AmeriCorps Week Project Recap: Peanut Butter Jelly Time

Volunteers take a pose before  serving

 

Volunteer Broward was given the amazing opportunity to work with South Florida’s Cooperative Feeding Program each morning of AmeriCorps Week 2011. Our service project coined “Peanut Butter Jelly Time” supported the efforts of this organization by ensuring that every individual left the center with a packed lunch which included a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Volunteer from various churches, civic groups, and schools joined us in assisting this organization with the tasks of preparing and distributing hot meals, preparing emergency food boxes in the pantry, and assisting with clean-up at the end of the day. But the Cooperative Feeding Program has more to offer than just a meal distribution program.

Preparing Emergency Food Boxes

This great organization also offers many amenities to homeless individuals and families as well as those who may be facing hard times but still maintain a home of their own. Not only can people enjoy a hot meal each morning and pick up food at the pantry, but Cooperative Feeding Program offers employment services, counseling, and training for their clients. A case worker is on staff each day to assist not only with individual cases, but provides services that can help people with rent, utility, and food stamp services if they qualify. Cooperative Feeding Program also has a free mail room and message board center where families, friends, and possible employers can contact the people there. Individuals are welcomed to use the showers (including shampoo, soap, etc) upstairs and can receive a fresh pair of clothes. In addition, free barber services are provided to clients, which can be useful for upcoming job interviews. 

Errol prepping in the kitchen

The care and thought put in by the workers at the Cooperative Feeding Program is unmatched and their dedication towards helping others is wonderful to experience. Volunteer Broward feels very privileged to have the opportunity to work with them and believes that others should check out the organization!

Join us every Tuesday and every other Monday for the Peanut Butter Jelly Time Project at Cooperative Feeding Program. Visit their site at www.lifenet4families.org for more information on how you can support their efforts.

Thank you to all the volunteers!

Yours in Service,

Volunteer Broward Team

My AmeriCorps Story -- Daria R deCastro

Where Can Volunteering Take You ?

If you would have asked me a year ago what AmeriCorps  was or what members did would have given you  a blank stare and shrugged my shoulders "I don't know." 


I spent most of my life volunteering in Broward County with my church, school or family. We volunteered in our family because that is what we did, it was who we were as a family. I never really considered where volunteering might take me. Well in January of 2010 volunteering took me to Volunteer Broward.


After I began volunteering with Volunteer Broward I began to receive their newsletters with all the upcoming projects and their announcements. One newsletter I read in May or June was different from all the rest it had a call for members to apply to become AmeriCorps Members to serve at Volunteer Broward.


I wondered what is AmeriCorps and what do members do? I hit the web and began to research exactly what AmeriCorp was. I learned that AmeriCorps was like the domestic Peace Corps. People from all over our nation.... 

serve through a network of partnerships with local and national nonprofit groups......AmeriCorps is an opportunity to make a big difference in your life and in the lives of those around you. It’s a chance to apply your skills and ideals toward helping others and meeting critical needs in the community....As an AmeriCorps member, you’ll gain new skills and experiences—and you’ll also find the tremendous satisfaction that comes from helping others. In addition, full-time members who complete their service earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award to pay for college, graduate school, or to pay back qualified student loans; members who serve part-time receive a partial Award. Some AmeriCorps members may also receive a modest living allowance during their term of service.

I thought, "Sounds good to me". I applied online at AmeriCorps.gov and was invited in for an interview at Volunteer Broward. I started my term as an AmeriCorps member in October of 2010.


Without AmeriCorps and Volunteer Broward I would have never realized the work one person does can truly change in our community. 

• One person can teach 100 teachers who teach 1600 preschoolers to garden and eat healthy
• One person can organize one project that plants close to 5000 tree and shrubs in a year
• One person can help collect 6000 books for under-resourced elementary and preschools
• One person can inspire lots of volunteers to BE THE CHANGE they want to see in their community

You never know what YOU can do until you try. Check out AmeriCorps.gov for more information about the 75,000 AmeriCorps opportunities offered each year. My name is Daria R deCastro and this is my AmeriCorps Story.

Movies&Muffins @Ronald McDonald House 2nite 2 celebrate ACWEEK Volbrow being THE CHANGE.#1000TWOL HandsOnCorps http://ow.ly/i/bPcY

http://ow.ly/i/bMcQ Over 200 sandwiches made for PB&J Time project! Join VOLBROW tomorrow for a day of fun! 1000twol ACWEEK

My AmeriCorps WeekEND

 AmeriCorps Week is finally here and AmeriCorps members, alums, community partners, and volunteers nationwide are teaming up to tell their AmeriCorps stories and Get Things Done!  Before kicking-off our AmeriCorps Week projects, we met up with the Florida Campus Compact AmeriCorps members for a leadership conference hosted by Broward College at the Tiger Tail ropes course center in Dania Beach, Florida.  It was a great opportunity to meet other serving members and discuss the importance of community involvement.

Congratulations to the newly inducted AmeriCorps members from the

Florida Campus Compact

Icebreaker session at Leadership Conference hosted by
Broward College

On May 14^th volunteers met up with us and our partnering agency Keep Broward Beautiful for a weekend Beach Sweep. Volunteers picked up litter and collected recyclables, in addition to passing out information to beach-goers on the new recyclable program that was started at the beach. Later on that day we hosted My AmeriCorps Story, a workshop that discussed the AmeriCorps program in depth and challenged attendees to get engaged this AmeriCorps Week and beyond. The event was a success! Current serving AmeriCorps members, alums, and attendees shared their stories about how the AmeriCorps program has impacted their life.

We finished the weekend by joining our friends from HandsOn Miami, the AmeriCorps Alums- Miami Chapter, the Urban Guild Project and a team of volunteers and AmeriCorps members to create an urban paradise at Oleta River State Park. Volunteers were found planting native vegetation, mulching, and making new friends. The day ended with an amazing BBQ provided by the AmeriCorps Alums- Miami Chapter. 

Scott at Oleta River State Park project

AmeriCorps Week is still happening and the Volunteer Broward team encourages you to get involved! Check out the various projects happening in your area by going to http://www.americorpsalumsevents.org or visiting on of the various HandsOn affiliates site to check out different volunteer projects.

Yours in Service,

Volunteer Broward Team

VOLBROW HandsOnCorps AmeriCorps members are getting things done at Crossroads Food Bank for ACWeek 1000TWOL

Thank you @HandsOnMiami and @ACAlumsMiami for your collaboration on ACweek in Miami. VOLBROW was proud to be included! HandsOnCorps, 1000TWOL