The pandemic has taken a toll on nonprofits.
Some are struggling to continue their work after having to lay off workers or because their usual volunteers are unable to help right now.
That's why Volunteer Hampton Roads is looking for help from the community to fill in some of the gaps.
The organization serves as a connector, matching nonprofits with volunteers.
Since the pandemic began, they've helped recruit volunteers for a number of organizations.
"We've worked with twelve different organizations and recruited about 4,600 volunteers," said Executive Director Stephanie Gorham, "and they've helped those organizations by packaging meals [and] delivering meals. I think we're now at 525,000 meals."
They're now focused on finding people to help with skill-based projects, many of which can be done remotely.
To help, volunteers can go to their website and create a profile.
"You go through and you select, as the volunteer, you select your skills that you would like to share, the expertise that you have and what you're passionate about, which is very important because we want this to be mutually beneficial. We want the volunteer to enjoy the opportunity, and we want the nonprofit to get the highest quality of service from the volunteer, and that usually happens when someone's passionate about it," said Gorham.
Once an opportunity matches your skill set, you'll get an email saying you've been recommended and you can choose if you want to accept it.
Since 2019, Volunteer Hampton Roads has matched more than 500 people to skill-based volunteer positions.
Many of those were people who helped in the aftermath of the Virginia Beach mass shooting, such as certified counselors and mental health professionals.
"Our community really stepped up then and we're seeing them do the same now," said Gorham.
You can learn more about volunteering by clicking here.
