Nonprofit organizations in need of volunteers, donations

JACKSON, Tenn. — It’s the beginning of a new year, and it’s that time again, when local nonprofit organizations are asking for donations and volunteers.

“We need male volunteers to stay with the guys at Area Relief Ministries. As far as donations, we are always accepting monetary donations,” said Nicole Ellis with Area Relief Ministries.

“We need financial donations, and those would be going toward our campaign to build a new building,” said Stephanie Laffoon with the Dream Center of Jackson.

But money isn’t the only thing that these local nonprofit organizations need. They are also asking for canned food items, clothing and household items.

“January and February are great months where we can just stock our shelves with the basic canned foods that we all love,” said Lindsay Dawkins with Regional Inter-Faith Association.

“Personal hygiene items, as well as t-shirts, underwear and different things like that, the men do need,” Ellis said.

“Women’s clothing, children’s clothing, shoes, anything that you use in your home, we need here,” Laffoon said. “We always need diapers. Another great donation is to bring gently used or new school uniforms for the children.”

Representatives with the Dream Center say donated items like televisions or stuffed animals are not accepted.

But all these nonprofit organizations say volunteers are welcome year-round, and their volunteers mean a lot to them.

“For specific volunteers that we need right now, people in the warehouse and then people helping in our thrift store,” Dawkins said. “Things have to get sorted and priced and put onto the floor.”

“Our volunteers are the heartbeat of this organization,” Ellis said.

“At RIFA, without volunteers, we would not be able to serve the people that we do and the amount of people that we do because really, at RIFA, volunteers are the life blood. They keep us running,” Dawkins said.

If you would like to make a donation or volunteer with any of these local nonprofit organizations, go to the Seen on 7 section of our website.