United Way of Douglas County’s annual community campaign kickoff this year will focus on addressing the needs of hungry families in Douglas County. During the “Great Start Pack” event, hundreds of volunteers will gather to assemble 40,000 meals for food insecure people in our community. More than 250 volunteers are still needed for the Sept. 16 event at Free State High School, 4700 Overland Drive.

Volunteers are needed to help set up the event, which runs from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., assemble the food packets in a fun and energetic environment, and to run Just Food’s Mobile Food Pantry in the Free State High School parking lot, where hundreds of families are expected to receive the food directly. The event is a great opportunity for families, youth organizations, faith groups, workplace groups and civic organizations to Live United by volunteering together to make a big difference in the lives of our most fragile neighbors.

Volunteers must pre-register for this event, and may do so by signing up at VolunteerDouglasCounty.org and clicking on “Find A Volunteer Opportunity.” For more information on the Great Start Pack or the 2012 United Way community campaign, contact Becki Dick, 2012 United Way Campaign Chair, at beckidick@gmail.com.

Immediate needs

It’s definitely fundraiser season in Douglas County. Please read below for a list of upcoming events that require volunteer support and contact the agencies directly for more details on how to get involved.

• Audio-Reader is seeking volunteers to help break down and clean up after its annual “For Your Ears Only” audio sale on Sept. 15. Contact Feloniz Lovato-Winston: 785-864-5336, fwinston@ku.edu.

• Ballard Community Services needs volunteers for its annual “Ballard B3: Blues, Brews, and BBQ” fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 22, at the Clinton Lake State Park Softball Complex. Contact Seth Peterson: 785-842-0729, seth@ballardcenter.org.

• MS Society is seeking volunteers for its upcoming Bike MS event on Sept. 22 and 23. Contact Allison Ihm: 816-448-2186, allison.ihm@nmss.org.

• The Afternoon Tea is seeking volunteer servers for its upcoming “Afternoon Tea for Honored Citizens (ages 55 and up)” on Sept. 25, being held at First United Methodist Church, 946 Ky. Contact Brian or Kirsty at lawrenceafternoontea@yahoo.com.

• Cordley School needs volunteers for its upcoming school carnival on Friday, Sept. 28. Contact cordleycarnival@gmail.com.

• Douglas County AIDS Project (DCAP) is seeking volunteers for its AIDS Walk on Saturday, Sept. 29. Contact Leah Charles: 316-993-5324, dcapintern2012@gmail.com.

• Kennedy School’s PTO is looking for volunteers to provide child care at its monthly meetings. Upcoming Kennedy PTO meetings are Sept. 12th, Oct. 10, Nov. 14 and Dec. 5. Each meeting, typically from 6:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., will need two volunteers to watch children All volunteers will need to be have a background check prior to beginning, and should be 18 years or older. Contact Brooke Miller at 785-330-1656 or brooke@cisnortheastkansas.org for more information.

• Lawrence Community Shelter is in need of volunteers to provide child care during its Parent Education Classes. The program is part of a collaboration with Success by 6 and Family Promise, with efforts to provide parent education in a trauma-informed manner to families experiencing homelessness. Classes are set to begin at 9 a.m. Sept. 10 at First Christian Church, 1000 Ky. The classes will be twice a week, Mondays and Wednesdays, for an hour and a half each day. Volunteers are needed to care for three to six children from the ages of 3 months to 4 years. Volunteers who have experience with child development and/or trauma-informed care practices are especially welcome. For more details, contact Liz Stuewe at 785-832-8864 or lizs@lawrenceshelter.org.

• Watkins Community Museum of History is seeking a volunteer Visitor Services Assistant. Duties include staffing the museum’s front door, primarily to greet visitors, answer questions, keep attendance counts, answer phones and provide other assistance as necessary. The volunteer may also be asked to assist with collections management or data entry projects as needed. Visitor Services Assistants need to have good people skills, and basic computer experience would be helpful. Any training needed will be provided by the staff at the museum, 1047 Mass. For more details about times and commitment, contact Steve Nowak at 785-841-4109, ext. 203 or snowak@watkinsmuseum.org.