No Freeze Shelter in Willimantic is looking for volunteers to be at the shelter for the remaining Saturdays in the semester (excluding Thanksgiving break). Volunteer hours are 6PM-9PM and transportation to and from the shelter is provided. Please email uconn.co.nofreeze@gmail.com if you are interested in the volunteer position.
Below is a little bit more about the organization:
No Freeze is a program based out of Willimantic that works with Community Outreach at UConn. No Freeze is a not-for-profit agency dedicated to the survival of homeless adults. The organization provides safe shelter and strives to address unmet needs including food, clothing, hygiene, and more. As an organization on campus, we volunteer at the shelter, organize fundraising and donation events, and host educational opportunities to inform the community about homelessness.
This shelter is a great experience that gives back to the local community as well. No Freeze is a unique shelter in that it is not a “dry” shelter. This means that no one is turned away even if they have problems with addiction. Guests at the shelter are not allowed to use on the premises, so it is never an unsafe environment. The benefit of working at a “wet” shelter over a “dry” shelter is that you are exposed to many walks of life and through interacting with guests at the shelter you learn so much and hear life stories that are genuine and heartfelt. My time at the shelter has been nothing but an amazing learning experience where I got the opportunity to connect with so many great people.
No Freeze starts up in November when the shelter officially opens for the season. In this program, you would volunteer at the shelter once a week 6-9 on Sat. We provide transportation to and from the shelter, so you don’t have to worry about that. In addition to time at the shelter, there is a meeting once a month with all of the volunteers to go over how the program is going and to plan fundraisers and fun things like that.
Email me with any questions you may have and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
For more information, contact: Eliza Zarka at uconn.co.nofreeze@gmail.com