Get Involved

To get started contact our volunteer coordinator, David Craft, or call 505-263-5564.

To download a volunteer application please click the following link: Application

Volunteer Opportunities Include:

• Dorm Assistant – Orient residents to the dorm, distribute supplies, and provide direct support to residents in a number of other ways. These 2 1/2 hour shifts are available every evening, and most people help one evening per week. Currently, the greatest need is on Friday - Sunday evenings. Requires a $35 background check by the City of Albuquerque. 

·         Respite Attendant(s) – The AOC's new convalescent care unit is now open, so sick people who can't leave the shelter during the day now have a place to rest.  We need volunteers to be present in the shelter from 9 am to 4:30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.  If you can only be present for a few hours, then we will try to find other volunteers to cover the remainder of the 7.5-hour window.  The volunteers will keep an eye on homeless residents recovering from illness, escort them for a breath of fresh air in our garden, and call for help if the need arises.  No special medical skills are required for this volunteer opportunity, but volunteers do need to be at least 18 years old.  If interested, volunteers may perform light office work for the AOC, or they can do homework, crafts, or other personal projects during quiet periods while volunteering.  The City of Albuquerque requires a $35 background check of each volunteer supporting the residents in this capacity. 

·         Convalescent Escorts – We need volunteer drivers who can be called upon to take our convalescent homeless residents to medical appointments.  Each driver will need to be available one day per week. They may or may not be needed that day, and we will schedule their support in advance.  No special medical skills are required for this volunteer opportunity, but volunteers do need to be at least 18 years old.  The City of Albuquerque requires a $35 background check of each volunteer supporting the residents in this capacity.  A driver's record check will also be performed at no additional charge. 

·         Sleep Out Planning Committee – Sleep outs are growing in popularity across the U.S. as an effective way to raise awareness and money for the cause of ending homelessness.  We are now forming a planning committee for a sleep out that will be held at the AOC in May 2008.

·         Supply Coordination Team – Organize and help obtain supply donations.  This team is currently in need of a new leader. 

·         Office Help – Help organize files, answer our busy phones, database work, Internet research, and more.

·         Volunteer Coordination Team – Work with Mike Robertson and David Craft on the volunteer program.  Help match kind-hearted volunteers with the perfect opportunity for them, help volunteers receive recognition, and help develop the volunteer program.  Much of this work can be done from home. 

·         Collection Drive – Collect new men's toiletries, new/used linens, and new/used clothes from your coworkers and neighbors for our residents (we have a list of needed items).

·         Gardner – We have a beautiful walk-through garden for our residents to enjoy.  It would love your attention weekly, monthly, or whenever you have time :-)

·         Clipper – Browse local newspapers, websites and homelessness journals for relevant articles, then clip them for our newsletters, fundraisers, staff and archives.

·         Grant Research – Spend 1 hour on Sundays and/or Mondays searching websites and newspapers for grant announcements and requests for proposals, and forward your findings to our staff.  The staff will do the work of applying for the grants.  You can easily do grant research from home, and we will provide you with the information you need to get started.  You could help the AOC and its residents earn thousands of dollars this way!  Unfortunately, the staff is so swamped with every day business, that this important grant research is being neglected.  Want to have a high impact?  Here’s your chance.  

·         Job Finder – Spend 1 to 2 hours on Sundays browsing websites for employment opportunities for our residents.  We will point you to the web pages and guide you on what to find.  Then, e-mail your findings to our Program Director, who will post them on a bulletin board for our 71 residents.  People who have done this in the past have helped several of our residents find jobs.  You can help many people from the comfort of your own home this way.

·         Intern Supervision – We need someone with a Master's Degree in Social Work to help supervise an intern.

·         Special Projects – Our staff would love to hear your entrepreneurial idea.

·         Great Ways to Help from Home –

o   Clipper – Browse local newspapers, websites and homelessness journals for relevant articles, then clip them for our newsletters, fundraisers, staff and archives.

o   Grant Research – Spend 1 hour on Sundays and/or Mondays searching websites and newspapers for grant announcements and requests for proposals (RFPs), and forward your findings to our staff.  The staff will do the work of applying for the grants/RFPs.  You can easily do grant research from home, and we will provide you with the information you need to get started.  You could help the AOC and its residents earn thousands of dollars this way!  Unfortunately, the staff is so swamped with every day business, that this important grant research is sometimes neglected.  Want to have a high impact?  Here’s your chance.

o   Job Finder – Spend 1 to 2 hours on Sundays browsing websites for employment opportunities for our residents.  We will point you to the web pages and guide you on what to find.  Then, e-mail your findings to our Program Director, who will post them on a bulletin board for our 71 residents.  People who have done this in the past have helped several of our residents find jobs.  You can help many people from the comfort of your own home this way.

If you love working and helping to change lives, then AOC is the place for you. The success AOC achieves in providing refuge and helping our residents regain self-sufficiency would not be possible without the generous support of our volunteers. Each year, volunteers provide over 1,000 hours of service!  You make a difference in people's lives when you volunteer at AOC. Join our volunteers who have helped AOC make a difference!