Volunteer

"Several years ago, we decided that supplying gifts for Father Bill’s Veterans homes would become our annual Christmas project. We try to supply a variety of things in each category hoping to bring some joy and cheer to the Veterans whose sacrifices we acknowledge and are grateful for.”

Terry Robbins from Friends of the Veterans

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Volunteers are the lifeblood of our organization, contributing thousands of hours each year and saving us hundreds of thousands in operating costs. If you are interested in volunteer opportunities, please complete our individual volunteer application or group volunteer application.

For more information, please email volunteer@helpfbms.org.

Current Needs

Prepared Meals

Prepared meals needed for dinner, lunch, and breakfast at our emergency shelters in Brockton and Quincy. If you are interested in preparing meals for our shelter guests, click here to get started. For more detailed information, visit helpfbms.org/meals.

Bagged Lunches

Bagged lunches needed at our emergency shelters for individuals and families. Click here to get started. And click here to view our bagged lunch flyer.

Please email volunteer@helpfbms.org if you would like further information or available locations and dates.

Kitchen Support/Meal-A-Month Program

Kitchen volunteers (individuals or groups) provide, prepare and serve lunch or dinner for emergency shelter guests in Quincy and Brockton. Because of this generous support, our guests receive nutritious hot meals on a regular basis.

Kitchen Support is ideal for individuals or groups, adults 18 and older. Volunteers can participate in our meal programs weekly, monthly, periodically, or one time only (groups only). CORI required for service in the kitchen.

Direct Care 

Volunteers can assist staff with various tasks during and after the evening intake period at our individual emergency shelters in Quincy and Brockton. Direct Care volunteers assist between the hours of 4 and 6 pm.

Direct Care is ideal for individual adults age 18 and older who feel comfortable interacting directly with the homeless population. Due to training involved with intake, we request a regular commitment of at least 6 months. A CORI check is required for Direct Care volunteers.

Facility Maintenance Projects

Volunteers can spend one day on medium to large scale projects such as painting, landscaping, heavy cleaning of common areas and other capital improvements at FBMS shelters and properties. In other instances, volunteers may “adopt” a site and provide periodic landscaping and general clean up. Facility maintenance projects can take place at many of our FBMS properties throughout the region, depending on our need.

Facility Maintenance Projects are ideal for groups of 10-20 individuals (depending on the project) who are looking for a one time project. A great teambuilding exercise!

Distribution Center

Our Distribution Center in Brockton utilizes volunteers to receive, sort and inventory donated items, which are distributed out to our sites from the Center as they are needed. Volunteers are especially needed during the holidays when the Center is particularly busy. The Distribution Center is open on Mondays and Wednesday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., but volunteers can be accommodated during other days/times, depending on the need.

This volunteer opportunity is ideal for individuals of all ages or for groups of 6 or less (due to limited space in the Distribution Center). Volunteers may come in on a one-time basis or ongoing.

Administrative/Clerical Support

Our Administrative Offices in Brockton, as well as other office locations throughout the region are regularly in need of support with administrative and clerical duties, such as filing, answering phones, assembling mailings, and computer data entry.

Administrative/Clerical Support is ideal for individuals of any age who demonstrate a keen attention to detail and would be available on an as-needed basis. A CORI check is required for Administrative/Clerical Support volunteers.

Offsite Volunteer Opportunities

As most of our volunteer opportunities are open to adults aged 18+, we have several volunteer opportunities that can take place offsite from Father Bill’s & MainSpring properties. These are the best options for those under 18 to be involved in our mission and learn about homelessness.

  • Prepare and deliver bagged lunches: Individuals or groups purchase items and prepare bagged lunches at your own facilities and deliver them to our emergency shelters in either the Brockton or Quincy. Lunches are gratefully accepted, by prior appointment, all days of the week and are particularly needed the last two weeks of the month for our shelter guests who may be working and saving for permanent housing. For more details, please download our Bagged Lunch Flyer. If you’re interested in assembling bagged lunches for FBMS, click here to get started. And click here for answers to FAQs.
  • Run a Drive: Running a drive for essential items is great way to involve friends, family, co-workers, or group members in supporting our mission. Members of our Development team are available to advise you on how to most effectively run a drive. We can recommend items currently needed and, in some instances, can help develop materials or promote your drive on social media. At the culmination of your drive, we can also arrange for a staff person to come speak with your group. To get started, download our Wish List and contact us at 508-427-6448 or email info@helpfbms.org

Opportunities with Partner Organizations

Father Bill’s & MainSpring is grateful to have the support of local organizations who send volunteers to provide programming and support at some of our sites. Below is contact information for some of these opportunities. Please reach out directly to these organizations to see how you may be involved.