Animeals began after concerned volunteers realized that Meals on Wheels seniors were sharing their limited food supply with their pets. To help our Meals on Wheels clients better care for themselves and their pets, aniMeals on Wheels delivers pet food to supplement the feeding of their hungry cats and dogs. Get involved in this unique program by helping with one or more of the following opportunities:

• Animeals Delivery Driver: Once a month, help to deliver aniMeals on Wheels (aMOW) pet food to Meals on Wheels clients. Training is required prior to delivery. Contact us at animeals@imgh.org for details.
• Animeals Donation Pickup Driver: Support the Animeals program by picking up pet food and supply donations from designated vendors, on a route designed by Animeals staff.
• Animeals Warehouse Crew: Using IM-provided bins, scoops, and bags, repackage kibble, for dogs and cats, for delivery to aniMeals on Wheels clients. This opportunity requires repetitive, heavy lifting, of large bags of kibble (up to 55 pounds) and is only available at our Midtown location. Contact us at volunteerinfo@imgh.org for scheduling details and availability.

FAQs
When do you need volunteers?
The Animeals Delivery and Pickup routes are perfect for someone in need of a flexible volunteer opportunity. IM offers a number of convenient weekday and Saturday time slots for volunteers to make their pet food deliveries or donation pickups.

Where do you need volunteers?
Animeals routes typically have 4-6 stops that are located close together. Currently, there are routes throughout our entire service area including Harris County and Galveston County. Volunteers are assigned to routes as they become available. We cannot guarantee that a route will always be available in your preferred neighborhood but we work with each volunteer to find a route with which they are comfortable.

Is this opportunity Family Friendly?
Absolutely! Take it from two very dedicated Animeals volunteers:

• “I am proud to volunteer for Animeals because I love animals and the people who take care of them. When I deliver pet food to the people on our route, I feel really good. I recommend this for everyone!”
  Quinn, age 10
• “I love volunteering for Animeals because the work I do makes people’s lives easier and it makes me happy to know I can make a difference in someone’s life.”
  Sophie, age 13

Interfaith Ministries takes great pride in serving the diverse refugee community in the Greater Houston area. We have a number of volunteer opportunities directed at helping to welcome and resettle newly arrived refugee families and individuals.

• Family Mentor: Volunteers are assigned to a refugee family or client with the purpose of serving as cultural mentors. The number of volunteers assigned to a family may vary depending on size and circumstance. Activities may include exploring the city, practicing English, and teaching clients about public transportation – anything that involves sharing local culture and customs as clients acclimate to their new lives in Houston.
  • Time commitment: 1-2 hours every week or every other week for approximately 6 months.
• Employment Mentor: Volunteers will work with a specific client to assist with resume writing, practicing interview techniques, discussing US culture, helping fill out and submit job applications, and if available, transporting the client to and from the job interviews.
  • Time commitment: 2-3 hours weekly or bi-weekly, until the client is hired.
• Case Management: Volunteers assist with the ongoing needs of refugee clients & caseworkers – airport pick-ups, school registrations, transportation to and from DPS and Social Security offices and other assignments as needed. Volunteer opportunities often occur on short notice.
  • Time commitment: requires schedule flexibility as many of the activities where help is needed the most occur during business hours.
• Medical Case Management: Volunteers work closely with medical case managers to assist clients regularly attending health-related appointments. Activities may include transporting the client to and from appointments, accompany clients during clinic visits, translating, demonstrating how to fill a prescription at a nearby pharmacy, etc. A medical, health or social work background is an asset for this position. Proficiency in relevant languages (Arabic, Farsi/Pashto, and Swahili) is especially advantageous for this position.
  • Time commitment: requires schedule flexibility as many of the activities where help is needed the most occur during business hours.
• Special Events/ Projects: Volunteers assist Refugee Services staff with special events and projects throughout the year. Some of the events include the annual scholarship luncheon, Women’s Group, our annual fundraising luncheon, storage unit clean up, etc.
  • Time commitment: some events and projects take place during the day and some after work hours or on weekend.
• Translators: Volunteers assist clients, caseworkers or other volunteers and community members with translation either in person or by phone. Language needs are diverse, but we have recently utilized Arabic and Swahili translators.
  • Time commitment: depends on the need, during the regular business hours as well as events and weekends.

FAQs
Do I need any special skills or training for these opportunities?
You may think that you need to speak multiple languages or have previous experience to be a volunteer in Refugee Services. This is not the case at all! We just ask that volunteers are patient, flexible, and reliable. In fact, we prefer to partner refugees with volunteers who do not speak their native language in order for refugees to practice English.

Where do you need volunteers?
Most of our refugees are resettled in the Southwest area of Houston, a global community that is also convenient for our Refugee Case Managers to travel to. Since most of our refugees do not have vehicles, our volunteer opportunities are limited to the refugee’s residence or our IM headquarters located at 3303 Main Street Houston, Texas 77002.

When do you need volunteers?
Since most of our Refugee Services volunteer opportunities involve working one-on-one with the client(s), volunteer shifts may vary. Many of our Refugees who have found work will need to meet in the evenings or weekends, while some may be available during the day.

Is this opportunity Family Friendly?
Individual Refugee Services Volunteers must be 21 years of age. Some of our opportunities may be appropriate for a family to participate in. Because our Refugee Services volunteer opportunities are not for everyone, individual interviews are scheduled prior to training and volunteer placement.

Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships Volunteer and Engagement Opportunities

Help Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships (IRCP) create a more caring, connected community through public events, tours of houses of worship and cultural sites, online educational resources, vital conversations, dinner dialogues, and other opportunities to unite people in dialogue, service, and collaboration.

Volunteer Opportunities:

• Help set up, breakdown, greet guests, and register people at events.
• Help update lists (educators, youth directors, faith leaders, community leaders, elected officials, organizations, and schools).
• Lend us your administrative support in our office.
• Lend us your facilities and organizational skills.
• Lend us your photography skills for our events.
• Lend us your technical skills.
• Lend us your videography skills at our events.
• Be a trained facilitator for tours of houses of worship and cultural sites.

Community Engagement Opportunities:

• Invite us to speak at a company lunch & learn, adult education class, community program, or houses of worship.
• Support community tabling events promoting IRCP and IM resources and programs.
• Host a group discussion using our virtual educational resources.
• Arrange your own faith, community, school, or company to participate in one of our tours of houses of worship.
• Be a part of a focus group to help us review our online educational resources.
• Be a part of our advocacy team calling for funding for Meals on Wheels and other funding for Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston.
• Sign up to be on our mailing list to receive our program invitations.
• Introduce us to others you think would be interested in our work.
• Follow Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston on social media and share our posts.

For more information, email Gevetta “Jet” Phillips at gphillips@imgh.org.