In 2012, Community Caregivers started providing services in Albany. The services primarily include transporting people from two food pantries to their homes.
The rides are mostly short and performed within a two- to three-hour time period. Sometimes more than one person can be transported at a time.
We started this service in the Mater Christi Parish and added the St. Vincent’s Food Pantry in 2014. To date, 144 folks have had help getting their groceries home.
Caregivers has a pool of 24 drivers who have signed up for these assignments. At the St. Vincent’s Food Pantry, the volunteer is called for the second and fourth Wednesday of the month from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.; often, only one driver is needed but the pool consists of 10 people.
At Mater Christi, the volunteer is called for the first and third Mondays. The hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the volunteers work in two-hour shifts. Fourteen people are in this pool. Most rides are within a small distance from the food pantry and folks give you directions.
So, if you’re interested in helping people in the Mater Christi Parish, you could choose a 9-to-11 or an 11-to-1 time frame. You could say to the Caregivers’ scheduler, for example, “I’m available for the 9-to-11 shift on the first Monday of the month.”
As a volunteer you can fit the services to your schedule, and you can always change your mind. That’s the beauty of having a pool of volunteers.
At Community Caregivers, there are a number of ways you can help your neighbors. Transportation remains the most requested service. If driving’s not your thing, shopping for groceries, making assurance calls, visiting with a client, helping with paperwork or teaching someone how to operate one of these modern IT gadgets are other options.
All volunteers go through an orientation, have Department of Motor Vehicle checks, and are asked for two references. The next orientations are Thursday, March 12, at 8 a.m., and Monday, March 23, at 6 p.m. Call the office at 456-2898 to let them know you’d like to become involved. You won’t regret it.
The next Memory Loss group meets on Thursday, March 19, 1 p.m. in the music room at Christ the King Church at 20 Sumpter Ave. in Guilderland . Please call ahead if you plan to attend.