St. Stephen’s Community House and the Central Ohio Labor Council, along with dedicated volunteers will prepare food baskets for a historic 3,000 households to sustain their families during the holiday season. Christmas Cares/Unions Share, in its 67th year, a program that evolved from the Christmas Basket Program in 1954 has traditionally served 8 zip codes in Franklin County. Because of the economic fallout of the pandemic and the financial burden that has been placed on thousands of families, the program, now serves all of Franklin County.
Fast FAQs:
1. Volunteer shifts will only be 2 hours
2. There will only be 20 volunteers per shift during prep week
3. All volunteers MUST pre-register
4. All volunteers MUST fill out the required paperwork (even if you've filled it out before)
5. Masks will be required while indoors, regardless of vaccination status
6. Temperatures will be taken before shift start
*This year due to capacity restrictions we are requesting that volunteers are at least 15 years of age. Parents/guardians must be with children at all times, so please consider this when signing up for a volunteer shift. We recommend looking at options leading up to distribution weekend to fill any volunteer hours for school, church, etc.
What can I expect during my shift?
Prep week is divided into three parts:
1. Building boxes (constructing the boxes)
2. Sorting donations
3. Filling boxes
Come ready for anything--wear comfortable closed shoes, clothes you don't mind getting dirty, and dress in layers. Volunteers may have to stand, walk, bend, lift (<20lbs). Most importantly--you will have FUN!
Volunteer shifts are GREAT for everyone! Workplace groups, clubs, or individuals!
