Volunteer at the Mission feeds

Volunteer

Hundreds of men, women and children — often entire families — donate their time and talents to help us at the Reno-Sparks Gospel Mission. Volunteer and join the team!

You can be involved off-site by organizing needed items. Or, you can come to one of our facilities to help in many ways.

Volunteers are the backbone of our ministry — we need you!

Downtown Mission

We can always use guest speakers and musical/drama performances for the program clients and guests. Pastors, lay leaders and others in ministry are encouraged to share their faith and passion during our morning chapel services. Youth groups and choirs are also welcome to minister to our clients. You can sign up for a regular rotation or a one-time visit. Every visit is appreciated!

For more information, please call Mariah Peaslee, administrative assistant, at (775) 323-0386, Ext. 16.

Meals for Homeless Men and Women

A great way to serve! Every day we serve up to 1,300 meals to those on our streets.

Church groups, youth groups, and families come every night to serve hot dinners to men and women, and children in need at the Mission.

Dinners begin at 5 p.m. at the Mission for everyone.Volunteer serving dinner at the Mission

Church groups are invited to share their faith with the men and women at the Mission. This is a special time to minister to the hurting and a great way for your church or group to get involved.

Morning person? Each day, we pass out breakfast for those who are hungry: doughnuts, pastries, fruit, and drinks beginning around 7:00 a.m. We help them start their day on the right track and would love for you to join us!

To learn more, please call Mariah Peaslee, administrative assistant, at (775) 323-0386, Ext. 16.

New Life Training Center (Warehouse)

If you have a trade such as electronics, furniture repair, appliance repair, etc., we could use your expertise to repair items while training a client in the basics. This is perfect for retirees and the self-employed who want to help others! We also have special projects for youth, college, and church groups!Volunteer at the Warehouse

To learn more, please call Mariah Peaslee, administrative assistant, at (775) 323-0386, Ext. 16.

Business Partnerships

Street Treat participants handing out hygiene essentialsIt takes a community effort to combat homelessness, hunger, addiction, and abuse. We’re always looking for business partners to join us in our efforts. Big or small, your business can make a difference!

To learn more, please call Luis Santoni, Executive Director, at (775) 323-0386, Ext. 11.

Thanksgiving Day Dinner and Winter Coat Giveaway

Every Thanksgiving Day, we serve a traditional Thanksgiving dinner downtown and at several senior citizen centers to as many as 1,200 needy men, women and children. We also have several thousand winter coats and supplies on hand to give away to all in need.

This event has limited volunteer opportunities, but we need servers and general-use volunteers.

To learn more, please call Mariah Peaslee, administrative assistant, at (775) 323-0386, Ext. 16.

Christmas Dinners

Volunteer serving Thanksgiving dinnerOur largest event of the year is our annual Christmas Day dinner and present giveaway, held at our downtown Mission and at several local senior citizen centers. We need food servers, entertainment, and general-use volunteers.

To learn more, please call Mariah Peaslee, administrative assistant, at (775) 323-0386, Ext. 16.

Special Events

Throughout the year we conduct numerous special events designed to bring services to those we serve or attention to their plight. Some of those events include:

 

Walk a Mile participants walking to raise homeless awareness

  • Walk a Mile in My Shoes. Held the last Saturday in February, this growing event features a mile-long walk from downtown Reno to the Mission.
  • Christmas in July. Held every July 25, this special dinner and gift giveaway brings a summertime Christmas to the hurting and a message to the community that the homeless and needy eat year-round.
  • Random Acts of Kindness. In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas, Mission staff and volunteers spread out through the community to bring meals, baked goodies, and fresh Christmas trees (during the December event) to those who answer the random knock on their door.

To volunteer or learn more about any of these events, please call Mariah Peaslee, administrative assistant, at (775) 323-0386, Ext. 16.

Hygiene Packs for Men and Women

Throughout the year, the Mission distributes hundreds of socks stuffed with basic hygiene necessities to men and women both in our recovery program and those coming in off the street.

We call them “Stuff a Socks” and they’re an easy and practical way for church groups, school clubs, workplaces, and others to help those in need.

A creative way to make a hygiene kit is to place one new, rolled-up tube sock inside the other, then stuff the latter with small, travel-sized items such as toothpaste, shampoo, disposable razor, aspirin/non-aspirin, antacids, shaving cream, lip balm, comb, soap, lotion, sunscreen, pocket packs of facial tissue, etc.

Include things like gum, mints, small snacks, and small bottled water.

For more ideas visit our Pinterest!

If you’d like to help, please call Mariah Peaslee, administrative assistant, at (775) 323-0386, Ext. 16. Or bring the socks to the Mission (355 Record St., Reno) or the warehouse (2115 Timber Way, Reno).

If you want to volunteer, but don’t see something that interests you, please call Mariah Peaslee, administrative assistant, at (775) 323-0386, Ext. 16. We’ll find something for you!

You can also check out our Ways You Can Help page for even more ideas.