COVID-19 has hindered many different things, but it has also made way for a plethora of volunteer opportunities. Now it is easier than ever to help others. Support can be provided virtually but there are also still several in-person volunteer opportunities. Whichever way, there are still people in the community that need help.

    Seniors are significantly impacted by COVID-19, and those who don’t have family members or people to care for them are even more affected. Volunteer Chore Services is an organization working to provide resources and support for seniors during this time. 

    According to VolunteerMatch, the organization Volunteer Chore Services is described as “a program of Catholic Charities, providing basic in-home assistance to low-income elders and adults with disabilities.”

    Volunteer Chore Services offers many different volunteer opportunities to the citizens of Wenatchee. One opportunity is helping seniors stay safe at home by shopping for their needs. Volunteers will shop for seniors, so they don’t have to leave their homes and put themselves in harm’s way. VolunteerMatch describes this opportunity as a “vital link between the most vulnerable people in our community and the essential needs that can be difficult to access during this time.” 

    Volunteers can also help with chores and around the house projects. Prolonged illness can make an elderly  or disabled adult unable to keep their house in order. This opportunity helps with tasks like yard and small painting projects, and tidying up or cleaning spaces. VolunteerMatch explains what it feels like for volunteers to help out in their community “experience the satisfaction of helping a senior stay safely and with dignity in their homes.”

    Volunteer Chore Services provides support and hope to seniors and disabled people in our community. This group of people needs more help than ever. It has only become harder and harder for them to get the necessary resources. 

    Chelan/Douglas Land Trust (CDLT) is also offering several outdoor volunteer opportunities. These include the Birding at Mountain Home Preserve which involves a small group of people who collect data on birds. This allows volunteers to spend time in the nature surrounding Leavenworth. The CDLT website describes volunteering at Mountain Home Preserve as “collaborations between scientists and volunteers that expand opportunities for scientific data collection and help answer real-world questions.”

    Another opportunity is Make a Difference Day  on Oct. 24. where the CDLT is hosting a volunteer event at Jacobson Preserve. At the event, volunteers will help spread sagebrush wood chips to help the trail stay free of mud during the winter. Volunteers can sign up online on the CDLT website. CDLT is working hard to keep the event safe for everyone involved. Volunteers can sign up as small groups, and everyone will stay socially distanced with masks. The CDLT website explains how they are helping the Wenatchee valley with their volunteer opportunities “this trail project is another benefit of a neighborhood fire-resiliency project, where sagebrush was thinned to prevent the spread and intensity of future wildfires in the area.” This project is provided to everyone, and is a  way to help the environment of our trails. 

    Volunteering can be as simple as offering to babysit a neighbor’s kids for one night or helping a friend out with homework. It’s a step people can take to help others and their community. Nowadays, the world may seem different, but people can add a light by helping someone else out. The greatest gift to give right now is helping others.

Website URLs

• Help seniors stay at home by shopping for their needs  
• Fun group projects helping seniors 
• Birding at Mountain Home Preserve 
• Make a Difference Day Jacobson Preserve