The Helpline Volunteer position answers calls and provides advocacy for survivors of domestic abuse and/or sex trafficking on Safe Voices’ 24-hour Helpline. Common tasks for this volunteer role include: 

• Receiving dispatched calls from the Helpline answering service and returning that call to the survivor who needs support. 

• Offering emotional support, information, and safety planning by phone. 

• Completing data sheets for any calls and returning them to a Safe Voices staff member for entry into our secure system. 

• Following strict confidentiality and safety rules  

• Work with Safe Voices staff to problem solve any issues that arise, make mandated reports if child abuse is disclosed, pass along urgent safety information, etc.  

Helpline Volunteers should: 

• Be extremely reliable 

• Have a working cell phone and internet connection 

• Possess excellent situational judgement 

• Have compassion and empathy 

• Be able to maintain good boundaries 

Location: Anywhere 

Hours: 4-hour blocks, any time  

• Helpline operates 24-hours a day, every day 

• Volunteers are able to volunteer for any 4-hour block  

• Safe Voices prefers if a volunteer can work the same block consistently (for example, every Monday from 8am-noon or every other Saturday from 8pm-midnight) 

Training & Documentation Required: This volunteer position requires a background check & fingerprinting (paid for by Safe Voices) and successful completion of our 55-hour Comprehensive Advocacy, Response, Intervention, and Ethics Training (CAIRET) (provided free of charge by Safe Voices). 

CAIRET equips volunteers with the necessary skills to support callers on our 24-hour Helpline. All material is approached with a survivor-centered lens that emphasizes empowerment, collaboration, and inclusion. CAIRET is offered 2-4 times a year and requires a commitment of about 3-4 hours a day for two weeks (Monday-Friday classes only).

The Boutique Volunteer position helps operate the Safe Voices Free Boutique. Common tasks for this volunteer role include: 

• Cleaning (especially sweeping, dusting, and occasionally mopping) 

• Unpacking donations & stocking shelves 

• Checking expiration dates and discarded expired food items 

• Rotating seasonal items 

• Bringing unused items to donate to Maine Needs or Goodwill 

• Discarding unusable items in the trash 

• Noting for staff if there are obvious “holes” in our stock  

Location:  Safe Voices, 100 Lisbon St., Lewiston, ME 04240  

Hours: This work can be done in 2- to 4-hour blocks anytime between 8am-4pm  Monday through Thursday. 

Training & Documentation Required: This volunteer position requires a background check & fingerprinting (paid for by Safe Voices). There is no required training other than a brief overview of the space with staff. 

The Reception Volunteer position helps staff the Safe Voices Admin Office in Lewiston in the front reception/lobby area. Typical tasks include: 

• Answering the agency’s main phone line and directing calls 

• Answering the doorbell 

• Accepting deliveries 

• Directing expected visitors 

• Welcoming walk-in requests for advocacy by completing a walk-in questionnaire, getting the person settled and offering them a drink and/or snack, and notifying the advocacy team of a need for service 

• Staffing the front desk space 

• Occasionally re-stocking snacks and drinks in the survivor waiting area 

Location:  Safe Voices,100 Lisbon St., Lewiston, ME 04240  

Hours: This work can be done in 4-hour blocks anytime between 8am-4pm  Monday through Thursday.

Training & Documentation Required: This volunteer position requires a background check & fingerprinting (paid for by Safe Voices) and informational training about Safe Voices and our services, as well as training on how to respond to common questions. 

We are seeking individuals and groups who want to volunteer to run food & supply 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. Volunteers just need to bring their own folding table and chairs.

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

Learn about the kinds of drives we often need here.