Apply to Volunteer
If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out our online volunteer application form below. All information submitted to this form will remain secure and confidential. If accepted, you will be contacted to fill out additional paperwork on-site, and to take a site tour.
Volunteer With Us
Interested in volunteering with us? You’ve come to the right place! Volunteering with The Caring Place is a wonderful way to participate and give back to our community. We are always in need of more volunteers to ensure timely and effective service for our clients. Each day, we require over 30 volunteers to keep our programs running efficiently!
We have a number of different volunteer positions available throughout our organization. New volunteers may be assigned to positions based on organization need, as well as the volunteer’s personal preference and ability.
Additionally, we welcome short-term volunteer commitments for Tennessee Promise requirements, and any similar requirements from other organizations.
The most fundamental need of any person arguably is access to safe and edible food. When in poverty, it can be hard to fill even this basic need. Our Food Department works to ensure that every client has an adequate amount of groceries appropriate to their household size with a good nutrient balance. In order to accomplish this, the Food Department uses a large team of volunteers to stock our food warehouse, pack bags, and process clients, among other things. Volunteers may be asked to do a variety of tasks, including:
- Assist on food pick-ups from grocery stores and other donors.
- Help organize and stock food in the warehouse.
- Transport food to where it is needed in the warehouse.
- Pack bags and boxes according to nutritional guidelines.
- Stock shelves of warehouse “store front.”
- Process clients through computer system.
- Give clients a specified set of groceries, which is based on household size and other needs.
- Help transport food for clients to a vehicle if requested.
One of the most important things done on a normal day at The Caring Place is registering and “checking in” our clients into our database. Maintaining accurate information and data is vitally important to our daily operations in order to make sure that every client receives the correct amount of assistance, and provides us with the ability to monitor and track how many people we’re serving and determine the needs of the community. Volunteers in the Registration Department may work on any of the following tasks:
- Greet clients at the door and coordinate traffic to the registrars.
- Ensure clients fill out required paperwork.
- Register and “check in” clients to the program, and work with them to fill in their paperwork.
- Keep clients in public spaces of the building.
Along with food, quality clothing is one of the hardest needs to fill for many of our clients. Our clothing department aims to provide well maintained, good quality clothing for our clients. To accomplish this, a dedicated team of volunteers works to sort and evaluate clothing donations, tag them for shelving, shelve them appropriately, and help our clients through the “shopping” process. Volunteers working in the clothing department have the opportunity to complete a variety of tasks, including:
- Sorting donations, and evaluating donations based on quality.
- Processing clients through the computer system as they “checkout”.
- Assigning tags to clothes based on size, gender, and age.
- Shelving clothing in the appropriate locations in our clothing building.
- Assisting clients with any questions they might have, and clarifying client expectations.
Contact Us
Service Hours:
Tuesday through Friday 9 am to 12 pm
Tuesday 5 pm to 7 pm
Clothing and Food Donations Accepted:
Monday – Friday 9am-1pm
Contact Us:
130 Wildwood Avenue
Cleveland, TN
423-472-4414
Find us Online!
