A 90-something who lives in a one bedroom apartment alone near 17th and Madison hopes for help. Visitors are rare, and she does not go out. She mainly needs help with someone to do the laundry and vacuum—a volunteer already visits every other weekend, but she really needs more help than that and we’re trying to find a volunteer to visit on alternate weekends. The current volunteer is happy to meet with you and this lovely lady to introduce you.

Volunteer Chore Services, a program of Catholic Community Services, is a "safety net" for elders and adults living with disabilities who are unable to afford chore help or are ineligible for state/paid chore services. All recipients are low-income, have health problems or difficulty with mobility, and most live alone. A growing volunteer opportunity in your neighborhood consists of driving clients to doctor appointments, grocery shopping or other chores. We carefully match volunteers to opportunities based on their personalities, neighborhood, and preferences.

Currently, volunteers are donating over 3000 hours a month in the Seattle area. However, there are still a huge number of people waiting for help, and a shortage of volunteers. As the budgets for human services are in trouble all over the country, programs like Volunteer Chore Services are essential to help our most vulnerable citizens. Volunteers are needed all over Seattle and South King County, but especially in central neighborhoods of Seattle.

For more information on how you can help, please call Kerrie Carbary, the volunteer coordinator in your area, at 206-328-6858, Volunteer Chore Services main intake line at 206-328-5787, or email kerriec@ccsww.org.