Opportunities for Youth

For the past several years, Nick O'Connell has organized a collection of "Shoebox Gifts" in the neighborhoods near his Northern Virginia home. Nick and his friends have helped the people we serve tremendously!

In SOME's Dining Room for the Homeless, we strive to create a hospitable environment for both clients and volunteers. This involves providing high-quality services for clients in a respectful manner and ensuring that each volunteer who comes to the Dining Room has a meaningful experience. To achieve these ends, we have the following policy on youth in the Dining Room:

Volunteers must be at least age 13-years-old or in the 7th grade
Volunteers between 7th and 10th grade may help serve meals, but they may not work in the kitchen
SOME can accommodate groups of up to eight students at a time
There must be one adult present with every five students

We recognize that some children and young adults are more mature than others. However, we have established this policy based on our experience working with a wide range of groups and individuals over the years.

Young volunteers may want to consider some of the following alternative opportunities:

Non-Perishable Food Collection
Groups of young children may choose to organize drives for food, clothes, toys, or other items. When previous groups have done this, the response has been very positive from households and the kids always enjoy it.

Contact: 202.797.8806 ext. 2104 or donations@some.org

Christopher Gerlach, a T.C. Williams High School junior, was the first-place winner of the "Keep It 360" video contest. He decided to use his $500 Target gift card prize to help the homeless by buying underwear and socks for SOME's clients.

Create Holiday or Seasonal Decorations
Some groups enjoy making holiday or seasonal decorations such as wall hangings (pictures/posters), table centerpieces, or other festive items for SOME's dining rooms and transitional housing programs. We also have a large bulletin board in the dining room that always needs decorations. These decorations are fun to make and add an element of real cheer around SOME.

Contact: 202.797.8806 ext. 2113 or volunteer@some.org

Provide "Treats" for our Clients
Groups often bake cookies or muffins to be given to our clients during meal times. It is a nice addition to the meals and is fun for the volunteers!

Contact: 202.797.8806 ext. 2106 or volunteer@some.org