By Darlene Sweeney, Director of Volunteer Services
Volunteers are the life force behind SVdP. We simply could not do what we do without an army of people dedicated to helping us fulfill our mission. Every day, capable volunteers assist us with delivering critical services to the people who come to us for help.
In 2020, our volunteers donated more than 107,000 hours at the Council level and more than 150,000 hours at the Conference level—imagine all that would not have gotten done without volunteer support! Nationally, the value of a volunteer is projected at $27.20 per hour. When you multiply that by the total number of volunteer hours, that is something to really shout about! And these numbers are actually lower than the average year since we halted some services for a period of time during the pandemic.
Everyone Has Something to Offer
SVdP provides meaningful opportunities for volunteers to serve their neighbors in need with love and compassion. We welcome volunteers who are young and old alike. We have volunteers from all walks of life and religious affiliations. In fact, you do not have to be Catholic to volunteer here. You simply just need to have desire to serve others.
Our volunteer opportunities provide ways for students to fulfill service hour requirements. Plus, we have volunteer jobs for those who are homebound, as well as for those who want to be onsite. We also welcome groups of 10-20 from schools, churches, companies or organizations—there’s nothing like serving together to create a special bond when helping others. Whether you’re volunteering by yourself or with a group, we believe that everyone has something to offer, and we’re so grateful when you choose to share your time and God-given talents with us.
Key Volunteer Opportunities
As you can imagine, the pandemic has drastically altered some of our volunteer operations. But we’ve adapted so we can continue to meet the needs of our community—needs that are now greater than ever. Below are the regular volunteer opportunities at SVdP. Some are one-time commitments, while others, like the Help Line or Changing Lives Forever, are more extensive volunteer commitments.
| Food Pantries (30th Street & Boulevard Place) |
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| Distribution Center |
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| The Vincentian Room Homeless Ministry |
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| Bike Ministry |
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| Beggars for the Poor |
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| Help Line | Phone (Virtual)
Online (Virtual)
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| Mission 27 Resale Store (Shelby Street) |
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| Home Delivery to Shut-Ins |
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| Changing Lives Forever |
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| Parish Conference Member |
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How to Volunteer
Getting involved as an SVdP volunteer is easy. For individuals simply visit http://www.svdpindy.org/i-want-to-help/#time and click on the buttons to sign up for a specific activity and volunteer shift. For groups, contact me directly. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me at 317-924-5769, ext. 238 or dsweeney@svdpindy.org.
Thank you to all the dedicated volunteers who have become part of the SVdP family, and welcome to those of you starting out on your servant journey with us!
