Opportunities From: Open Doors

Help our meal program team serve dinner to shelter guests and the community!

Dinner volunteers will help distribute takeout meals from the kitchen and will also help the food program team clean up after the meal. 

Want to schedule a small dinner volunteer group (up to 4 people at a time)?  Contact Erin for more details!

Help create a welcoming boutique-style shopping experience for teens during our Fashion Forward events! Volunteers assist with setting up displays, organizing clothing and accessories, helping teens find styles and sizes, supporting the check-out area, and helping with event breakdown and clean-up afterward. Friendly, welcoming volunteers are especially appreciated to help create a positive and confidence-boosting experience for all youth attendees.

Take a walk around our grocery store helping people shop for their groceries! You will be in charge of making sure people receive items in correlation with their family size. This is a good opportunity for people with excellent customer service skills and great attention to detail. Take a spin in our mini carts and don’t forget to bag up all the goodies once you’re done assisting each shopper! 

Help Open Doors celebrate Housing Success Day and Juneteenth!  As part of our celebration, we will have food, music, games, a short speaking program, and more!

Volunteers will help set up, serve the community along with the staff, and help clean up after the event.  

Juneteenth Independence Day has been celebrated for 160 years to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States and celebrate African American cultures and communities.  And on the summer solstice, communities across the country celebrate those who have made the difficult journey from homelessness to stable housing.

When?  Monday, June 22, 2:30pm to 4:30pm (volunteer shifts 12:30pm-3:00pm and 3:00pm-5:30pm to help set up and clean up)

Where?  Outside Open Doors' Smilow Life Center, 55 Chestnut Street, Norwalk

What?  Food, music, games, and fun for all!

Why?  To celebrate everyone who has a safe and stable place to call home after having been through the trauma of homelessness, and to uplift the spirit of Juneteenth.

Join Open Doors at Pride in the Park, an incredible outdoor event that's part of Fairfield County Pride:  https://ctpridecenter.org/pride-in-the-park

Let people know about resources that Open Doors offers to the community and ways to get involved!

1:30pm-3:30pm:  Help set up the table and kick off the day!  Pride in the Park opens at 2:00pm

3:15pm-5:15pm & 5:00pm-7:00pm:  Work the table and tell people about Open Doors (last team helps pack up!)

Help people who shop at our free community closet or sort and process donations from the community. There’s a particular need for volunteers who speak Spanish or Haitian Creole, from basic skills to fluent speakers. Additional organizing hours for groups are welcome!

Help us organize incoming donations and reset the sales floor for the next shopping day. You will be assisting in all of the behind the scenes work that allows shopping days to provide a dignified, clean and pleasant experience for clients.

Help our meal program team serve breakfast to shelter guests and the community!  

Breakfast volunteers will help distribute takeout meals from the kitchen and will also help the food program team clean up after breakfast.

THIS IS A VIRTUAL VOLUNTEER / DONATION OPPORTUNITY AND A GREAT WAY TO HELP FROM HOME OR IN YOUR OWN COMMUNITY!

**Right now we're particularly in need of the following:

     Bathroom:  Bath mats, bath products (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap, razors, etc), loofahs / shower puffs, shower curtains with liners and rings, small garbage cans and liners
     Cleaning supplies:  All cleaning supplies!  Download our housewarming lists here.
     Kitchen:  Can openers, cups and mugs, dish sets, dish towels and potholders, flatware sets, kitchen utensil sets, pots and pans

Make a housewarming basket for someone moving into a new home! Fill a laundry basket with bathroom supplies, cleaning products, paper goods, kitchen items, clothes hangers and a nice surprise (like a key holder or welcome mat). You can also adopt a room or an entire apartment to help someone moving from shelter into their own home!

Grab your friends, family, faith group, school or place of employment and rally behind a neighbor's fresh start. You can host a month long drive to collect items, sit outside of your local grocery store for a day, or even decide to build a basket by asking friends or family or purchasing yourself for a family in need; the options are limitless.

You can download our housewarming drive flyer here.  If you'd like to hold an online donation drive, check out our Amazon wishlist!

For information regarding donation drop off dates and times please contact Laura Lopez at llopez@opendoorsct.org or 203-866-1057 ext 104.

THIS IS A VIRTUAL OPPORTUNITY AND A GREAT WAY TO HELP FROM HOME OR IN YOUR OWN COMMUNITY!

Hold a donation drive at your workplace, school, or other community spot, or join us for one. We can always use nonperishable food, new underwear and socks, toiletries, and cleaning supplies; other donation drives are held seasonally or as needed.

If you'd like to hold an online food drive, please visit https://opendoorsctdonate.org and purchase some of our most-needed items!  To donate other essential items online, please check out our Amazon wishlist!

For information regarding donation drop off dates and times please contact Erin McDonough at emcdonough@opendoorsct.org or 203-866-1057.

Represent Open Doors at community events and help people learn more about us! Some events are focused on volunteer opportunities while others are geared toward the services we provide.

Hold a donation drive at your workplace, school, or other community spot, or join us for one. We can always use nonperishable food, toiletries and personal items, and housewarming items for people moving to new homes; other donation drives are held seasonally or as needed.

Your donations make an incredible difference for the people we serve!

For information regarding donation drop off dates and times, please contact Erin at emcdonough@opendoorsct.org