Call (413) 586-5430 for more information about how YOU can help Pioneer Valley Habitat as a volunteer. New volunteers must attend a Volunteer Orientation Session. These are held on the on the first Wednesday of the month at 6:30pm and the third Saturday at 9am. Please register on VolunteerUP to reserve your spot.
Construction Volunteers
You can find brief instructions on our main volunteering page, or see this document for a step-by-step process with screenshots. Email volunteer@pvhabitat.org if you have any questions or difficulties!
Our fall 2016 intern, Sam, made this video so new volunteers can see how much fun it is to be on site.
People of all ages — business people, craftspeople, lawyers, architects, accountants, plumbers, carpenters, college students, exchange students, vacationers, faith communities, service groups, retirees — in other words, a cross-section of the population. Retirees are a special resource and often work during the week or parts of the year, depending on their schedules. We also recruit skilled volunteers to be team leaders and supervisors. Volunteers are needed for construction and also for non-construction work.
All court-ordered volunteers must fill out and turn in our Community Hours sheet, and read our Community Service Policy. Please contact our office to discuss your situation before you sign up.
You must commit to a whole shift (from 9am-4pm or morning only on Saturdays and some weekdays, from 12-4pm on the 3rd Sunday). If you know you can only commit to 4 hours, please register for an available half day shift or a Sunday work day.
It depends on your skills, where we are in the project, and the weather. All jobs on site will include training from the site supervisor on the day you volunteer.
No, you do not need to be skilled – just willing to learn! Our team leaders and site supervisors will give you instruction on the job. You may wish to look at Habitat for Humanity University’s online Residential Construction Basics. Additionally, we sometimes partner with Lowe’s of Hadley to hold skills clinics.
Group Volunteers
Yes, Habitat families working on their sweat equity are always accommodated at the site. Also groups from organizations which fund or sponsor a house are given priority.
Do so as far in advance as possible. During certain seasons, there is a high demand for weekend dates. Weather and the schedules of skilled professionals may delay or alter the proposed schedule, so volunteers need to be flexible. Please contact the office at volunteer@pvhabitat.org to schedule a group team build day.
To ensure that our sites do not become overcrowded, GROUPS ARE ASKED TO SIGN UP WITH NO MORE THAN 8 MEMBERS. This includes adults for youth groups. Groups that wish to bring more people must check with the PVHH office first.
We welcome youth groups who are prepared to work hard and learn. We require adequate adult supervision (21+, around 3 or 4 youths per adult) while the group is on site. We encourage youth to work on Sundays – this is a shorter day (12-4pm). Please note: our insurance policy requires youth to be at least 16 years of age to be on an active construction site. 14-15 year olds can sometimes participate in on site work when the house is nearing completion and we need help with painting or landscaping. This age group should expect to perform light duties. Youth aged 16 and 17 can perform general construction, but not use cutting power tools or be on roofs. Other volunteer opportunities offsite are available for young people ages 5-15.
All youth (under 18) must bring a waiver signed by their parents or legal guardians, and all youth under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult. If you are the leader of a group of young people (ages 14 through 17) coming to a Habitat site, please read the statement of expectations for these groups.
Other
A safe, positive experience is our priority for volunteers on site. Please review our site safety page for more information.
Extreme cold or heat may cause us to cancel a work day. Also, unforeseen circumstances may come up in the construction process which are beyond our control (not getting a permit on time, a contractor may be delayed in the work they’re doing). We do our best to anticipate potential problems like this and to give volunteers ample warning of cancellations. However there are times when we must cancel a work day at short notice and we apologize for this.
You may take photographs at the site. Feel free to wear promotional clothing or bring a banner publicizing your group. If your group is scheduled as a team build in advance, we can also coordinate shared social media postings and other publicity upon request.
- Data entry
- Committees
- Help in the office
- Work on fundraisers
- Help at events
- Help with families
- Recruit other volunteers
- Work with faith communities
- Other off-site projects
