BANGOR- With the holiday season coming to a close, so is the season of giving.
“Post-holiday, we’re actually going to see a fairly significant drop off in volunteers and donations,” said Diane Crockett, the office manager at the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter.
During the holiday season, those working at shelters say they see an endless amount of hats, socks, and other items flowing in.
“Then throughout the year, it starts to change a little bit. Then we don’t get as many volunteers donations for food, or clothing,” said Bruce Hews, the campus manager of operations at the Hope House.
Representatives from both the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter and the Hope House say volunteers are critical to their operations.
“Depending who we have for volunteers, hours can range from 300 to 600 hours a month and that’s a significant amount of time we don’t need to employ additional people to take on those responsibilities,” said Crockett.
These shelters often rely on donations received during the holidays to get them through the summer.
“We’re looking for food that could feed one-hundred people, we’re always looking for donations such as warm, socks, mittens, jackets and hygiene products,” said Hews.
To volunteer at the Hope House, you can call and ask to speak to Bruce Hews.
For the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter, you can apply to volunteer on their website.
