Team unloads and organizes furniture for refuge households
Catholic Charities of Oregon resettles refugees approved by federal authorities, helping them set up households, enroll in school and find employment.
One of the heaviest jobs is providing furniture for these newest residents of Oregon.
On the third Saturday of each month (except December), Catholic Charities convenes the Saturday Donation Team at its storage unit in Northeast Portland. There, volunteers help unload and organize furniture and household goods for refugee families. You will be part of a team effort to make sure that the families have basic furniture for their new homes.
The location is a large unit at U-Store Self Storage, 1130 NE 28th Ave., Portland, OR, 97232. Time commitment is 2-4 hours.
Volunteers must be 18 or older, or, if under 18, a minor release form must be completed by parent or legal guardian of the minor. They also must be able to lift and move furniture and boxes.
If you are new to volunteering at Catholic Charities, click this link to get to the volunteer resources page:
https://www.catholiccharitiesoregon.org/services/pope-francis-center/volunteer/resources/
At the volunteer resources page, you can get started with volunteer orientation, review the handbook and set up a background check.
Once you have completed all the steps to be a volunteer, you can join the furniture team on a given Saturday, or many Saturdays, by clicking this link:
Questions can be sent to Peter Vins, the Catholic Charities staffer who will supervise the work, at PVins@ccoregon.org.