Survivors of domestic abuse—or those affected by it—often find themselves wanting to help someone else in the same situation.  Whether or not you fall into either of those categories, you may find real satisfaction and great reward in volunteering your time with a domestic violence or sexual assault advocacy program or shelter.  No matter how much time and energy you have, there is always some need to be met; someone who needs help in maybe the smallest of ways.  In fact, with a little bit of imagination, you may be able to create something truly valuable in your community that may cause a ripple effect of people helping others in ways you may not even imagine right now.

     Does the price of gas give you nightmares?  Imagine yourself with two or three children, an empty gas tank, and a violent, intoxicated husband who has thrown you and the kids out in the middle of the night.  Even a partial tank of gas would be pretty welcome at that moment, wouldn’t it?  Organizing a drive in your community for twenty-five dollar gas cards to have on hand for emergency situations such as this could be a lifesaver for someone.  An oil change for someone who is being forced to start her life all over with few resources is also something you and I might take for granted but could mean a lot to someone with nothing.

     Does your community have a food bank?  Have you ever volunteered to spend a couple of hours there stocking shelves or doing a food drive?  Again, when someone has nothing and is trying to start a new life—often with children to care for—these are the things that matter.  Do you own or rent a storage unit?  Donations often come into programs that are unable to be stored simply due to a lack of storage space.  You could be the person that helps someone get a fresh start with household items, furniture, or just the odds and ends that go into creating a new household.

     If your heart leads you in the direction of crisis intervention and more of a “hands on” type of advocacy, there are many ways to give of yourself, as well.  Hi-Line’s Help covers a huge area, as do some other programs, and volunteer advocates are a valuable commodity.  If you live in any of the counties of our service area, we would welcome your help as an advocate.   Those include Chouteau, Liberty, Toole, Pondera, Glacier and Teton.

     If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or organizing a volunteer effort of any type, please contact us.  There is no “right” way to volunteer nor is there any limit to the number of ideas caring people can create and develop in their communities. 

I WOULD

LOVE TO

HELP

OUT!!

VOLUNTEERING THROUGH COMMUNITY ACTION