What is Holiday Hands?
Holiday Hands provides holiday gifts to Hunterdon County low to moderate income families, elderly residents, and individuals with special needs. In a typical year, we assist 1,350 individuals with gifts that are valued at $50 per person. This program spans three months (October through December) and attracts many new and repeat volunteers who participate in the weeks and months leading up to the program.
What volunteer opportunities are available?
- Front desk greeters and help with administrative tasks
- Reviewing and following up with applications
- Inventory incoming gifts
- Data entry
- Appointment scheduling
- Translating applications from Spanish to English
- Gift registry shopping on Walmart and Amazon
- Inventorying gift store
- Personal shoppers (working with clients to shop the holiday store)
Who can volunteer for this program?
- Volunteers with availability in October, November, or December
- Volunteers seeking shift work (daytime, evening and weekend hours are available during Holiday Hands store hours)
- Students (middle school or older, with a parent or as a group)
- Retirees
- Families
- Youth groups who can help decorate our Holiday Hands store and paint holiday scenes on our Volunteer Center windows
What traits are you looking for in a volunteer?
This program has many facets to suit many skill sets and preferences, and all volunteers are welcome.
We are always looking for Spanish-speaking volunteers, especially to help with translation at the front desk, data entry, client intake, and client communication stages.
When you are working with clients, we ask that you are patient, kind, and that you serve all clients with dignity and respect that is free of bias or discrimination.
We believe every United Way community member, donor, volunteer, advocate, and employee has an obligation to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion and be actively anti-racist in their thoughts, work, and actions. We ask that all volunteers read and respect our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement of Principle.