Opportunities From: Community Thread

Help support Solid Ground's premier fundraising event, the "Bring It Home" Gala. Join us as we celebrate families breaking the cycle of homelessness through fun games, live & silent auctions and personal testimonies. As a volunteer, your help is needed for the following activities:

Greeter & Registration (2 volunteers needed) - Welcome patrons to the event and direct them to the coat room, name badge table and and seating area

Silent Auction Check-Out (2 volunteers needed) - Once the Silent Auction closes, distribute items for those who have already paid, or collects payments from those that have an outstanding balance

Silent Auction Runner (3-4 volunteers needed) - Help arrange auction items in the pick-up area, and prepare and group items to be delivered to the customer when they check out

Wine Toss (2 volunteers needed) - In this "horseshoes"-style game, volunteers are needed to collect cash or assist participants who want to pay with their mobile device

Selling "Golden Raffle Tickets" (2-4 volunteers needed) - Circulate the event during the reception selling raffle tickets to event participants

Live Auction Spotter (2 volunteers needed) - Help capture donations during the Fund-A-Need Auction portion of the event. Spotting and write down paddle numbers and amount donated as paddles are raised

Please note: this is a one-time, zero commitment event. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age and willing to be present for the entire duration of the event: 5:00pm-9:00pm.

If you have any questions, or to sign up, please contact Dylan at 651-846-9024, or DMcDonough@solidgroundmn.org.

Solid Ground's Tutoring program matches you 1:1 with a student in grades K-8 who lives in our East Metro Place facility. Together, you'll work with your student on homework help and learning enrichment each week. Volunteers are needed to serve at least 1 hour per week (or more if desired) over the course of a school semester. All materials are provided by Solid Ground. You can just show up and have fun!

Times needed are Mondays-Wednesdays, 3:15-4:15pm & 4:30-5:30pm.

Put your Hide-and-Seek skills to the test! We’re looking for volunteers to help in our Little Sparks program (Shine, Play, Aspire, Reach, Kindness, Soar). Tasks may include, playing games, reading books, dancing, singing, making art, etc. If you enjoy playing with kids and having fun, then this is the perfect opportunity for you!

Working alongside our 2 full-time staff, volunteers can expect to work with kids between 1-9 years old.

Times Needed: 

Please note: this is not a licensed childcare activity. Volunteers are not responsible for soothing an upset child, changing diapers, or dealing with any sort of negative behaviors. Volunteers must pass a Criminal Background Check in order to be eligible for this role. Volunteers may be required to lift up to 25lbs, bend over at the waist, and be on their feet for extended periods of time.

If you have any questions or would like to sign up, please contact Dylan at 651-846-9024, or DMcDonough@solidgroundmn.org.

Join us for a weekly gardening opportunity! Do you enjoy gardening? Are you passionate about nature and looking to make a difference in our community? If you answered yes, then this is the perfect opportunity for you!

Whether you’re an experienced gardener or new to the scene, all skill levels are welcome. Bring your enthusiasm and willingness to learn!

Sign up today to help us grow!

What to Expect:

This activity occurs at our East Metro Place (EMP) facility, located at 3521 Century Ave N, White Bear Lake, MN 55110. Times needed are Tuesdays between 1pm-3pm, starting June 3rd.

If you have any questions or would like to sign up, please contact Dylan at 651-846-9024, or DMcDonough@solidgroundmn.org.

Our East Metro Place facility is home to 34 families experiencing homelessness. To help make our building feel more like home to these families, we are looking for 1-2 volunteers to help us take care of the facility over the summer. Tasks may include: weeding, raking, picking up trash, watering plants, and cleaning common areas inside the building. Tools & materials can be provided by Solid Ground, or volunteers are welcome to bring their own tools.

Times needed for this project are 1-2 hours per week. Schedule is flexible and determined by you, the volunteer!

If you have any questions, or would like to sign up, please contact Dylan at 651-846-9024 or DMcDonough@solidgroundmn.org.

Help Solid Ground get essential items into the hands of our families! Pick up from our East Metro Place facility (3521 Century Ave N, White Bear Lake, MN, 55110), and deliver to families living within the northern Metro community (primarily White Bear Lake, Maplewood, Stillwater, Oakdale or St. Paul). Volunteers will be alerted at least 24 hours in advance, then use their personal vehicles to pick up and deliver donations to families in need.

Volunteers with larger vehicles are encouraged to apply. Must be able to lift up to 50lbs and pass a Background Check & Motor Vehicle Registration (MVR). Schedule is flexible, within Solid Ground’s office hours: M-F, 8am-4:30pm.

If you have any questions, please contact Dylan at 651-846-9024 or DMcDonough@solidgroundmn.org.

Get together with your family, coworkers or friends to assemble Healthy Snack Packs for kids at Solid Ground!

How it works volunteers purchase in bulk 3-4 non-perishable snack items and place them in brown paper lunch bags. As an added bonus, bags can even be decorated with a fun drawing or positive message to the student. Common items to include are Goldfish, popcorn, pretzels, applesauce, fruit snacks, granola bars, juice box, water, etc. Once the bags are completed, please contact Dylan at 651-846-9024, or DMcDonough@solidgroundmn.org to schedule a time to deliver them to our facility in White Bear Lake.

Snack Packs are really popular for kids as they come home from school, and for many it’s a good treat to have until they eat dinner at home. Suggested goal is 50 Snack Packs, although there's no minimum or maximum amount we can accept. We greatly appreciate any support!

This project is not time sensitive and can be completed on the group's schedule.

Community Meals provide many benefits to the Solid Ground Community. The first is that it helps stretch the food budgets of families who often struggle to make ends meet, especially towards the end of the month. It also provides a great way for families to make connections with one another and with the Solid Ground community. Meals are usually offered the 3rd Tuesday of each month at our East Metro Place location at 3521 Century Ave N in White Bear Lake. However, we encourage groups to plan a meal on a weeknight that works best for them.

This is a great opportunity for groups of 5-15 members. Children are welcome to assist but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Responsibilities

Volunteers are responsible for preparing and serving a meal for the families at Solid Ground. Food can be cooked & prepared off-site and transferred to our facility, or groups are also welcome to have food catered, if they prefer. Meals should serve about 75 people and should include a main dish, a side dish, and vegetable and/or salad. Dessert and beverages are optional. We encourage groups to create menus that are both nutritious and kid-friendly.

Meals should be ready to be served by 5:00pm, which is when the doors open for our families. Groups should plan to arrive at 4:30pm to help with setup. Volunteers may arrive earlier if they need to prep food in our kitchen, to which basic cooking & serving tools are available for use. We ask that volunteers wash, dry and put away any items they use.

As families enjoy their food, volunteers are encouraged to sit down and strike up a conversation with the adults, play a game with the kids, or offer to take plates if someone is finished eating.

We are happy to make any accommodations to help ensure that volunteers have the most positive experience possible. For any questions, please contact Dylan at 651-846-9024 or DMcDonough@solidgroundmn.org.

Help families at our East Metro Place facility receive up to a week's supply of groceries through our Mobile Food Market! Currently home to over 30 families, our White Bear Lake location provides safe and secure housing for all family structures as they transition out of homelessness. For many of these families, food insecurity remains an ongoing concern. Thanks to support from volunteers like you, we will be able to provide our families with food, diapers and other essential items!

Food will be delivered to Solid Ground courtesy of the White Bear Area Food Shelf. As a volunteer, your help is needed with unloading food from the food truck, sorting and organizing food items, and helping families fill grocery bags with food.

Times Needed:
1st & 5th Wednesdays; 11:30am-1:30pm

3rd Wednesday; 2:00pm-4:00pm 

For any questions or to sign up, please reach out to Dylan at 651-846-9024 or DMcDonough@solidgroundmn.org.