Needs From: United Way of Northeast Florida

ElderSources's SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) Program provides health insurance information and free, unbiased, and confidential counseling assistance to Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and to caregivers.

As a SHINE Volunteer, you serve your community by performing at least one of the following functions:

Providing Medicare Counseling, in person or over the phone.

 

Delivering educational presentations or speeches.

 

Distributing educational and promotional materials in your community.

 

Assisting with general program support.

As a SHINE Volunteer, you will receive:

Professional training from the Department of Elder Affairs and ElderSource.

 

Opportunities to learn new skills, meet new people, and gain knowledge about Medicare.

 

Personal fulfillment from helping others.

 

Pride from being part of an award-winning team.

 

You can learn more about the SHINE program by visiting www.floridashine.org 

To learn more about ElderSource, visit our website here

REFUGEE WELCOME KITS

Please be sure to acknowledge the DIY and Kit Projects Volunteer Waiver and follow the directions carefully.

WHAT TO DO:

You or your team will host a drive or purchase the supplies, complete the project, and drop off the completed project to the appropriate location. You may log your hours through the self-log feature of your profile after registering for the event and completing your project.

You can download a list of possible kits to make by clicking here or check out our Amazon wish list here.

If you would like to hold a drive, you can find some helpful tips HERE.

More helpful tips for completing DIY projects can be found HERE.

For anyone collecting service hours, we will grant one half-hour plus one hour per every two kits created.

Kits must contain EVERY item listed and be in a decorated bag with a decorated card to receive full service hours.

When finished, contact our project coordinator here to let them know how many kits you have and to coordinate drop-offs. Please note: due to the limited staff capacity of our team and our partners, it may take 3-5 days to respond and coordinate delivery.

WHY THIS KIT:

Did you know that Jacksonville ranks in the top 100 U.S. cities for refugee resettlement?

https://www.wusf.org/news/2020-02-27/six-florida-cities-rank-in-top-100-for-refugee-resettlement

Having fled the danger of their home countries and languishing in limbo for months--or even years--refugees enter the United States with next to nothing. Help restart their household by providing Welcome Kits with everything a family needs to begin their new life in safety in Northeast Florida.

DIY Volunteering allows families and groups of all ages and sizes to participate in flexible and meaningful community service opportunities from the comfort of their own homes or offices. DIY projects can be combined with social events, business meetings, celebrations, and more. Purchasing items or hosting a drive and assembling personal care kits are a critical way volunteers can address a real community need individually or as a group, family, school or neighborhood.

Many universities and colleges are now requiring freshman to live on campus their first year. For those students that are the first in their family to ever go to college, this can be a daunting and completely unexpected expenditure. You can help offset a few of these expenses by putting together a dorm kit for these excited students!

You can download a list of supplies needed by clicking here or check out our Amazon wish list by clicking here.

First Generation College Starter Kits are one of our (DIY) Do it Yourself Volunteer Projects. DIY Volunteering allows families and groups of all ages and sizes to participate in flexible and meaningful community service opportunities from the comfort of their own homes or offices. DIY projects can be combined with social events, business meetings, celebrations, and more. You or your team will host a drive or purchase the supplies, complete the project, and drop off the completed project to the appropriate location. You may log your hours through the self log feature of your profile after registering for the event and completing your project. United Way of Northeast Florida can help you coordinate where to bring the completed kits--just let us know when you're ready to drop it off!

For those needing project hours, we will give one half-hour plus five hours for each completed kit per one participant.

For any questions, please contact us here.

 

C.R.O.W.N. HAIR CARE KITS

C.R.O.W.N. stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.

Please be sure to acknowledge the DIY and Kit Projects Volunteer Waiver and follow the directions carefully.

WHAT TO DO:

Download instructions for making C.R.O.W.N. Hair Care Kits HERE.

You or your team will host a drive or purchase the supplies, complete the project, and drop off the completed project to the appropriate location. You may log your hours through the self-log feature of your profile after registering for the event and completing your project. Once you have responded to this need United Way of Northeast Florida will contact you within 48 hours. 

If you would like to hold a drive, you can find some helpful tips HERE.

If you need community service hours, we will verify one half-hour plus one hour for every two kits with cards created. 

Kits must contain EVERY item listed and be in a decorated bag with a decorated card to receive full service hours.

When finished, contact us HERE to let us know how many kits you have, and we will coordinate with the recipient organization for your drop off. Be aware that this can take 3-5 days.

WHY THIS KIT:

Natural hair care items are frequently overlooked when toiletry items are donated. Not all hair and skincare products meet the unique needs of the natural hair community, and many homeless service providers have difficulty providing these necessary items. Many students from struggling families within our school system have a great need for these seldom-donated products as well. 

The is one of our DIY (Do it Yourself Volunteer Projects). DIY Volunteering allows families and groups of all ages and sizes to participate in flexible and meaningful community service opportunities from the comfort of their own homes or offices. DIY projects can be combined with social events, business meetings, celebrations, and more.

Kits will be dispersed to our Full Service Schools network to be distributed to students or through other non-profit partner agencies that serve the homeless or veteran populations.  

The coronavirus has closed schools and most community centers, creating a gap in meals for children. Seniors, people with chronic conditions, and those with compromised immune systems face higher risks in public spaces — forcing many to remain at home. Working families who can barely make ends meet now simply cannot absorb any added expenses this pandemic has caused and are the most likely to be affected as concerns over layoffs are now a reality. Please help us help the people in our community by donating non-perishable food (canned meat, soup, stew, fruit, veggies, cereal, peanut butter, jelly, rice, pasta, etc) for these reasons. Please no meat or fresh fruits and vegetables. To drop off donations, contact Pastor Bill at revbillreister@aol.com or 904-766-4728. 1 volunteer hour for every 10 items donated will be given.

Safety First

Safety is paramount! Please read and follow these precautions before beginning this volunteer project:

Do not purchase items or prepare care packages if anyone in your household is sick When packaging goods, wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face Donated items must be unopened, new, and not expired

Alleviate Child Hunger in The Eastside

Many children within Duval County do not have regular access to food. As you can imagine, this instability has an impact on their health and academic success. Snack packs will alleviate some of their discomfort and worry that negatively affects their learning, social interactions, and ability to enjoy life as a child should. This is an opportunity to help the Historic Eastside Community Development Corporation address this barrier to success. This need was also created to aid families heavily affected by the pandemic.

Packs can be completed in three easy steps:

1) Decorate a blank paper bag. A bright, colorful bag can really cheer up a child of any age! 

2) Stuff the bag with the following items (all items should be easy to open, non-perishable, and should need a microwave at most to cook):

Shelf-stable milk, chocolate milk, or 100% juice Easy Mac, Tuna Salad or chicken salad kit Kashi bar, Kind or another granola bar Popcorn/Chip Bag Applesauce or fruit cup Napkin Fork/spoon

3) Create a positive, motivational card for the child and place it in each bag.

4) When you have completed the project and are ready to donate your bags, please contact our project coordinator here.

 

Safety First

Safety is paramount! Please read and follow these precautions before beginning this volunteer project:

Do not purchase items or prepare care packages if anyone in your household is sick When packaging goods, wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face Donated items must be unopened, new, and not expired

Volunteer Hours

For those that require service hours, one half-hour plus one hour for every two complete snack packs with card will be given for one participant. 

 

 

Food Drive is one of our (DIY) Do it Yourself Volunteer Projects. DIY Volunteering allows families and groups of all ages and sizes to participate in flexible and meaningful community service opportunities from the comfort of their own homes or offices. DIY projects can be combined with social events, business meetings, celebrations, and more. You or your team will host a drive or purchase the supplies, complete the project, and drop off the completed project to the appropriate location. You may log your hours through the self log feature of your profile after registering for the event and completing your project. Once you have responded to this need you will be contacted by our project coordinator.  

Food drives are a critical way volunteers can address real community needs individually or as a group, family, school, or neighborhood, especially now, during this critical time. Food items that you collect will benefit a family in need in Jacksonville's Historic Eastside neighborhood.

You can download an instructional document here which includes discussion questions and tips for holding a drive as well as a list of suggested items.  Most needed items are nonperishable food items, peanut butter, dried beans, rice, grains, pasta, sauces, canned items, 'add water' types of meals (dried rice and pasta dishes etc). When selecting items, please keep in mind that items that are too high in sodium are not good for anyone!

Safety First

Safety is paramount! Please read and follow these precautions before beginning this volunteer project:

Do not purchase items or prepare care packages if anyone in your household is sick When packaging goods, wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face Donated items must be unopened, new, and not expired

For anyone collecting hours, we will verify one hour for every 10 items collected. 

The food will be distributed by the Historic Eastside Community Development Corporation. You can learn more about their important work here.

Please contact our project coordinator here to coordinate drop-offs or ask questions.

Educator Alvin Irby concluded that "Children's literature represents one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in the fight against bigotry and racism in American culture." There's never been a more important time to ensure that all young minds have access to reading material that introduces and celebrates differences, features people of color in everyday situations, and even approaches difficult subjects such as racism with honesty.

Books can be scarce for many families, and books that are not white-focused are amongst the last donated. All books will be given to students through our partner agencies working with school-aged children in Northeast Florida.

You can help future generations come to a greater understanding of their world by donating one book, or many! Download a list of Antiracism children's literature by grade level here, or go straight to our Amazon Wishlists:

Books for Elementary School Books for Middle School Books for High School

When you are ready to make a donation, please contact our project coordinator here.

 

For those that need service hours, we will give one half-hour plus one hour for two books collected, capped at 10.5 hours for one participant.

 

Safety First

Safety is paramount! Please read and follow these precautions before beginning this volunteer project:

Do not purchase items or prepare care packages if anyone in your household is sick When packaging goods, wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face Donated items must be unopened, new, and not expired

Wouldn’t you like to help people to make the best decisions possible about their health
insurance coverage? 

Being a SHINE volunteer is very rewarding and a great service to your community! SHINE volunteers are not affiliated with any insurance company and do not sell insurance--it is a statewide volunteer program offering seniors, adults with disabilities and their caregiver’s free, unbiased counseling on Medicare and health insurance issues.

Bilingual volunteers needed!
To learn more, call
(904) 391-6631
Log on to
www.floridashine.org
to complete the application.
Calling All Problem Solvers, Achievers and Leaders:
Join the SHINE Team!

Alleviate Child Hunger in Full Service Schools

Many children within Duval County do not have regular access to food. As you can imagine, this instability has an impact on their health and academic success. Snack packs will alleviate some of their discomfort and worry that negatively affects their learning, social interactions, and ability to enjoy life as a child should. This is an opportunity to help Full Service Schools address this barrier to success. This need was also created to aid families heavily affected by the pandemic.

Packs can be completed in three easy steps:

1) Decorate a blank paper bag. A bright, colorful bag can really cheer up a child of any age! 

2) Stuff the bag with the following items (all items should be easy to open, non-perishable, and should need a microwave at most to cook):

Shelf-stable milk, chocolate milk, or 100% juice Easy Mac, Tuna Salad or chicken salad kit Kashi bar, Kind or another granola bar Popcorn/Chip Bag Applesauce or fruit cup Napkin Fork/ spoon

3) Create a positive, motivational card for the child and place it in each bag.

4) When you have completed the project and are ready to donate your bags, please contact our project coordinator here.

 

Safety First

Safety is paramount! Please read and follow these precautions before beginning this volunteer project:

Do not purchase items or prepare care packages if anyone in your household is sick When packaging goods, wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face Donated items must be unopened, new, and not expired

Volunteer Hours

For those that require service hours, one half-hour plus one hour for every two complete snack packs with card will be given for one participant. 

 

Many universities and colleges are now requiring freshmen to live on campus their first year. For those students that are the first in their family to ever go to college, this can be a daunting and completely unexpected expenditure. You can help offset a few of these expenses by putting together a dorm kit for these excited students!

You can download a list of supplies needed by clicking here or check out our Amazon wish list by clicking here.

First Generation College Starter Kits are one of our (DIY) Do it Yourself Volunteer Projects. DIY Volunteering allows families and groups of all ages and sizes to participate in flexible and meaningful community service opportunities from the comfort of their own homes or offices. DIY projects can be combined with social events, business meetings, celebrations, and more. You or your team will host a drive or purchase the supplies, complete the project, and drop off the completed project at the site. You may log your hours through the self log feature of your profile after registering for the event and completing your project.

United Way of Northeast Florida will help you coordinate the drop off of the completed kits. Just let us know when you have completed the kit(s).

For those needing project hours, we will give one half-hour plus five hours for each completed kit per one participant.

For any questions, please contact us here.

 

There is currently an urgent need for food at Lutheran Social Service's Nourishment Network Market. Pantry usage was 17% higher in 2022 than in 2021.

Food drives are a critical way volunteers can address a real community needs individually or as a group, family, school or neighborhood. Food items that you collect will benefit a family in need through Lutheran Social Services. 

Most needed items are nonperishable food items, peanut butter, canned meats, dried beans, rice, grains, pasta, sauces, canned vegetables, granola bars, 'add water' types of meals (dried rice and pasta dishes, etc.). When selecting items, please keep in mind that items that are too high in sodium are not good for anyone!

For guidance on what items to collect, United Way of Northeast Florida has created a chart of how much food it takes to feed a family. Please download this document and use it when creating a wish list or shopping list.

Drop off donations to our office at 4615 Philips Hwy, Jacksonville, FL 32207. Contact Nourish Network manager, James Perrigan, for coordinating large donations.

The LSS Nourishment Network food pantry is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and additional hours on Tuesday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

LSS encourages individuals to deliver food donations when the food pantry is closed in order for staff to assist

United Way can document community service hours for those that need them and will give one hour for every 15 items donated. One item counts as each package donated: one can of soup is one item and a six count package of apple sauce is one item. Just contact us here with questions.

Ensure families have the food they need. Volunteers are needed to sort, pack and stock donated food items Tuesday-Saturday for distribution to those without food within 19 counties in Northeast Florida. In addition, there are also opportunities to help with their mobile food panty distributions!

You can learn more about United Way's partner, Feeding Northeast Florida, by visiting their website here

Please note:

If you are interested in volunteering with Feeding Northeast Florida, DO NOT SIGN UP THROUGH THIS PAGE. Instead, please go to the official Feeding Northeast Florida volunteer site at the link below where you will find more information and can view and sign up for shifts:

https://feedingnefl.org/volunteer/