Opportunity Details
Books To Prisoners (age 8+) *Impact Week 2022*
Books to Prisoners receives request letters from people who are incarcerated across the country asking for literature and educational materials that help them pass the time and educate themselves. Books To Prisoners holds a volunteer project every Tuesday night from 5-7pm to answer letters from prisoners who request books. Volunteers will read requests, pull up to 3 appropriate books from the shelves, and then pack them for mailing.
Books To Prisoners:
- Up to five volunteers each week through Hands On Portland. Every Tuesday from 5-7pm.
- Masks are required. There will be a max of 10-12 people between Hands On volunteers and our core committee.
- The space is ADA accessible and there are all gender restrooms on site. We have multiple hand sanitizer bottles in the room for people to use, and the option to set up a station outside if preferred.
- Location is Alder Commons at 4212 NE Prescott St, Portland, OR 97218. Someone will be at the front door until 5:05 to let volunteers in. After that volunteers will need to ring the doorbell. ALL VOLUNTEERS MUST SIGN UP BEFORE SHOWING.
Because we get so many book donations, books will be available for purchase every Tuesday night during the volunteer shift, and we will also always generate a pile of free books for people to take. Prisoners often send us stamps as well, but because we use stamps.com, we don't use physical stamps. We have a stash of stamps if you would like to buy some from us on a Tuesday night which will go toward postage costs.
*Due to a shortage in funds, we are unable to send out as many book packages as we can create with the help of volunteers (books are heavy!). Feel free to bring a few dollars to donate if you can; every cent adds up to enable us to send out more packages more quickly!
COVID-19 Information:
The novel coronavirus ("COVID-19") is a contagious and potentially life-threatening disease. Reducing the spread of COVID-19 in our community is a shared responsibility. In an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 at Hands On volunteer activities, all volunteers are required to:
- Follow all COVID safety-rules at their volunteer site or project
- Wash their hands, at a minimum, before and after their volunteering
- Maintain physical distancing while volunteering, to the extent practicable
- Wear a cloth or disposable face covering at all times while volunteering.
Hands On appreciates your interest in volunteering to help our community in this time of extraordinary need. As part of some volunteer activities, you may risk exposure to COVID-19. If you or any member of your household is experiencing any symptom of COVID-19, or has exhibited any symptom in the past 14 days, please do not sign up for a volunteer activity at this time. Please contact the Opportunity Coordinator if you have any questions about Hands On’s COVID-19 safety rules and the expectations for volunteers.
Project Requirements:
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Volunteers must be 8 years of age or older to attend this project; any volunteer under age 13 must attend with a parent or adult chaperone.
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All volunteers under 18 are required to bring a Youth Volunteer Release Form signed by their parent or legal guardian. Please download, complete, and bring this waiver with you on the day of the project.
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If you plan to bring children or guests you MUST reserve slots for them. The best way to do this is to create a Volunteer Team, then sign up your team for this project.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You are responsible for ensuring that everyone signed up through your team attends - only sign up team members who have confirmed their availability. Teams that repeatedly sign up, but do not show up or show up with fewer volunteers than they signed up, may be removed. To add or remove team members from a project, click on "My Account" and then "My Teams," above.
Click "Sign Up" below to reserve your spot! Need help signing up? Call 503-200-3355.
Age Minimum (with Adult): 8+, Minimum Age:13+, Court Ordered Volunteer - Allowed
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Sign up with a team
This link allows you to participate in this opportunity with a team. A team can be a family team, corporate team, or any kind of organized group. When you click on the link you will have the option to:
- Choose an existing team you're already a member or captain of, or
- Create a new team to sign up.
Signup Questions
Please respond to the following questions in order to signup for this opportunity:
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