HOUSTON (February 24, 2021) – Volunteer Houston has opened a virtual Volunteer Reception Center (VRC) to connect volunteers with community needs in the wake of February’s devastating winter storm. Volunteer Houston is contracted by Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (OHSEM) to organize and lead a VRC when it is activated by county authorities in response to a disaster. The VRC utilizes the Volunteer Houston platform to register, connect and track volunteers to support local emergency responders and disaster response organizations.
The VRC web platform may be accessed at www.volunteerhou.org/vrc. It is open to the general public for those interested in volunteering. Organizations (i.e., nonprofits, faith organizations, government offices) who need volunteers for disaster response may also post their needs.
Current posted needs include: remote phone agents for Crisis Cleanup; food delivery to hungry families; packing and distributing food; writing notes of encouragement; help with donation drives; administrative assistance and more.
“Houstonians always step up in times of crisis,” said Brooke Parkinson, director of Volunteer Houston. “We are happy to offer a convenient portal for people to find volunteer opportunities and for local nonprofits to post their needs.”
ABOUT VOLUNTEER HOUSTON
Volunteer Houston, a program of Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, connects individuals, groups and companies with nonprofit agencies to transform our community through volunteerism. By offering a web-based tool for nonprofits, schools, government offices and volunteers to autonomously post and respond to volunteer opportunities, Volunteer Houston serves the greater Houston area and Gulf Coast region of Texas. Volunteer Houston also offers programming for volunteers, training and networking for nonprofit leaders and Corporate Social Responsibility project management services for companies. Volunteer Houston was founded in 1974 and is the Points of Light affiliate in Houston. For more information, visit www.volunteerhouston.org.