Do Good: Sonoma Valley volunteer opportunities this September

I have been helping with this section of the Sonoma Index-Tribune for six months, and am very encouraged by the response. I totally understand that not all schedules avail time to volunteer. And, I feel that news highlighting issues that most people have little or no influence over can be overwhelming.

My experience is that, if you are able, turning toward local needs can be not only helpful to an individual or community, but is also personally rewarding and comforting. You can “do what you can where you are.”

I recently had a friend say he starts his day being thankful for the bonus day, and thinks about how he can be useful. These thoughts are simple, but I think sum up what many are spending a lot of time talking and writing about in the quest to live a fulfilling life.

My favorite quote has always been from Mother Teresa: “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” So thank you for your interest in and support of this section. Volunteering, even if a little, is crucial and will make a difference for our community and for you — of this I am sure.

If you know of any organization that could use volunteers, please let us know at [email protected].

— Allyson Etherington, Use Your Grain

“I am one of those people who has been very blessed in my life,” said Jules Sales, a local volunteer. “I never went hungry or worried about where I would sleep at night. But I have always known that I was a lucky one, and many people did not have my same advantages.”

She continued, “This does not feel right. Volunteering, feeding people, seems like the very least I can do to try to equalize some of the injustices in our society. Growing up, my mom was always telling us we had to live by the Golden Rule — do unto others as you would have them do unto you. There are multitudes of opportunities to reach out and improve our community, and working with SOS is where I feel welcome and able to assist in fixing some little part of the problems in our world.“

“For more than 20 years, it’s been my pleasure and passion to help prepare food for our neighbors that need a little help, from sandwiches in brown bags to burritos, to dinner at the Brown Bagger Cafe at La Luz, to Wednesday lunches at the Grange,” said longtime volunteer Patti England. “Those enterprises were child’s play compared to the SOS breakfast and lunch operation now in operation. We become a team, our shifts are important to us, it’s feel good work, it’s fun and I’ve learned a ton about cooking for a crowd.”

Volunteers needed at the following places.

Volunteers need to create a volunteer profile and sign a waiver at volunteer.refb.org.

Sonoma Ecology Center welcomes volunteers for its Sonoma Creek Cleanup Day on Saturday, Sept. 23 from 9 a.m. to noon. To sign up, email [email protected].

Drop-in Volunteering at Sonoma Garden Park. These drop-in hours are for individual as well as group and corporate volunteering. If you want to set up a volunteering time for your group or company, email [email protected].

Volunteer Every Third Friday Workday at Sonoma Garden Park. The Third Friday Work Days are a good way for new volunteers to come out to the park, get oriented and meet new people and they get to enjoy a sandwich at the end of the work day. Registration required at sonomaecologycenter.org.

Looking for Entertainers: Singers, musicians, artists, storytellers and social assistants are needed to help seniors with cognitive impairments participate in activities, discussions, exercise, entertainment, games, arts and crafts, and lunch. Locations in Sonoma, Santa Rosa or Sebastopol. Volunteer days vary, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Background check required. Please contact Leigh Galten at [email protected] or 707-525-0143, ext. 121/councilonaging.com/volunteers.

Volunteer on The Farm, 1755 Napa Road in Sonoma. Involves dog care: Available shifts are seven days per week, for two hours. Socializing, exercising and kennels and play yard clean up. Also needed, dog intake: Thursday, mid to late afternoon. Vaccinations: Sundays, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Also needed, transportation specialists for dog pick up: Thursday afternoons to Emeryville, Fridays to and from vet in Antioch, and dogs to and from rabies shot facility in Petaluma, Sundays, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Pet Food Express: Saturdays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition, those who have a talent with or passion for dogs will find a spot for it: administration and marketing, for example.

To be a part of a great dog rescue organization, contact [email protected], or fill out the volunteer application @ ILoveFamilyDog.org Ongoing need: fostering dogs. This is very flexible in terms of time and dog types, and is critical to the organization.

Help feed Sonoma at Homeless Action Sonoma’s weekly Sunday Supper. Volunteers needed for the weekly Sunday Supper. Prepare a meal for approximately 30 people for our Sunday meals for the sheltered and unsheltered, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Warm and Safe Village, 18820 Sonoma Highway. Ideally, volunteers can make a monthly commitment. Help with set up and cleanup is welcomed. Contact Faye Mellos at 650-444-7560 or [email protected].

Join the Sugarloaf new volunteer orientation on Sunday, Oct. 15 from one to 4 p.m. Volunteers will learn that they are crucial to keeping Sugarloaf Ridge State Park open and accessible to all. If an interested individual is available for a minimum of four hours per month, their help could be used.

Find out more about volunteering roles at sugarloafpark.org.

General volunteers are needed for various shelter tasks on an ongoing basis. Tasks include, but are not limited to, bagging pet food for community outreach, cat socializers, and event volunteers.

Lost Pet Recovery Team for immediate on-call action to offer support services to finders and pet parents of a missing pet, and to help distribute and remove flyers in the community.

Please visit petslifeline.org/volunteer to sign up.

Sonoma Ecology Center is looking for volunteer content creators, photographers and videographers to help capture and present the good work they are doing in the community. Join them during education events including field trips, outings, hikes, workshops and other community events to document the activities. Spanish proficiency preferred. There are opportunities throughout the year on both weekdays and weekends. Email [email protected] to get involved.

FISH is a nonprofit that has provided basic human service to Sonoma Valley for the past 52 years. Food, clothing, medical equipment, rides to medical appointments, referrals, and rent and utility assistance are a part of FISH. With new, expanded services, volunteers are needed to prepare produce bags on Fridays, and for food distribution on Saturdays.

Drivers to medical appointments are also needed. FISH provides rides to local and out of town medical appointments. Call 707-996-0111 or go to friendsinsonomahelping.org under “contact us.”

Volunteers are needed by Homeless Action Sonoma on an ongoing basis, usually weekdays. Detailed and computer literate data entry is needed for a few hours a week in the office just off The Plaza, using the county coordinated entry system. Also looking for office volunteers for a few hours a week to help with emails and phone calls to supporters.

Contact: [email protected] or call the office 707-991-0455 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Meals on Wheels seeks volunteer cooks each weekday morning. Since 1974, Meals on Wheels of Sonoma it has provided nutritious and delicious meals to homebound clients of all ages and tried to give them a daily window into the outside world.

The nonprofit, formally registered as Sonoma Home Meals, Inc., subsists entirely on individual donations, as it receives no federal or state funding. Clients who are able contribute $5 per day. Each client receives two meals per day Monday through Friday: a hot meal consisting of an entrée, a vegetable or salad, bread, a dessert and a bag lunch of a freshly made sandwich, fruit and cookies. A special meal is delivered for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Historically, the organization has approximately 100 volunteers to prepare meals, deliver meals, plan menus, shop and keep the books, but it now finds itself critically short of volunteers. After many years of phenomenally consistent dedication, many on the Wednesday and Friday cooking crews have needed to retire.

Cooking crew volunteers are needed each weekday morning, especially on Wednesdays and Fridays. Volunteering time is typically from 8 to 11 a.m. The organization would be grateful for volunteers to help on a regular basis, one day per week. Volunteers who join in making the meals love the company of creative, collaborative kindred spirits and the great satisfaction their efforts produce.

Volunteers cook in the kitchen at Trinity Episcopal Church, 275 E. Spain St. in Sonoma. Contact Lana Brewer, Thursday crew, at: [email protected].

SOS is a nonprofit dedicated to sheltering the homeless and feeding the hungry in Sonoma and Sonoma Valley. Founded in 2003, SOS currently supports their clientele in finding safe housing and serves more than 300 free meals each weekday at Sonoma Springs Community Hall on Highway 12.

The number of people in need is growing. Recently, a record-breaking 6,003 meals were served. Volunteer help is urgently needed at The Springs on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons to prepare the hall for the next day’s shift. This volunteer shift is from noon to 3 p.m. and involves site cleaning and food preparation. Other shifts are also available.

Contact volunteer coordinator Andy Gonzalez at 415-810-9051 or sign up online at sonomaovernightsupport.org.

Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) needs volunteers to work and establish a relationship with a child in foster care. CASA recruits, trains and supports volunteers to help make the lives of foster youth better. CASA volunteers work one on one with a child or sibling group in foster care to ensure their needs are met. Not only do CASA volunteers provide vital information to the courts to facilitate better-informed decisions for the foster child: They also take the child on fun outings to have new experiences, help them enjoy the season and make new memories.

Research shows that children in foster care who have a CASA

CASA believes that all children in foster care deserve someone who can help them to understand their situation and can advocate fiercely on their behalf.

Volunteers must be at least 21 years old. CASA volunteers have the desire, willingness and ability to help mentor a child, making at least a two-year commitment. Volunteers must attend CASA training sessions, successfully complete a CASA background screening, receive CASA program staff supervision, and work effectively with other foster care system professionals and report to the court.

To learn more about the roles and responsibilities of a CASA volunteer, visit sonomacasa.org.

Looking for foster families for dogs and cats. Fostering is a great way to help a shelter animal on a temporary basis. Pets benefit greatly from the relative quiet, stability and just plain fun of home life. Pets Lifeline provides the supplies, medical care, guidance and support. Foster families provide the love, attention, training on basic house manners and a relaxing, safe environment.

Pets Lifeline also needs a front desk volunteer to assist the shelter with walk-in needs from community members. It is looking for someone who is friendly and has a passion to help animals. Ideally, this person will be bilingual.

Please visit petslifeline.org/volunteer to sign up.

Sonoma Sister Cities Association, a 501c3 nonprofit, is seeking to expand volunteers for its seven sister cities committees and its board of directors. Since 1986, Sonoma Sister Cities Association has had an international impact through local community involvement.

To learn more, join them association on Thursday, Sept. 14 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery. Come and meet the board of directors and find out how to help foster citizen diplomacy, benefit the Sonoma community and have fun.

Sonoma has seven Sister Cities on four continents:

The organization’s citizen diplomats are ordinary citizens who, as a group of volunteers, pursue municipal, business, trade, educational, humanitarian, social and cultural exchanges with our sister cities. Under the auspices of the City of Sonoma and with the support of local elected officials, the local association is a driving part of Sister City International’s global network of sister city partnerships.

Volunteers are sought for committee involvement, grant writing, social media management, global citizen diplomacy publicity and for directors at large with unique skills.

For more information, contact Stephanie Fine, vice president, at [email protected] or see sscasonoma.org.

The mentoring alliance needs mentors for the 2023-24 school year. Mentors meet for one hour a week in one of Sonoma’s school-based mentor centers on campus during the school day. Mentors say that becoming a mentor is life-changing for the mentee and the mentor. Helping a child discover what's possible is giving back in a way that's almost impossible to describe.

Visit sonomamentoring.org or call 707-938-1990 to learn more.

Seeks a volunteer musician for Sweetwater Spectrum’s music enrichment groups to lead the residents in playing music. Any kind of musician would be great. Some drums and shakers are on site. Other welcomed music includes singing and guitar playing. Traditionally, music is planned for Monday evenings at 6 p.m., but this is flexible due to schedule changes. Volunteers would be playing music with people with autism and other developmental disabilities. If you’re interested, call 707-996-3104 or email [email protected]

Volunteers are needed for crisis line counselors. Verity offers free training to become a California State Certified crisis line counselor and help survivors of sexual assault. Training is remote, via Zoom, on Monday, Sept. 11.

Contact Desiree McGunagle at 707-360-2057 or [email protected]. See also www.ourverity.org.