Soup Kitchen Volunteers:   We are looking for volunteers to help out in the Soup Kitchens on the second Saturday of the month (January 14th).  Volunteers go to the Assumption Church Dining Room located in the church hall on Amherst & Peter Streets between Grant and Elmwood.  Four volunteers are needed at 8:15 a.m. to help prepare the food.  Six additional volunteers are needed at 11:30 a.m. to set up the trays, serve the food and do the dishes.  Volunteers are also needed for the Friends of the Night People Dining Room located at 394 Hudson Street at Wadsworth at the end of Allen Street.  Three Volunteers are needed from 3:30-6 p.m. to prepare the food; 2 from 4:15-5 p.m. to prepare the food serving area; 6 volunteers from 5-7 p.m. to serve the food & maintain the guest list; 3 more volunteers are needed at 7 p.m. to complete the clean up. Volunteers must be at least 11 years old & accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.  In addition to volunteering at the pantry specific food items are needed for Night People.  You may volunteer to provide those items or to serve in one of the dining rooms by signing up in the Community Room.

The Ronald McDonald House has 15 bedrooms and can accommodate 45 people each day (not counting babies in cribs!). A household of 45 (or more) needs lots of tender loving care every day to keep it tidy, safe and cheerful.

The House depends on volunteers to make it feel like a home-away-from-home for families with sick children.

Groups plan menus, shop for menu items, and prepare meals in the House kitchen for our guests. Some groups choose to bake goodies for our families. Cooks must be at least high school age (14 years old) and supervised by an adult at all times.

Please note that we are scheduling one to two months in advance.

Contact Lynn Hughes at (716) 883-1177 for more information about this program or to schedule a day to cook for our guests.

Neighborhood Clean-up -

Grab your children, gloves and garbage bags and take a walk around your neighborhood picking up trash. Get fresh air, exercise and make the world a more beautiful place starting with your own block!

Do it Yourself Food Drive -

Pick a date, put flyers on your neighbors doors and then go around collecting the non-perishables. Parents drive and kids collect the bags. Take them as a family to the nearest Food Pantry (call them ahead to arrange a drop-off). Ask them about volunteering to sort what you collected too if you can.

Heifer International's mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth.

By giving families a hand-up, not just a hand-out, we empower them to turn lives of hunger and poverty into self-reliance and hope.

With gifts of livestock and training, Heifer projects help families improve their nutrition and generate income in sustainable ways. We refer to the animals as "living loans" because in exchange for their livestock and training, families agree to give one of its animal's offspring to another family in need. It's called Passing on the Gift – a cornerstone of our mission that creates an ever-expanding network of hope and peace.

  Donate Your Old Bike - when your sole mode of transportation is your own two feet, a bycycle can make all thev difference. Wheels of Change ships used bikes (plus seats, wheels, and helmets) from the U.S. to Africa, where they will be sold or rented at low cost; schoolchildren & medical volunteers ride free. To donate visit www.wocinternational.org.