If you are interested in volunteering at the Open Door Community, we ask you to read some of the articles that you can access here. We hope that our volunteers walk with us as we together seek God’s Beloved Community on earth through service to our sisters and brothers who are oppressed. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer community service opportunities whether required by a school or a government agency. If you need to fulfill such a requirement, we suggest these organizations.
To find out how you can participate as a volunteer at the Open Door, please call Sarah Humphrey, Volunteer Coordinator, at 770.246.7618 or email opendoorcomm@bellsouth.net.
If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”
-Aboriginal Activist Sister
The Open Door Community could not exist without the loving service and support of the many friends who contribute to our ministry. Volunteers participate in a variety of ways:
- Soup Kitchen: We serve a hearty and healthy meal to hungry friends on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Volunteers arrive by 9:45 am (please be on time!) for a reflection and serving of the meal to hungry friends and stay through lunch with the community until 1:30 pm.
Please note: While we welcome new volunteers to our soup kitchens, we have limited space. Please contact Sarah Humphrey, Volunteer Coordinator, to find out about our current volunteer needs.
- Showers and Clothes Closet: We offer showers for men on Wednesday from 9:45 am until 1:30 pm. Volunteers help give out toiletries, towels, a change of clothing, and shoes, in addition to offering hospitality and encouragement.
- Sandwich Making: The soup kitchen needs up to 400 sandwiches each day we serve, but contributions of smaller quantities are always welcomed. We have refrigerator and freezer space to store sandwiches until they are needed. In the interest of good nutrition, we request sandwiches of luncheon meat and cheese on whole wheat bread. Please choose a meat other than balogna or hot dogs (high in sodium). You may bring sandwiches to the Open Door on Sunday from 9 am to 4 pm and Monday through Thursday from 9 am to 8:30 pm.
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Evening Meal: Having a supper meal prepared by volunteers is always appreciated, and it is a real boost to the community after a full day of work. The evening meal is served at 6:00 pm for the residential community only. We need volunteers to prepare a main dish, including a vegetarian option, for approximately 30 people. Salads or vegetables are also appreciated. Prepared dinners can be brought to the Open Door Monday through Thursday between the hours of 9:00 am and 8:30 pm. This is a particularly good volunteer activity for groups. Joining us for the evening meal also provides an opportunity to become acquainted with the Open Door Community members and to learn more about the Community’s purpose and mission. - Medical Clinic and Harriet Tubman Foot Clinic: Our homeless friends need access to free medical and foot care. Our medical clinic is staffed by a teaching doctor from Grady Hospital and medical students from Emory University. Volunteers are needed to wash and care for our friends’ weary and wounded feet in the foot clinic on Wednesday evenings from 6:45 pm to 9:15 pm. Please note: We are not accepting new patients for the clinics. These services are offered to homeless friends who come to our home on a regular basis.
- Hardwick Prison Trip: We need volunteers with vehicles (minivans or 4-door sedans) to help transport family members of prisoners on this day-long trip to the state prisons in Hardwick near Milledgeville, Georgia. We go on the third Saturday each month, and the trip lasts from 8:45 am until around 5:30 pm. For more information, please call 770-246-7622 or email opendoorcomm@bellsouth.net.
- Telephone: We need volunteers to answer the phone and door Monday through Saturday. We ask that you give a minimum of two hours at a time, and some training is required.
- Donations: We are beggars in velvet. We are mendicants. We are needy disciples of the Vagrant Christ. We have an unending need for a variety of items. Please click here to see a detailed list of items we need and other information about donating to the Open Door.
