Family Scholar House

Family Scholar House gives single-parent students the support they need to earn a four-year college degree.  The Louisville campus provides participants and their children housing and childcare support.

Activity: Planning and organization of pantry for Family Scholar participants.

Time/Place: 9:00 a.m. to noon, 420 West Lee Street, Louisville KY 40208 (very close to UofL’s campus at the corner of Fourth and Lee Streets)

Group Size: 10 volunteers

Masonic Homes

Masonic Homes of Kentucky offers daily living and specialized services to people of all ages throughout the state, regardless of affiliation or ability to pay.

Activity: Scrapbooking or games with residents

Time/Place: 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., 3701 Frankfort Avenue (Sam Swope Center) across the street from Walgreen’s

Group Size: 10  volunteers

Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities of Louisville provides service for people in need and advocates for justice in social structures.  It is the largest, private human services agency operated by the Archdiocese, serving people of all religious, ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds.

Activity: Decorating apartments for new refugee families arriving in Louisville.

Time/Place: 8:00 a.m. to noon, 2220 West Market Street, Louisville, KY 40202

Group Size: 15 volunteers

Special notes: Volunteers will select and load items to decorate two apartments, including kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom areas.  Volunteers will unload the items and decorate at the apartment sites.  Volunteers are encouraged to bring any items that could be used to decorate, including placemats, centerpieces, flowers, mirrors, art, rugs, etc.

Ronald McDonald House

The Ronald McDonald House provides a home away from home for families with seriously ill children needing care at Louisville hospitals.

Activity: Cleaning and/or baking cupcakes and cookies for residents.

Time/Place: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., 550 South First Street, Louisville, KY 40202

Group Size: 8-10 volunteers

Special notes: Ronald McDonald House will have supplies for baking and most food items, including milk and sugar.  It is recommended that at least one volunteer bring butter.  Volunteers can use cookie and cupcake mixes available in the kitchen, or can purchase their own mixes/ingredients and bake on site.   

Operation Brightside

Donor funded and volunteer driven since 1986, Brightside works to unite people in clean and green activities to beautify the city and foster community pride.

Activity: Litter cleanup on the waterfront in downtown Louisville.  Brightside will provide bags and gloves, and will pick up the filled bags.

Time/Place: 9:00 a.m. to noon, Waterfront in downtown Louisville (see map). Specifics will be provided during orientation).

Group Size: 15 volunteers

Special notes: Wear sunscreen!

 

Olmsted Parks Conservancy

The mission of Olmsted Parks Conservancy is to enrich the life of everyone in our community by restoring, enhancing, and preserving the Frederick Law Olmsted Parks and Parkways — Louisville’s great natural and recreational assets.

Activity: Work on invasive plant and trail maintenance at a local park.

Time/Place: 9:00 a.m. to noon, Students may carpool from the Law School to the park. To arrange carpooling, please contact Dorrie Rush, President of ELLUS.

Group Size: 10-15 volunteers

Special notes: This service project is sponsored by the student organization ELLUS – Environmental Law and Land Use Society. Olmsted Parks Conservancy will provide gloves, refreshments, and tools. It is strongly recommended that volunteers wear long pants and tennis shoes.

St. Vincent de Paul

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul provides emergency, transitional, and permanent housing to hundreds of individuals and families who are trying to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty.  Programs serve homeless men, women, and children without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, handicaps, gender or family status.

Activity: Organizing the Admin Office at the St. Jude Women’s Recovery Center.

Time/Place: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., St. Vincent de Paul Administration Building at 1015 South Preston Street, Louisville, KY 40203

Group Size: 8-12 volunteers

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity builds simple and affordable homes in partnership with those in need of decent housing.  Habitat sells houses to qualified families at no profit with zero interest mortgage loans.

Activity: Working alongside skilled construction staff in renovating and maintaining Habitat-owned buildings.  Types of Construction Projects:  Volunteers work on nearly every facet of home construction, helping with dozens of tasks including preparing the site for construction, framing, insulating, siding, hanging drywall, painting, and landscaping, just to name a few.

Time/Place: 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., 1631 Rowan Street (one block north of the intersection of 17th & West Main Street) 

Transportation: Volunteers should arrive at the construction center at 1631 Rowan Street at 8:30 a.m.  They will provide a brief introduction about Habitat before the group heads to one of their construction sites.  Most of the sites are within 2-3 miles of the construction center.  Volunteers are expected to work on site until 3:30 p.m. 

Group Size: 12 volunteers 

Special notes: What to Bring:  Habitat provides all of the tools and materials. They also have plenty of water on site.  A pair of work gloves is recommended. What to Wear:  Dress in work clothes appropriate for the weather. Sturdy shoes are a must - work boots, hiking boots or athletic shoes.  A cap is recommended on hot sunny days. Release and Waiver of Liability:  All volunteers are required to sign a release and waiver of liability, which will be provided at Orientation.  Inclement Weather:   It is rare that they cancel a work day due to weather but will do so if they feel the work conditions are unsafe.  Volunteers may call Habitat's construction center at 583-0332 if the weather is questionable the morning of your workday.  Lunch is not provided during the week.  Volunteers may pack a lunch, go to a nearby fast food restaurant, or have lunch delivered to the site.

 

Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Louisville’s Habitat ReStore was opened to create a sustainable source of non-designated income for Habitat for Humanity of Metro Louisville through sales of donated building materials, furniture, appliances and landscaping while making a positive environmental impact by diverting these otherwise useful items from the landfill.

ReStore provides an affordable alternative for everyone in our community to purchase new and gently used building materials.

Activity: Organizing and pricing donated items.

Time/Place: 9:00 a.m. to noon 

Group Size: 5-10 volunteers 

 

New Albany/Floyd County Animal Shelter

The New Albany/Floyd County Animal Shelter provides services which safeguard public health and safety, educate its citizens on responsible pet ownership, protect animals from cruelty and neglect, and humanely house, care for, and provide placement or humane resolution for the animals in its care.

Activity: Volunteers will have an opportunity to assist with several different animal caretaking tasks such as dog walking, pet playtime, cleaning cages, etc.  Volunteers must be flexible and willing to work in cat and/or dog areas.

Time/Place: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., 215 W Market St., New Albany, IN 47150.  The shelter is located just across the river in New Albany, Indiana.  It is a 15-minute drive from the Law School. 

Transportation: Volunteers can meet at the Law School at 8:30 a.m. to carpool; otherwise, volunteers may meet at the shelter at 9:00 a.m.

Group Size: 10 volunteers

Special notes: Please wear clothing you do not care to get dirty.

Hosparus of Louisville

Hosparus is a nonprofit organization that provides care, comfort, and counseling for people facing life-limiting illnesses in Kentucky and Southern Indiana.  They are the region’s leading hospice care provider and serve more than 4,000 patients a year.

Activity: Several small projects and administrative tasks. 

Time/Place: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., 3532 Ephraim McDowell Drive, Louisville, 40205 (large main building)

Group Size: 15-20 volunteers

Special notes: A brief orientation will be provided to volunteers at 9:00 a.m.
 
Dare to Care Food Bank

Dare to Care Food Bank is an independent, nonprofit, Kentucky corporation whose mission is to end hunger in the community through partnerships, innovative programs, and community engagement.  Their 55,000 square foot warehouse is equipped to store and inventory food at the highest commercial food safety standards.

Activity: Sorting food in the warehouse

Time/Place: 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., 5803 Fern Valley Road, Louisville, KY 40228

Group Size: 12-20 volunteers

Special notes: It is warm in the warehouse (i.e., no air conditioning)!  Volunteers may dress in shorts and t-shirts, but must wear tennis shoes or other closed-toe shoes (no sandals or flip flops).