Big Give Week 2020: On-Site Volunteer Registration

Big Give Week is right around the corner, and we won’t be able to prepare and distribute 1,500 Thanksgiving meal bags to our community without the support of awesome volunteers. To create the safest possible environment for our volunteers this year, our procedures have changed this year. Please read the instructions below carefully before signing up. 

Minimum age eligibility

As you will see, there are age restrictions listed for different volunteer roles on-site. This is a difficult change this year, as we know that the youngest members of our volunteer team are some of our most dedicated, and bring so much energy to the Big Give. For safety reasons, this year we can only host volunteers ages 10+ for our bag packing and hygiene packing activities, and 13+ for our distribution activities. All volunteers under 18 years old volunteer with a parent or legal guardian.

We invite our volunteers under 10 years old to participate in one of the different remote activities, which are great for volunteers of all ages!

One maximum on-site volunteer shift

For safety purposes, volunteers will sign up for volunteer shifts by household, up to four people per household. Each household will have its own socially-distanced station to complete the activity. To create opportunity for as many volunteers as possible to contribute to this event, volunteers/each volunteer household may only sign up for one shift. 

How to Sign Up

Click here for a video about how to use the sign-up portal.

Volunteers shifts are listed by type of activity, date and time of volunteer shift. The number of open slots for each shift represents the number of volunteer stations (not one slot per individual volunteer).

• Your household (between 1 – 4 people) will sign up for a shift on signup genius by signing up one person as the Household Captain, or primary contact for that household. In the “notes” section of the sign up is where you will list the names of all other members of the household who will attend. That will hold your volunteer shift/slot. 
• Once you complete the signup genius for the Household Captain, you will be connected to our online form to fill out basic information and waivers for each individual member of your household who will volunteer. 
• Complete that online form on behalf of each member of the household who will be attending your household’s Big Give Week shift. This form will request the basic information of Full Name, Birthdate, Emergency Contact Information. It will also be where you complete the Karsh Center Volunteer Waiver and COVID-19 On-Site Safety Protocol. 

What if there are no spots left for sign-up? 

If all volunteer shifts appear full, please add your information to our waitlist here as soon as possible, and we will reach out if any shifts become available.  

Description of Volunteer Roles

Bag Preparation (Age 10+ years old): 

Bag preparation volunteers will be at a station for their household, which will be set-up to pack  an allotment of Thanksgiving meal bags. They will be responsible for packing all of the nonperishable contents of their allotted bags, and moving those bags to where they will be stored until distribution.  

Volunteers taking on this role should be comfortable being on their feet for the duration of their volunteer shift, as well as lifting and moving dozens of bags. 

This activity will take place on the ground floor of the parking lot, where individual households will work at socially distanced stations. 

Hygiene Kit Preparation (Age 10+ years old):

Hygiene Kit Preparation volunteers will be at a station for their household, which will be set-up with all items to prepare hygiene kits, which will be given out later in the week with the Thanksgiving meal bags. 

Volunteers taking on this role should be comfortable being on their feet for the duration of their volunteer shift.

This activity will take place on the ground floor of the parking lot, where individual households will work at socially distanced stations. 

Thanksgiving Bag Distribution (Ages 13+ years old): 

Distribution volunteers will assist with distributing full Thanksgiving meal bags to clients who come to the Karsh Center. This will include: lifting and moving bags of nonperishable items, turkeys and pies, and of course, handing these items off to members of our community! Distribution will take place both in the Leanse-Ratner Family Food Pantry in the Karsh Center, as well as a drive-through lane in the WBT parking lot. Volunteer households will be assigned to either of those spaces when they arrive, depending upon distribution needs. 

Volunteers taking on this role should be prepared to be on their feet for the duration of their shift, and ready to do some moving and lifting. Volunteers in this role that will interact most directly with our clients and greater community. 

COVID-19 Policy

All on-site activities will be conducted according to strict on-site COVID-19 safety protocols, including a requirement to wear a mask while on-site; a limited number of individuals on-site per volunteer shift; wellness screenings prior to arriving and upon arriving at-site; and maintaining adequate physical distance from others while on-site as a volunteer or picking up a bag. More information regarding the health and safety protocols can be found at  https://www.wbtla.org/coronavirus-safety-updates.