How does a good neighbor become a Journey's End Volunteer?

Volunteer Opportunities

Application Process

Please review our Application Process for information on how to become a Journey's End volunteer!

Questions?

Please contact the Community Outreach team.

Journey's End offers a wide array of opportunities for individuals, groups, and families to make a difference. Through our Community Outreach department, good neighbors of all ages as well as church groups, businesses, and civic organizations help provide a welcome and ongoing support for refugees.

We have opportunities to help during the weekdays, on evenings and weekends, at special events, at home, and through donation and fundraising drives. Volunteers choose which roles they’d like to do, based on interests and talents, as well as our current needs and opportunities.

Volunteer acceptance, placement, and scheduling are at the discretion of the Community Outreach team.

Home Tutoring
A home tutor visits a refugee at home once a week to teach English (we provide a ‘how-to’ and suggested resources) and to be a welcoming ‘link’ to the Buffalo community. Some of our clients are individuals who cannot easily attend an ESL class outside the home for a variety of reasons. This is a great opportunity for parent/child volunteer duos and for multilingual individuals. Currently Home Tutoring is being conducted only via Zoom.

Citizenship Tutoring

Citizenship tutors help JERS clients prepare for the U.S. Naturalization Exam, which is primarily oral and administered only in English - no interpreters allowed. Clients often want assistance studying for the civics or writing portions of the exam. Free study materials are easily available and we’ll guide you every step of the way. Currently Citizenship Tutoring is being conducted only via Zoom.

ESL Classes
An ESL classroom volunteer helps during one of our English as a Second Language classes held on Monday through Thursday from 9am to 12pm. The students are newly-arrived refugee adults working towards gainful employment and self-sufficiency. This is a great opportunity for graduate students and retired teachers. Currently this program is on hiatus for volunteers. Students continue to learn remotely.

Mobile Food Pantry

Once a month, Journey’s End serves as a FeedMore WNY mobile food pantry location, open to anyone, no questions asked. Volunteers assist with setup, food distribution, and cleanup. This is an outdoor opportunity and we welcome volunteers. All helpers must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

Green Shoots for New Americans Farming on the Brewster Street Farm
Our Brewster Street Farm is managed and staffed by former refugees who earn income from its produce. Volunteers are sometimes needed for tasks such as raised bed maintenance, watering, weeding, hoop house maintenance, end-of-season cleanup, and more. Experience preferred, but not a must.

Home Again Program (Groups Only)

The Home Again Program is an opportunity for volunteer groups, including schools, businesses, religious organizations, or just a group of family and friends, to work with Journey's End in setting up and furnishing an apartment for a recently arrived refugee family. Refugee families arrive with little to no resources for establishing homes during their first few months of resettlement. Journey's End relies heavily on donations from the community to provide these families with essential home furnishings, such as tables, lighting, bedding, couches, and other items. Journey's End has found that when a committed group of volunteers work on a set up project, barren apartments are transformed into cozy homes for newly arrived refugee families. After long and arduous journeys to the United States, a warm and cozy apartment brings a sense of security to families who have left so much behind. Learn more.

Donations and Fundraising Drives

We often need specific items to support our new families, such as toiletries, winter coats, or school supplies. Contact us before doing any kind of in-kind donation drive so we can guide you on the current needs of our clients.

Or maybe your company, school or church is interested in doing a “fun”raiser for Journey’s End, or being a sponsor for our WNY Refugee Film Festival!

Internship Opportunities

Open Internships →

Journey's End is proud of its robust internship program. All positions are designed to provide value to both the intern and the agency. The internship will include a thorough training in the mission of Journey's End and opportunity for independent career exploration.

All internships are unpaid, but can be done for school credit. Interns typically work 10-15 hours per week under the supervision of their staff supervisor. Hours are usually available M-F from 9AM to 4PM, adjustable according to availability and school calendar.

Minimum qualifications and expectations:

· Current undergraduate or graduate student

· Professionalism, dependability, honesty, and punctuality

· Adaptability to a rapidly changing environment

Please review our current openings and apply to only one.

Interested candidates need to send a resume and cover letter tailored to the specific internship opportunity to: volunteer@jersbuffalo.org. Incomplete applications will not be considered. No phone calls please. We will only contact you if we are interested in setting up an interview.