Safe Harbor of Greater West Chester is an independent, nonprofit organization providing food, shelter, friendship, counseling and recovery opportunities to homeless men and women in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Safe Harbor's objectives focus on rehabilitation, treatment, employment, financial stability and housing for its residents, and, ultimately, moving into stable housing.
They use VolunteerSpot to coordinate the many volunteers who help out at the organization providing meals, companionship, and more.
Today, our spotlight shines on Patty Sobecki, volunteer coordinator for Safe Harbor.
****
Please tell us a little about yourself and about your work with Safe Harbor.
I am the volunteer coordinator for Safe Harbor, a homeless shelter serving 20 single homeless men and 20 single homeless women in West Chester, Pennsylvania. I've held this position for over four years and it has grown tremendously. At first, I coordinated about 35 volunteers and worked approximately 12-15 hours per week, but when we completed renovations on the shelter this year, doubling our capacity, we expanded our list to over 85 volunteers! These volunteers work directly with our residents. We also have a Food Services Director who works with over 250 volunteers!
What are your volunteer needs for Safe Harbor?We have five volunteer shifts every day of the year. These volunteers assist our evening staff and work directly with residents. The volunteers distribute mail, messages, and faxes to residents, collect and distribute resident's needs, dine and socialize with residents and help supervise resident chores. They also help when residents move in or pack up their belongings if they leave.
We also utilize volunteers in the kitchen cooking and/or serving meals. We offer a community lunch Monday through Friday, and provide two dinners per week. Volunteers can sign up in advance to prepare a meal or serve and clean up after the meal. In addition, we utilize volunteers to provide an activity for our residents. We currently offer Yoga, Art Appreciation, Computer Connection and Knitting classes, Card Club, Game Night, and Movie Night.How did you get interested in volunteering? Do you also volunteer in other areas of your life?
Growing up in a family that was committed to our church and community, I have volunteered all my life. I did extensive volunteering while my children were in elementary school, starting with lunch room mom and evolving to lead the school's Spring Fair and then becoming Home and School president. In between my commitments with their school, I volunteered as the director of our local food pantry for over two years which eventually led to the Manager of Food Programs in our county, leading the distribution of food and funding to over 40 feeding agencies.
Do you have one piece of advice for volunteers or their leaders out there?Since I've been both a volunteer and coordinator of volunteers my best piece of advice would be to make sure every single volunteer that comes to your organization is given the opportunity to feel important and included in the mission of the organization. It is important to delegate the work and not try to do everything yourself because there is no need for that.
Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?
The time it took me to schedule over 85 volunteers every other month was incredible. Since I work only part-time and many of our volunteers have full time jobs, it was difficult for me to catch everyone by phone. The calls back and forth could add up to 3 or 4 calls per volunteer. VolunteerSpot is meeting a great need for our agency and after using it for just one month, it has been extremely successful and welcoming to the volunteers.
****
We salute Patty and all the other volunteer leaders out there helping those in need. If you're interested in learning more about or supporting the good work of Safe Harbor of Greater Westchester, PA, please click here.
If you're using VolunteerSpot, write and tell us about what you're doing and give us a chance to shine our Volunteer Spotlight on you!! Just email us at [email protected]
