Volunteers & Interns

Volunteering

Food Drives

Currently, we are seeking individuals and groups who want to volunteer to run food drives at local stores a few times a quarter, or who want to host food and supply drives at their business, church, library, etc. These drives are vital in keeping our Free Boutique for Survivors stocked with the many things survivors need as they move into a new home, and they’re a perfect community service project for a school group, Scouting troop, business volunteer day, and more. Groups need to have one 18+ member who acts as the coordinator and the responsible chaperone for any minors. Since this is not a survivor-facing volunteer position, Food Drive volunteers do not need to complete a background check, and Food Drives can take place in any of the counties we serve (Androscoggin, Franklin, or Oxford). Food Drive supplies will be used to stock our Free Boutique in Lewiston and our Resource Center’s Food Pantry in Farmington, as well as as-needed support through our Outreach Office in Rumford and our Rural Advocacy program.

Food Drive volunteers will be given tabling supplies, literature, and how-to guides, as well as a list of any high-need items to focus on at that time. If we are scheduling the Food Drive at a local store, Safe Voices staff will take care of permissions, date scheduling, and contacting the store. Volunteers just need to bring their own folding table and chairs. If you are hosting the Food Drive at your own business or other space, we will provide all of the same support, just with you taking the lead on the hosting space.

Volunteer groups and individuals should email giving@safevoices.org to get started!

D ownload an application packet here.

Free Boutique

Volunteers in our Free Boutique for Survivors spend time stocking shelves, folding clothes, doing light cleaning, and generally taking on tasks to keep the Boutique looking and feeling warm, welcoming, and dignified for the survivors who use it. In addition to creating a nice space for survivors to rebuild, any volunteer time in the Free Boutique takes cleaning and upkeep off our staffs’ plates so they can spend more time being survivor-focused, so it makes a significant impact on both staff and survivors. This is usually a light commitment of 1-4 hours a week or every other week, depending on volunteer availability.

D ownload an application packet here.

Helpline

Safe Voices seeks volunteers to cover shifts on our 24-hour Helpline. Shifts are scheduled in 4-hour blocks, and volunteers generally take one or two blocks a week, choosing to always work the same block of time or scheduling days as needed with the support of our Helpline scheduler.

Helpline volunteers are there to listen and support individuals experiencing or affected by domestic violence. The Helpline is often the first point of contact a victim or survivor has with our services. Volunteers are trained by Safe Voices staff to provide advocacy and empower others.

Trainings for Helpline volunteers happen roughly four times a year and are a 55-hour commitment, so we don’t begin a training until we have a handful of participants. Qualified volunteers must be at least 18 years of age, attend all scheduled trainings, and pass criminal and DHHS background checks. Once those are done, we will keep your name on our list of upcoming trainees, and we’ll stay in touch with you and give you at least four weeks notice of the next training date. The first step to becoming a Helpline volunteer is to email your application packet (below) to giving@safevoices.org.

D ownload an application packet here.

Helpline Training

All prospective volunteers will be required to complete Safe Voices’ advocacy training known as CAIRET: Comprehensive Advocacy, Intervention Response and Ethics Training. This training equips volunteers with the necessary skills to support callers on our 24-hour Helpline.All material is approached with a social justice lens that emphasizes empowerment, collaboration, and inclusion. The CAIRET is offered throughout the year, with exact dates being released at least four weeks before training starts.