Check out our one-time and recurring volunteer opportunities to learn more and select the opportunity that’s right for you. Join us for a day of service and help out a neighbor in need!
We are also happy to announce the renewal of “Family Friday Nights!” Every Friday night, individuals and small families can just show up at 4:45 pm (without reservations) at the Men’s Emergency Shelter located at 383 Poplar Ave., Memphis, TN 38105. Volunteers must be prompt since we serve dinner at 5 pm. Serving dinner along with a light cleanup usually takes around 30-45 minutes. After dinner, volunteers are welcome to attend the evening chapel service.
There are many ways to volunteer your time and services to Memphis Union Mission.
Please select the appropriate link below to learn more specific ways to lend a helping hand.
For more information about volunteering, please email Randy Daniels at RDaniels@MemphisUnionMission.org or call at (901) 526-8434, ext. 1008.
There are many opportunities for individuals or families to help minister to our guests. Take a look at some of the suggestions below.
For more information, please contact Randy Daniels at (901) 526-8434, ext. 1008.
Serve a Meal
Your group can come to serve lunch or dinner any day of the week. This is a simple way to help care for our guests, and it is not time-intensive. Call now to schedule a time for your group to help out! You can also sponsor a meal by covering the cost of the meal (approximately $400).
Special Note About Serving Meals on Saturdays: Saturdays are very popular days for volunteer groups wanting to serve meals. So if you’re interested in serving a meal with your group, you might want to consider helping with a weekday meal or a Sunday lunch, since these are usually more available than Saturdays. Please call at least 30 days in advance. Also, please have at least two dates in mind when you contact us. Thank you!
Friday Family Nights
We love it when families come down together to help serve our guests. That’s why the Mission hosts Friday Family Nights every Friday night (except when there is a fifth Friday night). The first four Fridays of the month are reserved for families who want to bring their children to come down and help serve dinner.
If your family wants to participate in Friday Family Night, you don’t need to call in advance (unlike most volunteer groups). Just arrive at 383 Poplar Ave. on any of the first four Fridays of the month by 4:45 p.m. and ask for Randy Daniels.
Work Days
We have opportunities at the Men’s Emergency Shelter, Moriah House, Calvary Colony, Wright Transitional Housing and Intact Housing for work such as cleaning, painting and small repairs.
Donation Drive
The following items are ongoing needs at Memphis Union Mission. Volunteers can do a donation drive for any one item, or a combination:
- Non-perishable food (canned goods, rice, pasta, sugar, flour)
- Blankets
- Pillows
- Towels
- Socks
- Underwear
- Men’s clothing and accessories
- Winter caps (during cooler weather)
- Gloves (during cool weather)
- Coats (during cool weather)
Hygiene Kit Drive
Volunteers can collect donations and collect hygiene kits for homeless guests or for the men entering Memphis Union Mission’s recovery program. The kits include five items:
- 1 regular-sized tube of toothpaste
- 1 tooth brush
- 1 regular-sized stick of deodorant
- 2 disposable razors
Hygiene items should be assembled in large Zip-Loc bags. Volunteers can then drop off these items, or they can be picked up.
Adopt a Family
Churches and Sunday schools can adopt a family residing at Memphis Union Mission’s Intact Family Housing. This includes helping the families with certain practical needs (including during the holidays) and providing them with some friendship and encouragement.
Landscaping/Gardening
Bring your gardening tools to help bring a bit of spring to our buildings. Or help the men at Calvary Colony establish and maintain the vegetable garden.
Babysitting
Babysitters are needed at Moriah House on the fourth Monday and the fourth Thursday of each month. Babysitters will keep children so that women can attend Bible study uninterrupted. Bible study lasts from 6:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Office Work
Volunteers are needed at Moriah House to work in the office answering phones and taking care of other clerical duties.
Event Sponsor
Churches, companies, individuals can sponsor an event for our clients. This may be picnics, holiday events, sporting events, conferences, etc. Volunteers will work with the Program Directors to approve a proposed event and pay for the associated costs.
Christmas Care Packages
We will need wrapped Christmas care packages to give to the men in our recovery programs. Suggested items would include gloves, winter knit caps, socks, underwear, toiletries, Bibles, and other items.
Opportunities abound for the church or Sunday school class that is looking for a way to minister to the needy. Take a look at some of the suggestions below.
For more information, please contact Randy Daniels at (901) 526-8434, ext. 1008.
Serve a Meal
Your group can come to serve lunch or dinner any day of the week. This is a simple way to help care for our guests, and it is not time-intensive. Call now to schedule a time for your group to help out!
Special Note About Serving Meals on Weekends: Saturdays and Sundays are very popular days for volunteers wanting to serve meals. So if you’re interested in serving on the weekend, please call at least 30 days in advance. Also, please have at least two dates in mind when you contact us. Thank you!
Hygiene Kit Drive
Volunteers can collect donations and collect hygiene kits for homeless guests or for the men entering Memphis Union Mission’s recovery program. The kits include five items:
- 1 regular-sized tube of toothpaste
- 1 tooth brush
- 1 regular-sized stick of deodorant
- 2 disposable razors
Hygiene items should be assembled in large Zip-Loc bags. Volunteers can then drop off these items, or they can be picked up.
Clothing/Food Drive
Organize a canned drive or clothing drive. The Mission is always in need of new socks, underwear, suits, and shoes in all sizes, canned goods, and other non-perishable food items.
Sponsor a Meal
To take a step further, provide an entire lunch or dinner by paying the cost of the meal (approximately $300), prepare the food, and serve it to our guests.
Chapel Services
Pastors, choirs, singing groups, or drama presentations are always appreciated in our chapel services.
Song Service
Individuals or groups are always welcome to come to the Mission to sing during chapel services or during meal times.
Adopt-A-Family
Churches or Sunday school classes can make a difference for some of our participants by making a wish list from one of our families and help make their stay special.
Host a Holiday Party
During special occasions (Christmas, Easter, 4th of July, Super Bowl, etc.), you could host a party that would mean so much to our guests.
Seasonal Decorating
Use your decorating flair to spread some holiday cheer at the mission. How about purchasing and donating decorations for one of our buildings and spice it up for one of the holidays or seasons.
Adopt-a-Room
Churches and Sunday schools are needed to adopt a room at Moriah House, our women’s program. Add some furniture, pictures, or flower arrangements and bring your own personal touch to make the women’s stay more cheery.
Book Drives
Facilitate drives to obtain quality books for the Mission’s programs.
Your company can make a big difference in the lives of homeless men and women, and, at the same time, foster team unity. Take a look at some of the suggestions listed below.
For more information, please contact Randy Daniels at (901) 526-8434, ext. 1008.
Serve a Meal
Your group can come to serve lunch or dinner any day of the week. This is a simple way to help care for our guests, and it is not time-intensive. Call now to schedule a time for your group to help out!
Special Note About Serving Meals on Weekends: Saturdays and Sundays are very popular days for volunteers wanting to serve meals. So if you’re interested in serving on the weekend, please call at least 30 days in advance. Also, please have at least two dates in mind when you contact us. Thank you!
Hygiene Kit Drive
Volunteers can collect donations and collect hygiene kits for homeless guests or the men entering Memphis Union Mission’s recovery program. The kits include five items:
- 1 regular-sized tube of toothpaste
- 1 tooth brush
- 1 regular-sized stick of deodorant
- 2 disposable razors
Hygiene items should be assembled in large Zip-Loc bags. Volunteers can then drop off these items, or they can be picked up.
Sponsor a Meal
To take a step further, provide an entire lunch or dinner by paying the cost of the meal (approximately $600), prepare the food, and serve it to our guests.
Host a Holiday Party
During special occasions (Christmas, Easter, 4th of July, Super Bowl, etc.), you could host a party that would mean so much to our guests.
Clothing/Food Drive
Organize a canned drive or clothing drive. The Mission is always in need of new socks, underwear, suits, and shoes in all sizes, canned goods, and other non-perishable food items.
Use Your Specialty
Every company has a specialty, so use it to help those in need. For example, Sprint PCS set up a phone bank at our shelter during the holidays, so that our guests could call home. If you need some ideas, call us!
Barbeques
We love to have organizations sponsor a barbeque at any one of our locations.
Seasonal Decorating
Use your decorating flair to spread some holiday cheer at the mission. How about purchasing and donating decorations for one of our buildings and spice it up for one of the holidays or seasons?
Book Drives
Facilitate drives to obtain quality books for the Mission’s programs.
The Memphis Union Mission women’s auxiliary is a volunteer group that does projects to help the Mission, including:
- Hosting parties for the women enrolled at Moriah House
- Sending Christmas care packages to the men at Calvary Colony
- Establishing a basketball court for the men at Calvary Colony
- Decorating the Men’s Emergency Shelter for Christmas
- Helping with special events and fundraisers
The auxiliary typically meets on the first Monday of every month at 5:30 p.m. at Moriah House (except during the summer).
If you would like to learn more, please contact Linda Blankenship at (901) 383-1526.
Are you a man who seeks to help other men grow in their walk with Christ? Are you interested in encouraging and discipling men who are healing from past hurts, habits, and addictions?
If so, we’d like for you to join us as we disciple men in our recovery program!
As a first step, we invite you to download a copy of our Discipleship Program Guide.
As you read through the guide, you will learn the who, what, and how to’s to discipling men in our recovery program with an emphasis on building trust and transparency.
The description of the five phases of the discipleship program should help you understand the discipleship process. Each program pastor – regardless of which phase he oversees – will help you if you have questions or concerns.
And the discipleship agreement & confidentiality form will help you understand the boundaries with the client and Memphis Union Mission.
Once you’ve had an opportunity to read through the guide, the next step is to contact Rogers Heffner at (901) 526-8403, ext. 2016 to set up a time to talk about getting involved.
We look forward to hearing from you!