Friends Association? Please fill out the Volunteer Application by clicking the button below. A staff member will contact you shortly to discuss volunteer opportunities. Thank you for your interest!

VOLUNTEER APPLICATION

Welcome Home Program

At Friends Association, success for our families means long-term stable housing. We are here to give our families the space and resources they need to get there and empower them along the way. Together we are helping Chester County families experiencing homelessness find hope and healing but first….it starts with a home.

Help us welcome our families into their new homes by providing essential housewarming items. You can assist our families in one of the following ways:

Welcome Home Donations

Click to make a $250 donation that will help us provide essential items to our families transitioning to long-term housing. Examples of items could be towels and sheets, laundry baskets, pots and pans and other items that will help turn their new house into a home.

Wish List

You may purchase items directly from a family’s personalized wish list. Our volunteer coordinator can work with you to help a family receive exactly what they need. Click here to email us now.

Gift Cards

Donations of gift cards are given to families for them to purchase items they need for their new homes. Preferred stores include Amazon and Walmart. Gift cards can be mailed or dropped off at our office (see address below) with a note that it is for our Welcome Home Program.

In-Kind Donations

Thank you for considering an in-kind donation! Without donors like you we couldn’t carry out our mission as effectively or broadly. Your support allows us to serve families and fulfill their immediate and ongoing needs. Most families that we assist are starting completely fresh. We combine many resources to set them up comfortably in their new homes. We appreciate donations from our community and also find it effective to rely on partner agencies throughout Chester County.

We accept donations at our office during business hours and can only accept items listed below. Contact us with questions and please do not leave donations on our porch unless arrangements have been made to do so.

ITEMS WE ACCEPT:

Paper Products — Paper towels, Toilet Paper, Tissues, Feminine Hygiene Products, Baby Diapers (most needed sizes: 4, 5 & 6) & Wipes

Cleaning Supplies — Lysol Multi-Surface, Windex Anti-bacterial, Kitchen Sponges, Dishwashing Liquid, Hand Soap, Pop-Up Laundry Hampers, Laundry Detergent & Dryer Sheets, Mops & Brooms, Large Trash Bags, Dust Pans, Toilet Bowl Cleaner & Brushes, Plungers, Disinfecting Wipes

Kitchen Items (All New Please) — Trash Cans with Lids, Dish Sets, Cups and Glassware Sets, Pots/Pans, Utensil Sets, Cooking Utensils, Dish Towels, Pot Holders, Can Openers, Small Appliances

Bedroom Items (All New Please) — Twin & Full Sized Sheet Sets, Twin & Full Sized Blankets & Comforters, Pillows & Pillowcases, Toddler Bedding Sets, Mattress Covers

Bathroom Items (All New Please) — Bath Towels, Hand Towels, Washcloths, Shower Curtains & Rings, Bath Mats

PARTNERS WE WORK WITH FOR ALL OTHER DONATIONS:

Clothing Donations — We partner with Wings for Success for all clothing donations. Please contact them directly for donation information.

Furniture Donations — We partner with the Community Warehouse Project in West Chester for all of our furniture needs. Please contact them directly to inquire about your furniture donation.

Cribs, Car Seats & Children’s Toys, Clothing & Books — Many organizations cannot accept used cribs and car seats for safety reasons. For most children’s items, we partner with Maternal Child Health Consortium. Please contact them directly to inquire about children’s items.

Food — We partner with the West Chester Food Cupboard for all food donations. Please contact them directly for more information.

Media & Press

We publish a variety of news stories and press releases to keep you informed about Friends Association activities, from the ways we deliver our mission, to the impact of our work on everyday lives. Read the latest here.