Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston brings people of diverse faith traditions together for dialogue, collaboration, and service.The organization has a vision to ensure peace, understanding, tolerance, and respect in the Houston community. The organization’s major programs help serve the elderly and refugees.

Ongoing  Program Volunteer Opportunities:

1.Meals on Wheels:

• Meal Delivery: Volunteers pick-up hot, nutritious meals during lunchtime (Monday – Friday) and hand-deliver them directly to the homes of seniors and persons with disabilities. Pick up times are between 10:30-11am from of one of five Interfaith Ministries distribution sites. Deliveries typically take about 1-1.5 hours to complete.
• Volunteer Coordinator: Coordinate meal distribution for volunteer drivers at an assigned distribution site. Volunteer Coordinator shifts are Monday-Friday from 9am-Noon.
• Warehouse Crew: Work with warehouse staff and volunteers to organize and pack meal components including hot meals, sides, and beverages to be delivered to Meals on Wheels clients. Shifts are Monday-Friday from 8am-11am. This opportunity is only available at Midtown locations.
• Volunteers are needed and register at 5 locations:
  • Meals on Wheels Midtown (3202 San Jacinto Street Houston, Texas 77004)
  • St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in the Heights
  • Humble Area Assistance Ministries in Humble
  • Covenant Lutheran Church in Katy
  • Katy Methodist Church in Katy
  • Galveston County location(s) (coming soon!)

2.aniMeals on Wheels

• aniMeals on Wheels Delivery Driver: Once a month help to deliver aniMeals pet food to Meals on Wheels clients.
• aniMeals on Wheels Donation Pickup Driver: Support the aniMeals on Wheels program by picking up pet food and supply donations from designated vendors, on a route designed by aniMeals on Wheels staff.
• Volunteers are needed:
  • The aniMeals on Wheels Delivery and Pickup routes are perfect for someone in need of a flexible volunteer opportunity. IM offers a number of convenient weekday and Saturday time slots for volunteers to make their pet food deliveries or donation pickups.
  • aniMeals on Wheels routes typically have 4-6 stops that are located close together. Currently, there are routes throughout the entire service area including Harris County and Galveston County. Volunteers are assigned to routes as they become available. There is no guarantee that a route will always be available in your preferred neighborhood but IM will work with each volunteer to find a route with which they are comfortable.

3. Chore Corp

• Chore Corps Volunteer: Volunteers sign up for the available chore(s) of their choice. Volunteers may choose to sign up for multiple chores, sign up for different chores each week, or sign up for the same chore(s) consistently. Volunteers are required to complete at least 1 chore/month to remain active in the program. Chores include:
  •  Dishes/kitchen help
  •  Laundry (washing, drying, folding and putting away)
  •  Yard work (mowing, weeding, light gardening)
  •  “grocery shopping” (collecting grocery items from designated food pantry)
• Volunteers are needed:
  • Chores can be completed in the evenings or on weekends as long as it is convenient for both client and volunteer.
  • Currently, Chore Corps is limited to clients within the 610 loop. Volunteers may sign up for chores based on client’s zip code

4. Refugee Services Volunteer:

• Family Mentor: Volunteers are assigned to a refugee family or client with the purpose of serving as cultural mentors. The number of volunteers assigned to a family may vary depending on size and circumstance. Activities may include exploring the city, practicing English, and teaching clients about public transportation – anything that involves sharing local culture and customs as clients acclimate to their new lives in Houston. Time commitment: 1-2 hours every week or every other week for approximately 6 months.
• Employment Mentor: Volunteers will work with a specific client to assist with resume writing, practicing interview techniques, discussing US culture, helping fill out and submit job applications, and if available, transporting the client to and from the job interviews. Time commitment: 2-3 hours weekly or bi-weekly, until the client is hired.
• Case Management: Volunteers assist with the ongoing needs of refugee clients & caseworkers – airport pick-ups, school registrations, transportation to and from DPS and Social Security offices and other assignments as needed. Volunteer opportunities often occur on short notice. Time commitment: requires schedule flexibility as many of the activities where help is needed the most occur during business hours.
• Medical Case Management: Volunteers work closely with medical case managers to assist clients regularly attending health-related appointments. Activities may include transporting the client to and from appointments, accompany clients during clinic visits, translating, demonstrating how to fill a prescription at a nearby pharmacy, etc. A medical, health or social work background is an asset for this position. Proficiency in relevant languages (Arabic, Farsi/Pashto, and Swahili) is especially advantageous for this position. Time commitment: requires schedule flexibility as many of the activities where help is needed the most occur during business hours.
• Special Events/ Projects: Volunteers assist Refugee Services staff with special events and projects throughout the year. Some of the events include the annual scholarship luncheon, Women’s Group, the annual fundraising luncheon, storage unit clean up, etc. Time commitment: some events and projects take place during the day and some after work hours or on weekend.
• Translators: Volunteers assist clients, caseworkers or other volunteers and community members with translation either in person or by phone. Language needs are diverse but IM has recently utilized Arabic and Swahili translators. Time commitment: depends on the need, during the regular business hours as well as events and weekends.
• Volunteers are needed:
  • You may think that you need to speak multiple languages or have previous experience to be a volunteer in Refugee Services. This is not the case at all! It is requested that volunteers are patient, flexible, and reliable. In fact, IM prefers to partner refugees with volunteers who do not speak their native language in order for refugees to practice English.
  • Most refugees are resettled in the Southwest area of Houston, a global community that is also convenient for the Refugee Case Managers to travel to. Since most of the refugees do not have vehicles, the volunteer opportunities are limited to the refugee’s residence or IM headquarters located at 3303 Main Street Houston, Texas 77002.
  • Since most of the Refugee Services volunteer opportunities involve working one-on-one with the client(s), volunteer shifts may vary. Many Refugees who have found work will need to meet in the evenings or weekends, while some may be available during the day.

5.Administrative & Leadership crew

• Special Events Volunteer: IM holds large and small events throughout the year to help raise funds to support IM programs, spread awareness or recruit new volunteers. Special event volunteers may help by setting up an IM fundraiser, going to a fair, or representing IM at a recruitment event.  Special events may be weekday, weekend or evenings.
• Administrative Team: Volunteers help with miscellaneous administrative tasks, such as filing, data entry, and answering phone calls. Larger projects may also be available. Administrative opportunities are available throughout IM. Opportunities are available weekdays from 8am-5pm and Saturday Mornings.
• Group Supervisor: Are you a natural leader?  Are you a coach/teacher? Take on a leadership role by providing training and supervision to onsite groups.  Opportunities to lead groups, from large corporations to small local chapters, faith based or youth, occur on weekdays from 8am-5pm and Saturday Mornings.
• Volunteers are needed:
  • Administrative Team & Group Supervisors volunteer exclusively at W. T. and Louise J. Moran Meals on Wheels Building, 3202 San Jacinto Street, 77004.  While Special Events Volunteers are usually assigned to events that take place at various locations.
  • Training is required and provided by IM staff but you don’t need any previous experience or special expertise to help with these projects. For each of these opportunities you’ll have a one-on-one meeting with a staff member to determine the best fit.

For more details on the above opportunities, please visit the Interfaith Ministries’s volunteer page. Interfaith Ministries also has group volunteering opportunities. You can check them out on their group volunteering page or contact Hannah Weier or 713-533-4948. 

Want to volunteer?: Interested volunteers would need to complete a volunteer application and attend a volunteer orientation. Training is required for most volunteer opportunities. For more information, you can email volunteerinfo@imgh.org

Facebook: Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston (Official Page)

Website: Imgh.org