In order to volunteer at one of the Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission’s campuses, you MUST attend a Volunteer Orientation, which is offered on the first Saturday every month except July and December (unless a holiday causes a conflict). Volunteer Orientation is hosted from 10:00 to 12:00 p.m. at the 901 McNeil St. campus in Shreveport. This 2 hour-long session will acquaint volunteers with the different areas in which they can serve. A virtual video tour will show you the full spectrum of ministry at the Mission, you will fill out a volunteer application, and you will tour the facility. Check below for upcoming dates and if you plan to attend, please RSVP.
In cases of a group wanting to volunteer at the Mission, one member of a group may attend the orientation, and that person can relate the information to their group. However, each person serving must fill out a volunteer application.
Volunteer Orientation 2024 Dates
Saturday, January 6
Saturday, Febuary 3
Saturday, March 2
Saturday, April 6
Saturday, May 4
Saturday, June 1
Saturday, August 3
Saturday, September 7
Saturday, October 5
Saturday, November 2
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Serve a Meal
This is our most popular volunteer opportunity. You can serve a hot, nutritious meal to someone in need. We need individuals and groups to serve lunch and dinner every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. You can schedule once a week, once a month, or several times a year, whatever suits your schedule. Regular serving times: Lunch from 12:00-12:30 p.m. and Dinner from 5:00 to 5:30 p.m. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to serving time.
Thanksgiving Day Outreach
The Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission’s Thanksgiving Outreach is our largest outreach event of the year. On Thanksgiving Day alone, we will serve 1,300 meals. 300 meals stay on-site and will be served to homeless men, women, and children at our facility. The other 1,000 meals will be delivered into the community to people who are shut-in, homebound, have no family, and/or living in poverty.
Volunteers are critical for making this outreach possible. We have 2 primary opportunities available. The first is to help us gather the necessary items to prepare 1,300 meals. A list of items needed can be found here: Thanksgiving Day Shopping List.
The second way to volunteer at our Thanksgiving Day Outreach is to help deliver these meals on Thanksgiving Day. Volunteers are asked to arrive at the Mission between 8:30-8:45 Am. To-go meals will be loaded into your car and you will be given information on where to deliver those meals.
For more information, please email our Volunteer Relations Team at volunteers@sbrescuemission.com.
Project Mission Tree
Project Mission Tree benefits homeless men, women, and children at the Mission in our Life Recovery Program.
Each guest can request two gifts. Each gift is a maximum value of $30. Gifts are distributed at the annual Christmas party we have for our guests. Tags are available starting November 5, 2024. Gifts must be returned, wrapped, with the original tag securely attached to the Mission no later than December 5, 2024. Mission Tree tags can be picked from our Mission Tree in our lobby at 901 McNeil St. on Tuesdays or Thursdays between 9 am to 4 pm or emailed to you. To request tags to be emailed to you, please email Sarah at sardis@sbrescuemission.com.
This is an opportunity to give back and know that your gift will impact someone’s life right here in Shreveport-Bossier City. Thank you for helping to make sure that our guests have a wonderful, joyous Christmas!
Outreach
The Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission does several community outreaches to our downtown neighbors. These individuals are a part of our Acts 1:8 Family. Benefits of the Acts 1:8 Family include but are not limited to food assistance, clothing assistance, help securing credentials (ID, birth certificate, etc.), counseling, Bible studies, and more. Volunteers are called on as needed to help prep for outreach beforehand and to help the day of the outreach. Dates for outreach are TBD and volunteers will be notified ahead of time to sign up for those opportunities.
Donate your Gently Used Items
Donors can donate their gently used clothing, accessories, household items, books, and linens to help support the Mission, our guests, and our low income neighbors! Donations can be dropped off at 901 McNeil Street on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 am – 4 pm. Donation drop-off is self serve.
Host a Drive
The Mission relies heavily on individuals, businesses, organizations, and churches to supply its operational needs. A Donation Drive is a great way to do that. You can collect items from our immediate needs list and drop them off at 901 McNeil St. once your drive is complete. Donations may be dropped off at the Mission on Tuesdays and Thursday from 9 am to 4 pm. Please see a complete drives toolkit below.
Style Guide with Fonts and Logos
Editable PDF Donation Drives Flyer
Please email our staff at development@sbrescuemission.com if there are any other tools you need for your donation drive. Speakers are available to speak to your group upon request.
Pressed for time and can’t make it to the store? No worries. You can order items from our Amazon Wish List here and Amazon will ship your donation directly to us. This is a great option for Prime users.
Sponsor a Meal Restaurant Program
In the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mission launched a campaign to help local restaurants during this difficult time by bringing businesses or private donors together with local restaurants to help who are experiencing homelessness. Our hope was that this will be a great partnership that will not only help people who desperately need food right now, but at the same time will help one of the hardest hit industries during the pandemic – restaurants and the people who work there.
Due to this program’s success and our amazing community partners, we have continued this program past the pandemic. For more information about sponsoring a meal at the Mission, visit https://www.sbrescuemission.com/missionmeal/.
Medical/Dental Volunteers
Licensed doctors, dentists, nurses, dental hygienists, dental assistants and others familiar with medical and dental intake procedures are needed on an as needed basis. All clinic services are scheduled around volunteers schedule.
Work at Mission Thrift Store
The Mission Thrift Store needs group volunteers to help sort donated goods, apply price tags, clean the facilities, shelve and hang items, and a variety of other tasks. All proceeds from the Thrift Store are used to fund the ministry of the Rescue Mission, and our guests are able to learn retail skills that will help them get jobs. The Thrift Store is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Please note that this opportunity has been temporarily suspended due to staff storages.
Other Volunteer Opportunities
- Complete miscellaneous projects at one of the Mission facilities
- Collect Items from Our Immediate Needs List
- Help with special events during the year
Business & Organization Partnerships
Businesses help in a variety of ways, from donating a new playground, creating a children’s play room, to being a sponsor at one of our annual fund-raising events. The opportunities are endless in how a business could help the guests at the Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission. We would love to cultivate a relationship with you and your business.
Who to Contact
Please contact Donor and Volunteer Relations Department at volunteers@sbrescuemission.com to schedule a time to volunteer, or for more information.
Volunteer Guide
As a volunteer you become a member of a dedicated team that is changing our cities one life at a time. Through the generous gift of your time, talent and personal interests, you supplement the work of staff members in offering many special services that are so important to our guests and Mission staff.
