Today is Valentine’s Day. There are more people than usual at FMS serving our community and making it a special day for everyone here. There are volunteers doing women’s hair and makeup, some are making a special lunch for everyone, and some are passing out hygiene bags on the sidewalk as they spread joy with their smiles and kind words. This seems the perfect time to draw attention to the many various ways that volunteers can serve. Volunteering can be as simple as a meaningful act of kindness or service; or as involved as an immersive experience that offers a variety of opportunities to make a more lasting impact in the lives of real people in the community. From preparing food to leading Bible Study, each day as a volunteer can unfold differently based on the chosen areas of service.

1. The Café

One of the most well-known aspects of Feed My Sheep's mission is ensuring that those in need have access to free, nutritious meals. As a volunteer in the café, your day may involve sorting and organizing donated food items, roasting coffee beans, helping cook and prepare meals, serving meals to those who come in to eat, packing and handing out sack lunches for those who don’t have time to eat here, greeting and signing people in, selling items at our store front, and, of course, cleaning. It's a hands-on experience that allows you to directly witness the impact of your efforts, both for those who wish to interact more with people, and for those who prefer to keep to themselves. Physically feeding those who are hungry is one of the most basic acts of service people need. It’s hard to think clearly, to make goals for your future, to feel like you belong and that people care about you, to listen to someone share the Gospel, or to feel comfortable talking about your mental and emotional needs, when your immediate need is physical hunger. By giving people food, we’re not only helping to keep them alive and healthy, but we’re paving the way for everything else we offer at FMS to take place.

2. The Well and The Locker Room

The Well and The Locker Room are our women’s and men’s day centers, respectively. If you are a woman and have a passion for working specifically with women, and likewise for men, these are the perfect areas for you. The gender-specific day centers offer showers, laundry, Bible studies, TV, books and activities. The Well is a stand-alone house directly next to the main building of FMS. Served by women-only volunteers, it is a place where women can come, relax and feel safe and comfortable during the day. The Locker Room serves a similar purpose for the men. They have a place to be comfortable, relax and build friendships with other men. Volunteers in both of these areas can help facilitate the use of showers, do laundry, lead Bible studies, conduct arts, crafts and other classes, facilitate participation in one of our microindustry activities, or just spend time talking and building relationships.

3. The Resource Center

Our Resource Center offers a diverse mix of tasks between social work and secretarial. Whether you’re comfortable with paperwork, computers, organizing, administration, or customer service, the Resource Center can benefit from your volunteering. You will have the opportunity to work directly with people looking for help with all kinds of difficulties. Whether it’s a problem we can address at FMS, or one we can refer someone to another organization for, the Resource Center volunteers strive to help however they can. Volunteering on your first day could include greeting, signing people in, answering phones, taking and relaying messages, receiving and sorting mail, emailing, printing, faxing, while also learning some of our more involved procedures. (We have a procedure manual and experienced volunteers to help!) These include helping people apply for and receive a Texas ID, FMD ID, SS card, birth certificate, government benefits, FMS mailbox, medical records, conduct job searches and applications, driving people to their appointments, and much more!

4. The Loft

On the 3rd floor of the FMS main building, The Loft is where our spaces for creativity reside. Our podcast studio, music room, art studio and coffee lounge/open workspace comprise The Loft, with more areas expected to follow. We want to encourage creativity and offer spaces to create in as many ways as possible. Volunteering in The Loft can include giving lessons or classes on any form of art or music we can facilitate, helping record a podcast, guest appearing on a podcast, or spending time with others as they relax in a creative environment. We’ve found that it’s often easier for some people to open up and build friendships in the context of making music or other art.

5. The SunRISE Center

Just a couple blocks from the FMS main building, The SunRise Center offers opportunity for volunteers who want to offer counseling, lead classes or group therapy related to mental, emotional and spiritual health or addiction. This is a very specialized area of FMS, but for those who are qualified to volunteer with these tasks, it is very much needed!

6. Elizabeth Farm

Elizabeth Farm, outside of Temple city limits, is a non-profit, sustainable, community farm, designed to provide FMS with a consistent supply of fresh, healthy food, and offer a peaceful place for members of the community to practice and learn farming and gardening skills. Volunteers can spend time working on building or repairing structures and fences, conducting maintenance on equipment, feeding and caring for animals, or preparing, planting, tending and harvesting fruits and vegetables.

7. Digital Media and Engagement

Volunteers are also needed in our community outreach, to include in person and online. These tasks serve to spread awareness and information about FMS, drawing more support and more volunteers. Community outreach includes reaching out to people and organizations to recruit new volunteers, organizing events, attending farmer’s markets, responding to emails and messages, or conducting tours. Our digital media opportunities include taking pictures and videos, graphic design, editing media including podcasts, website design and updates, social media posts, newsletter design, online marketing, and contributing to FMS Blog by writing blog posts.

As you can see, there are many ways to serve at FMS. We encourage volunteers to try any different areas that might interest them. These are just the opportunities we have currently, but we are constantly seeking to improve and finding new ways to serve our community. If you have other skills and passions we can use, we always welcome discussing new ideas. In all of our areas, volunteering can be simply spending time with people, spreading joy, listening and building relationships. If you want to learn more about where and when you can volunteer at FMS, email bobby@feedmysheeptemple.org or schedule a tour of our facilities by emailing casey@feedmysheeptemple.org.