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Volunteer Opportunities

A little time goes a long way

There’s more than one way to give to Open Gate. Our programs require a team of volunteers working with participants and behind the scenes each week. If you’re interested in getting involved, check out the different ways you can help.

With the Participants
There are several ways to work with our participants each Sunday:

  • Help with signing in our participants each week
  • Manage and staff the resource and empowerment table
  • Watch and entertain the children
  • Help with hygiene pack and clothing closet distribution
  • Act as a table facilitator

All participant volunteers are subject to a background check and training.

Behind the Scenes
IN THE KITCHEN

We need volunteers to help with food preparation, serving, and clean up to make our dinners successful. This is the perfect role for a behind-the-scenes person with culinary or kitchen management skills.

SET UP AND CLEAN UP

The church is used by various groups throughout the week, which means we need help setting up and cleaning up the dining tables, TV, games, resource table, and with programming.

Kitchen volunteers are subject to a background check and training.

At Home

If Sundays are not the best day for you to volunteer but you would like to help, consider putting together packets for our participants. Sometimes called “Manna Bags,” these packets could contain bottles of water, snacks, mosquito spray, socks, hand sanitizer or baby wipes, or other items that may be useful to our participants. These are helpful for meeting the day-to-day needs of our participants.

Whether you want to work with our participants or behind-the-scenes, we always have a need for volunteers.

Become a Volunteer

Donations

More than one way to give

People don’t have time to give to every organization they want to support, and if volunteering doesn’t fit your schedule, there are other ways to give. Open Gate relies on the generous financial and material donations of our supporters.

Financial

From $5 for a METRO card up to $175 to sponsor a Hawthorne Dinner, every monetary donation we receive is appreciated and helps us in achieving our mission.
Donate Now ➞

Goods

Many of the services we provide require material resources such as clothing, blankets, and more. We accept new or gently used items* to help stock our clothing closet and fill our backpacks.

*We only accept new underwear and socks.

As a 501c3 tax-exempt organization, cash donations made to Bering Open Gate are tax deductible. Always consult with a tax professional prior to claiming charitable contributions on your income tax return.

Current Needs

You may drop off clothing at the Bering Memorial United Methodist Church office.

Clothing

  • Men’s Jeans: especially sizes 30-34
  • Men’s T-shirts: sizes S, M, L, XL, XXL
  • Men’s Underwear: sizes S, M, L, XL, XXL
  • Men’s and Women’s Socks: especially black and no-see
  • Women’s Underwear: sizes 8, 9,10, 11, 12

Check back often for updates.

Dinner Sponsorships

Dinner sponsorships are only $175  and provide a home-cooked meal for 30-40 participants each week.

Sponsor a Dinner

Interested in Helping?

There are countless ways to support Open Gate. Tell us a little more about how you'd like to help and a member of our team will be in touch.