Last updated September 2024
Volunteering is a great way to show solidarity in challenging times and can be a great way to nurture your spiritual life and purpose. Remote volunteering and donating items or money are also good ways to act on desires to connect with and help others.聽
Why volunteer?
Life can be stressful and isolating at times, and volunteering can help provide connections and a sense of purpose and stability.聽It can be a wonderful way to combat restlessness, anxiety, or general boredom.聽This can be especially rewarding during times that the university closes such as between terms or聽during breaks. Volunteering provides many of the same benefits of participating in a spiritual community, including a sense of belonging and the joy of giving compassionate service.聽
What kinds of volunteering experiences are available?
We receive requests from various organizations seeking volunteers - student volunteers included - to help with basic activities such as:
- Home deliveries of food, meals, pharmacy items, and other essential items.
- Calling those in self-isolation to provide support and communication.
- Assisting in homeless shelters to help keep them open and operating according to health guidelines.
When are volunteers needed?
Organizations find themselves short-staffed many times during the year as dedicated employees take a well-deserved break or as student volunteers leave the city.聽While there is greater need during times of reduced staff availability in summer,聽all聽these organizations need help year-round.聽If you find yourself in a position to help others, please consider contacting one of the organizations listed here, or an organization in your home community!
Volunteer Opportunities
There is a great need to lend a helping hand, particularly for highly vulnerable populations such as the homeless and those who have little or no income. Here are a few current opportunities to help now:
In-person community volunteering (local)
Opportunities listed below are open to both 捆绑SM社区 students, non-捆绑SM社区 students, and general members of the community.
- (3535 Av. du Parc): Located near campus, this聽drop-in centre聽provides services and temporary shelter to the homeless and low-income people in downtown Montreal. They need volunteers for all the tasks involved in running this vital service such as laundry, sanitation, kitchen work and welcome station. These shifts are generally between 8AM and 8PM, in 4-hour blocks. SMMU's Club helps fill shifts and has their own convenient webform for students. To get involved:聽email聽mstodm [at] ssmu.ca,听蹿颈苍诲 or , or .
- (1611 Rue Dorion): Offers a diverse range of volunteer positions in programs that relieve social isolation and poverty (including a food bank, day center, and community suppers) for people living with HIV/aids. You can become a trained volunteer massage therapist in their program or even come offer other special skills and they will find something for you to do there. Contact: Rab [at] maisonpleincoeur.org, 514 597 0554 ext 227
- (420 Saint-Paul E.): Serves the homeless and those at risk of homelessness in a wide variety of ways, striving to help individuals integrate into society in healthy ways. They offer a multi-serve day centre and transitional housing. If interested in volunteering with them,
- (4000 Rue St. Catherine Ouest): A聽community-led project established to support the homeless population in the Cabot Square area. It is a wellness center for the most vulnerable and provides a welcoming and safe oasis from the hardships of the streets where people with trauma are honoured, defended and can access services that meet their needs. If you'd like to volunteer, reach out to them at resilience.volunteer [at] gmail.com.
- (915 Clark St.): Works with Montreal鈥檚 homeless men and women, meeting their essential needs while finding practical and sustainable solutions to end chronic homelessness. Volunteer activities include helping in the kitchen and serving meals, office administration duties, organizing and supporting events, and donating professional services like legal advice, accounting, translation, graphic design and photography. If you are interested in volunteering, call 514 866-6591 ext.0 or email info [at] missionoldbrewery.ca.
- (historical Black church, 3007 Delisle Street): Do you have a moment between papers and exams to help out? You could be of invaluable assistance at as a food bank volunteer every Tuesday on site, or by offering your time from the comfort of your home to make some phone calls and do some admin tasks on your computer. Your kindness and generosity are greatly appreciated. Please contact the Outreach coordinator directly by or by phone at 514 932 8731 ext. 2.
- 聽(1801, de Maisonneuve Blvd. W. Suite 750): A聽non-profit organization that offers physical and emotional support to seniors experiencing temporary or permanent loss of autonomy within the downtown and Westmount area. 聽Primary services include friendly visits, grocery shopping, and medical or banking accompaniments, all performed by volunteers. Offers an Art Expression program, either group or one-on-one sessions facilitated by volunteers.聽Additional info:聽Currently recruiting volunteers for all聽services. Minimum commitment of two months and a minimum volunteer time of two hours per week according to your schedule. All EBM volunteers receive an orientation, done in person or via video conference call. Standard background check required (SPVM verification form).聽 Complete the聽.聽Call聽514-939-9575, email聽ebmmetro [at] vif.com, or visit 听辞谤 .
- (6875 Decarie Blvd.): Provides home-delivered meals, including Shabbat meals, to elderly and disabled. They need聽 to help assemble and deliver our monthly food baskets to families in the Greater Montreal area.
- 聽Offers food baskets and emergency food support, especially for Ramadan and COVID-19 challenges. They provide free meals in the community through mosques, churches and community centres, and also run a 14-bed shelter for vulnerable women and their families. For volunteering opportunities visit 听辞谤 email聽info [at] sistersabria.org and include a short paragraph about why you鈥檙e interested in donating your time to their cause and a copy of your current CV. They also are seeking monetary donations to help them provide services.
- : Runs a Generations Program in an attempt to help vulnerable and self-isolating seniors. If you are interested in volunteering with them in assisting seniors, please complete the. Types of volunteer activities include聽friendly calls (volunteers call (from their cell phone) senior members for a weekly check-in/friendly call), friendly errands (volunteers meet seniors at their door, receive a grocery list and money, run the errands, and deliver the items to the seniors door), and accompaniments (volunteers assist seniors getting to and from critical medical appointments).
- : Promotes the social integration of immigrants (regardless of their status) and reduce cultural and linguistic divisions within the community. Volunteers can come to teach or assist in the teaching of language classes. Download the and send it to volunteer [at] maisondelamitie.ca.
- : Supports Black youth aged 18 to 35 in reaching their educational, employability, and entrepreneurial goals through a holistic and individualized approach. Volunteers can support DESTA as tutors, business and professional mentors, administrative support workers, and workshop facilitators. Fill in the to apply.
- 聽A聽pediatric palliative care resource in Quebec that offers free services to children with life-shortening illnesses, as well as psychosocial support for their families. Le Phare offers many volunteer roles such as child care, recreational team, personal care support, in-home respite, reception and kitchen services, administrative work, and more. Fill out the聽.
Clothing and other local donations
- (915 Clark St.): View the聽聽as well as drop-off times and location. Physical donations must be limited to their online list during the winter season. It is also recommended that donated items be labeled to indicate the nature of the donation. Maple syrup is needed for holiday meals in winter 2022-2023.
- (3535 Avenue du Parc): Accepts some donations of clothing, toiletries and food. Consult the 聽page, and verify your donation by writing to info [at] opendoortoday.org before bringing clothes.
Quebec-wide listings
As part of an effort to encourage Quebeckers to help the most vulnerable among us weather the hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a聽聽that collects requests all across the province - not just Montreal. While this site is mostly in French, there is some English content. If you are comfortable in French, have a look and see if you can help. A wide range of categories is available including:
- Health and social services related (helping at food banks, making friendly phone calls or visits to check in on home-bound community members, etc.)
- Cultural activities including animating art sessions at long-term care homes
- Tutoring and language assistance
- Physical activities for the elderly
