Volunteer

Pennsylvania VOAD members respond to disasters in Pennsylvania. Contact us to volunteer with a trusted Pennsylvania VOAD member.

There are active responses in many areas of the Commonwealth.  You can stay up to date with the ongoing national responses at www.NVOAD.org and at www.pavoad.org You can get a list of all the FEMA declared disasters here.  To get the best picture of unmet needs join the PAVOAD Coordination call each second Friday of the month at 9 AM ET.  Join Zoom MeetingMeeting ID: 814 1847 4616.  Passcode: 095125.

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Attendees at a National VOAD Conference talk about the state of volunteering and how it may change moving forward.  Watch!

 The UNITED WAY Suggests Five Ways Volunteering Can Make You Happier

Doing good can make you feel good. Experts say volunteering improves mental health by reducing stress, lowering anxiety, increasing feelings of purpose, accomplishment, and happiness.

In Jacksonville, Florida, United Way of Northeast Florida mobilizes community volunteers to help underserved neighborhoods. That includes traditional service projects — like home repairs, community park and garden enhancements, and neighborhood building improvements, creating snack packs and senior care packs, food and diaper drive collections — and connecting people with United Way’s RealSense financial well-being initiative for free tax preparation. (Read More…)

 

75 million people volunteer each year with nonprofits and other organizations.

meet them

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HERE ARE A FEW OPPORTUNITIES NEEDING HELP:

TIOGA COUNTY (Debbie Recovery)

           Contact the Tioga County Partnership for Community Health  or Develop Tioga

LYCOMING COUNTY (Debby Recovery)

Contact Pastor Tammey at ☎️570-322-1110 or director@uclc.org

SOUTHEAST PA (IDA RECOVERY)

There are many opportunities for rebuild work in the greater Philadelphia area.  Contact Denise at projectrestoration@epaumc.org.

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For more details Click here.

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Maryland VOAD is looking for both volunteers and several staff members to assist in the rebuild efforts to the floods that occurred on May 13, 2025.

  • SKILLED VOLUNTEERS – There is an emergent need for skilled volunteers to assess, repair, and install furnaces in Allegheny County. Systems are gas, electric and pellet. If you, or someone you know, can assist – email, chairperson@marylandvoad.org.
  • CONSTRUCTION CREWS – Please begin recruiting volunteers to join construction crews this spring and summer to do the vital work of rebuilding and repair in Allegheny County, MD. For more information contact – udovich@gmail.com
  • The Long-Term Recovery Committee serving Allegheny County is seeking dedicated professionals to help continue the vital mission of supporting community recovery and resilience. In collaboration with local partners and community organizations, grant funding is available to support the following positions:
  • Construction Manager
  • Disaster Case Manager
  • Disaster Project Coordinator

These roles play a crucial part in rebuilding lives and strengthening the community.  Please share this announcement with your networks and colleagues—all positions are fully grant-funded.  Interested candidates should apply based on information in the job description.

 

Seeing images of disaster may compel you to head to the impacted area. Don?t underestimate the complexity of working in a disaster area. Until a need has been identified and the local community impacted has requested support, volunteers should not enter.

  • Be sure to contact us before coming to the disaster area.
  • Wait until it is safe to travel to volunteer sites and opportunities have been identified.
  • Once assigned a position, make sure you have been given an assignment and are wearing proper safety gear for the task.

Be patient. Recovery lasts a lot longer than the media attention. There will be volunteer needs for many months, often years, after the disaster – especially when the community enters the long-term recovery period.