For a little over ten years, the global generosity movement Giving Tuesday has been refocusing peoples’ attention from frenzied Christmas shopping and preparation to humanity and generosity towards those people and causes that give back. As the largest charitable organization in the world, the Catholic Church has no shortage of organizations seeking financial support. And while donating our treasure is much appreciated, many of these organizations are also seeking our time. They couldn’t exist without the selfless gift of service from thousands of volunteers throughout Metro Detroit. 

If you haven’t yet tried volunteering with these organizations, consider this season of “giving” your nudge to try it out. Volunteering for community organizations may push you out of your comfortable boundaries at first. Introverts may find themselves thrust into positions of mingling with strangers, homebodies may be out in the cold serving hotdogs to the homeless, and the serial planner may find the chaos of the unexpected that comes at nonprofit organizations a hurdle to get used to. Still,  it’s to these places and these people that we are called. These are the places Christ sought out to encounter his sheep. Today, these are the places we can go to encounter Christ. So this season, try something you’ve never tried before—write the check and volunteer. Consider being a foster grandparent, when your kids come home from college take the family to serve at St. Leo’s Soup Kitchen, or tutor at La Casa Amiga with some classmates. There is no shortage of opportunities for volunteering. Here is a short list of places to get you started. 

Founded by St. Andrew and Benedict parishioners in the 1950s, the Perry Outreach Center has been an economic and moral anchor in South Detroit for decades, offering food, health screenings, youth and adult classes, and job search assistance. The center is always in need of volunteers to help pack and distribute emergency food bags to neighbors who come to the center. Help is needed Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. For this position, volunteers must be able to lift 40 pounds. For those who can’t, they are also seeking front desk volunteers who can greet neighbors as they arrive for services at the Perry Outreach Center, answer phones, take messages, register new clients, and provide general information about Perry Center Services as needed. 

• Contact Matt Fleming for more information—313-749-7324, perrycenter@qvdomine.org

The Center for the Works of Mercy in Detroit’s north end works to “embody Christ’s love and compassion by serving and uplifting” its vulnerable neighbors by offering food, clothing, and healthcare. They seek volunteers to help serve food, organize their clothing closet, and distribute items to visitors. 

• Contact Jacqueline Beltowski for more information—313-202-9492, beltowskij@ccsem.org

Partnering with volunteers from Catholic parishes, the All Saints Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry has served the Detroit community for over 20 years. They are currently seeking bilingual volunteers (Spanish and English) to serve as intake specialists at the food pantry to welcome clients, schedule appointments, and to assist clients through their pantry selections. They also need volunteers to assist pantry clients carry out their items, and this position need not be bilingual. 

• Contact Dave Allen for more information—855-882-2736 ext. 3321, allend@ccsem.org

La Casa Amiga works to support those who have fled persecution, violence, and poverty by practicing the “corporal works of mercy of welcoming the stranger” to empower and aid immigrants and refugees of southeast Michigan through a variety of services—a legal clinic, job seeking assistance, tutoring, and family support. They are currently seeking elementary school tutors (this could be a great opportunity for an older teen) to help with after-school academic guidance as well as Spanish-speaking adult education tutors to provide support to those working to earn their GED. There is also a mentoring program seeking volunteers to work with the children and families providing support, counseling, and friendship as well as childcare volunteers who can help care for small children while adults attend classes at La Casa Amiga. Lastly, volunteers are needed to help pack emergency food boxes at the food pantry. 

• Contact Thanya Villafranca for more information on elementary tutoring—248-221-1462, villafrancat@ccsem.org; Alba Carlos for mentoring—248-232-2575, carlosa@ccsem.org; Elizabeth Padgett for adult tutoring—248-331-9144, padgettr@ccsem.org; William Ortiz for food pantry—734-217-4981, ortizw@ccsem.org; and Jazmin Beltran for childcare—248-338-4250 ext. 4133, beltranm@ccsem.org

The Catholic Charities Adult Day Service Center in Auburn Hills is a dementia-specific Adult Day Center serving older adults in the community. They seek volunteers who are “self-starters, energetic and positive” to assist with the center’s games or crafts or to “just be a buddy to someone who needs attention.” Anyone with talent in music or a love for crafts is a plus. They also seek a volunteer with therapy dogs who could visit the seniors a couple of times a month. 

• Contact Kaitlyn Cooke for more information—248-537-3300 ext. 3803, cookek@ccsem.org

The Senior Companion Program of Oakland and Macomb counties is seeking volunteers who can provide person-to-person support services to seniors in the community to enable them to remain independent. Services could include companionship, assistance with meals, or running errands. They are looking for a 20-40 hour/week commitment.

• Contact Carmela LaCommare for more information—248-537-3300 ext. 3937, lacommarec@ccsem.org

Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan is seeking retired or senior people to serve as a foster grandparent for children by providing one-on-one support to children with exceptional needs in a school setting to develop academic and life skills crucial for future success.

• Contact Carol Wall for more information—248-537-3300 ext. 3919, wallc@ccsem.org

Driven by the nationwide initiative of the USCCB, the Detroit Walking with Moms in Need initiative is equipping Catholic parishes to raise awareness about resources that assist pregnant and parenting moms in need. The initiative hopes to make each parish in the Archdiocese a place where moms and their babies are welcomed and supported and where the dignity of every human life is upheld. If your parish has not set up a group yet, there are still many ways to serve.

• Fill out this form to volunteer at a pregnancy resource center near you, or Contact Michaella Merlo to find a WWMIN group to support—586-416-2300, merlom@ccsem.org.

Founded by Deacon Mike Chesley of St. William Church, the Wayne County Jail Outreach Ministry helps formerly incarcerated individuals reenter society by providing them with education, job training and medical and dental care. 

• Fill out this form to start volunteering. 

The Malta Dental and Medical Clinic is an initiative of the Order of Malta that provides free and low-cost medical and dental services to anyone uninsured or with little to no income. Since its opening, they have served over 20,000 patients. The clinic could not function without its volunteers. They are always looking for doctors, dentists, ophthalmologists and other health care specialists to serve at the clinic.

• Those interested should inquire here. 

This is a small sample of the countless ministries you can support throughout Metro Detroit. Find the perfect organization for you to volunteer at with the Archdiocese’ Evangelical Charity Finder.