Agency: Ballard Community Services

Contact: Wayne Briggs at wayne@ballardcenter.org or at 785-842-0440

Ballard Community Services provides affordable high quality early education and essential basic life assistance to families and individuals in need. Ballard Community Services is looking for a volunteer assistant for the day care’s kitchen, which feeds the 35 children enrolled each day. The head chef, Julie, plans meals for each week and buys the ingredients needed. The kitchen volunteer will assist in day-to-day preparation and cleanup, as well as occasional coverage (once the volunteer is comfortable) when Julie needs to be out of the building. Potential volunteers at the Ballard Community Center are required to complete a KBI background check and TB test. For more information, please contact Wayne Briggs at wayne@ballardcenter.org or at 785-842-0440.

Serve lunch

Lawrence Meals on Wheels provides hot nutritious meals to the homebound elderly and/or disabled residents of Lawrence. Lawrence Meals on Wheels needs regular volunteers to deliver meals to the homebound during the lunch hour, 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Monday through Friday. Volunteers can sign up to deliver on a specific day each week. Routes generally take less than an hour to deliver to six to eight homes. This is a great opportunity for families with young children who are home for the summer. It also works well for business folks who want to take a break during their lunch hours to do something meaningful for others. Please contact Kim Culliss at 785-830-8844 or at 4mealsonwheels@sbcglobal.net for more information.

Help with hospice

Visiting Nurses Association provides hospice care, home health care, rehabilitation care and private duty care. Volunteers are needed to work directly with patients and families by providing needed companionship for patient and/or respite for primary caregiver in home settings or care facilities. Volunteers are needed for a variety of commitments from once a month to once a week, depending on availability. Mandatory hospice training will be provided. No medical knowledge is required. This is a very fulfilling experience. Find your purpose through service. For more information, please contact Sarah Rooney at sarahro@kansasvna.org or at 785-843-3738.

Collect supplies

The United Way of Douglas County brings community resources together to support a better life for residents by focusing on improvements in health, education and financial stability. The communitywide school supplies collection drive starts on Saturday, July 22 and runs through Sunday, July 30. Although 70 community volunteers responded to our request for help with sorting, packing and distributing school supplies, we still need lots of help collecting the donations at our collection sites. Plan now to help at one of the 10 collection sites for the annual school supplies collection drive — Checkers, all four of the Dillons stores, both of the HyVee stores, Office Depot, and both of the Walmart stores. Collection dates are July 22, 23, 29 and 30. Collected supplies will benefit The Ballard Community Center, ECKAN, The Salvation Army and Penn House, which provide free school supplies to qualifying families in Douglas County. This is a great opportunity for business groups, civic groups, book clubs, groups of friends, families, scout troops, sports teams, 4-H clubs and individuals. To sign up to volunteer, please go to volunteerdouglascounty.org or contact Sarah Pierrelee at Vista@unitedwaydgco.org or at 785-843-6626, ext. 375.

— For more volunteer opportunities, please contact Shelly Hornbaker at the United Way Roger Hill Volunteer Center at 843-6626, ext. 301; at volunteer@unitedwaydgco.org; or go to volunteerdouglascounty.org.