Volunteers help improve quality of life for others while gaining valuable experience and developing new skills. Volunteers enjoy an improved overall health.
In Canada 161,000 non-profit and charitable organizations have no paid staff and rely solely on volunteers. 12.7 million volunteers contribute close to 2 billion hours annually. Image what our community would look like if all that went away.
Help build Oliver as a resilient community – volunteer today.
Recognize a volunteer you know by Nominating them for the Spirit of Oliver Award. Nominations are open now.
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Volunteer Tutors Needed for adults in reading, writing, oral language and basic math.
- Receive FREE training
- Work one-to-one with an adult learner in your community
- Help someone with their reading, writing, oral language skills, or basic math skills
- Make a fundamental difference in someone's life
For more information please contact: Anita Bains
250-492-4305, ext. 3244
Toll Free: 1-866-510-8899
Email us Volunteer BC is the voice of volunteerism with the goal of promoting the value of volunteerism and building healthy BC Communities.
Their programs help British Columbians mobilize their talents as volunteers, offer education opportunities, provide useful tools and ways to address critical community needs.
Health Equipment Loan Program Volunteers
Did you know our Red Cross teams are still supporting people and communities even during COVID-19. Our HELP Depots are set up to respect physical distancing and limit contact. The Canadian Red Cross is a non-profit humanitarian organization focused on improving the lives of the people by mobilizing the power of humanity in Canada and around the world.
The health and safety of our teams and our clients is our top priority and we have the processes in place to keep people safe. All the while making sure people and caregivers can access the health equipment they need to return home safely from surgery, illness or injury. Even during COVID-19, the need for health equipment continues.
We are looking for Client Services Volunteers. If you have 4-8 hours per week, consider volunteering in the Red Cross Health Equipment Loan Program. No experience necessary and full training is provided.
Find more information or apply now
View additional volunteer opportunities
If you have questions about becoming a volunteer or the application process, please connect with our Volunteer Engagement Team please e-mail us
Emergency Support Services (ESS) help preserve the well-being of British Columbians during or immediately following an emergency. The ESS program helps people affected by large emergencies, but may also assist during smaller emergencies such as house fires or disasters affecting a few members of a community. When people are forced to evacuate their homes, the ESS program will often direct them to reception centres or group lodging facilities.
Volunteers are needed to staff various positions in different areas in a reception centre. Some of these areas include: meet & greet, food services, transportation, information, translation services, front line assistance, security, first aid, family reunification, child care, pet care, recreation, emotional support, logistics and administrative support.
A Reception Centre is a facility or location that can be used for many different purposes, such as gathering during temporary displacement, information sharing, or a staging site for volunteer disaster relief workers.
As a volunteer with ESS we ask that you:
- Be an advocate for emergency preparedness
- Be personally prepared for an emergency
- Assist in set-up and take down of Emergency Reception Centre
- Perform duties as indicated through training or areas of interest
- Ensure needs of evacuees are met
- Complete and submit required paperwork
- Perform assigned duties, as required
To learn more about ESS, please watch this short video
Introduction to Emergency Support Service training
Introductory ESS Training
The Justice Institute of British Columbia’s (JIBC) course Introduction to Emergency Support Services (ESS100) provides new ESS responders with an overview of emergency support services. Course topics include:
- Local authority emergency management;
- Primary support services;
- Specialized services;
- The role of ESS in emergency management; and
- Personal preparedness for ESS workers.
The course is free and is offered online and through distance learning.
For more information about emergency support services training, please see the JIBC’s Emergency Support Services web pages.
Emergency Social Services Directors Course
The ESSD course is the highest level of ESS training available and is reserved for those who are in, or are preparing for a leadership position with their team.
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Julie Forster and Caitlyn Bennett. Photo Credit Dan Walton The Harvest Hut is a space for members of the community to share fresh produce. Anyone with excess vegetables in their garden or farm was invited to bring their extras to the Hut each Monday.
The Hut is open to all members of the public, not only those battling food insecurity. The Hut is an opportunity to connect anyone wanting produce with anyone that has more than then need.
Food from the Edible Pathway project was brought to the Hut each Monday’s harvest.
Harvest Hut Volunteer Application Form
Harvest Hut Volunteer Description
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Oliver Citizens Crime Watch (OCCW), coordinated by Shirley Zelinski, is a small organization of dedicated volunteers. OCCW was created by a group of volunteers in 1994 who met to discuss how to best provide services to the local RCMP, Town of Oliver and the surrounding rural area. Subsequently, OCCW was established to provide Crime Watch Patrols, Speed Watch and other services to the Town. In the intervening years, the organization has seen many volunteers come and go, and continues to thrive, offering its services to the community for everyone’s mutual benefit. The success of OCCW is that they continue to assess the communities needs and protective factors required that aid in interventions. OCCW has developed and implemented effective programs and practices based on the information that is available to them. Partnerships have been built with the Town of Oliver, Oliver RCMP, ICBC, the British Columbia Crime Prevention Association, other local crime prevention stakeholders in the greater Oliver and Penticton areas.
If you are interested in volunteering for Oliver Crime Watch/Speedwatch or a Community Safety Event please call 250-689-1239
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The Okanagan Gleaners are based in Oliver. The Gleaners exists to transform produce that might otherwise be wasted into nourishment for the millions of the worlds hungry. We are grateful to our distribution partners who shipped over 12 million servings of soup mix in the year 2020. This would not have been possible without the partnership of our local producers who donated over 2 million pounds of product to be dried, and our many volunteers (mostly from Oliver and Osoyoos) who come to process vegetables and fruit.
If you can clean and chop vegetables, then you can help at our Gleaners plant. Individuals and families are invited to drop-in and help any morning, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 am to noon, following Covid protocols.
For more information, check out our new website and join our Facebook group: Okanagan Gleaners.
With the projected increase in global poverty levels because of the pandemic, nutritional soup mixes produced by the Gleaners will be needed more than ever.
Scouters (Adult Volunteers) Needed
Looking to combine your love for the outdoors while giving back to the youth of the community? Come volunteer with Scouts Canada!
The advantages of Scouting are not limited to youth. Adults also develop leadership, outdoor, and physical skills while helping the Scouts. Scouts Canada supports these leaders and programs so that the Scouts involved have a fun and enriching experience.
Benefits…
All our activities are run by volunteers, who might join us because they want to:
- Try something new
- Make friends
- Spend time with their children – or gain experience with young people
- Do something good for their community and themselves
- Keep their bodies and brains active and happy – whether that’s by scaling mountains, sharing skills, or drinking hot chocolate.
All end up making a huge difference to young people’s lives – gifting them with skills for life, and learning a whole lot about themselves along the way.
There are many ways that you can help Scouting in your area. Whether you are volunteering directly with the youth or helping out behind the scenes, you can make an impact on the lives of youth by volunteering your time. We have volunteers that volunteer from a few hours a month to several hours a week.
Ways to get involved:
- Section Scouter: Plan and play with the youth directly!
- Group Committee Member: treasurer, secretary, registrar, fundraiser, quartermaster
- Group Commissioner: “CEO” of a local scout group – lead and oversee the group committee and section scouters
Contact Us join@scouts.ca
Need help selecting what type of role is best suited to you? No problem – we got you! Fill out this form, and a local volunteer will be in touch.
View an up to date listing of current Volunteer opportunities in the South Okanagan and Similkameen
What is Restorative Justice?
Restorative Justice is one way to respond to a criminal act, based on a philosophy that views crime as a violation of relationships. It puts the emphasis on the harm caused to both individuals and communities by recognizing that crime is both a violation of the relationships between specific people and an offence against everyone – the community.
Restorative Justice provides a constructive and meaningful response to crime and conflict, and encourages opportunities for accountability, understanding, problem solving and healing.
The Restorative Justice process requires wrongdoers to recognize the harm they have caused, to accept responsibility for their actions and to be actively involved in improving the situation. Individuals that meet the criteria for the program are referred by the arresting officer.
If you have an interest in learning more about the program, or the requirements in training and commitment to qualify as a volunteer facilitator, please contact the Program Manager at 250-770-5688, or by email at communitypolicing@penticton.ca.