Auxiliary Community Outreach: Volunteer – Your Community Needs Your Service

Volunteer: Your Community Needs Your Service

Let’s review the criteria for this program:

• Auxiliary Community Outreach is for projects NOT AFFILIATED with VFW or VFW Auxiliary Programs.
• Projects occur in the community and not at the Post.
• Project participation must be approved by the Auxiliary and recorded in the meeting minutes prior to the project.
• While you are volunteering wear VFW attire such as a shirt, hat or name badge.
• Count only the number of members and number of hours of service.
• No money is reported. (Monetary donations can be recorded thru your local post community service program.)
• This is not the same Program as the VFW Community Service.

How to find community volunteer projects:

• Visit Facebook pages and websites of non-profits in your community; volunteer opportunities and projects are often posted online.
• Check community boards at coffee shops, libraries, grocery stores and community centers.
• Look at the event calendar for listings in your local community.
• Ask friends involved in other organizations if they need assistance with a project.

Which Program should you report the following projects under?

Veterans & Family Support:   

1. Driving a veteran to a doctor’s appointment.
2. Shoveling snow at the home of a veteran.
3. Passing out care package to veterans.

Americanism:

1. Hosting a blood drive at local Post.
2. Assisting local Chamber of Commerce with displaying American Flags along a parade route.
3. Assisting the Knights of Columbus with a Patriotic ceremony.

Youth Activities:

1. Passing out toys to children.
2. Passing out school supplies.
3. Partnering with the local Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts or school youth group on a project.

Auxiliary Community Outreach:

1. Passing out food with your local firefighters to families in need.
2. Passing out face masks to families in the community.
3. Assisting with cleanup in the local cemetery.
4. Passing out food and supplies at the local food pantry.
5. Participating in a walk or run for various causes as an event spotter, timekeeper or water station volunteer. (Walking or running in the race is not part of Auxiliary Community Outreach.)
6. Volunteering to place luminaries along a path before the Relay for Life walk.
7. Hosting a book drive for local library. (You collect and deliver books to the library).
8. Hosting a valentine-making craft session at a local nursing home or assisted living facility (non-veteran patients).
9. Passing out information to homeowners with the local neighborhood watch group.
10. Assisting the city or county with highway clean-up (e.g., Adopt-A-Highway, Adopt-A-Street).
11. Cleaning up parks, trails and playgrounds with the local parks department.

Benefits of volunteering:

1. Gives you a way to help others.
2. Helps improve your community.
3. Can be a way to meet new friends.
4. Often results in personal growth.
5. Gives you a way to gain work experience and learn more about certain jobs.
6. Share information about our VFW Auxiliary.

Auxiliary Community Outreach is service our members do every day. We may have had some obstacles this year, but don’t get discouraged. Our communities need our help; we can make a difference.