Volunteer Opportunities Of The Week: Food Recovery, Puppy Raisers

Each week, Patch will be highlighting a volunteer opportunity — or two or three — in the Hudson Valley. They will be chances to help your community and be an opportunity to give back — in perhaps a way you didn't consider before.

And if you have some need for volunteers, be sure to let us know by emailing michael.woyton@patch.com.

This week we are putting the spotlight on three chances to help local communities.

First up, Together Our Unity Can Heal, Inc., has a food recovery program that has saved more than 40,000 pounds of consumable food that would otherwise have gone into landfills.

On the fourth Tuesday of every month, the nonprofit receives a tractor-trailer full of recovered farm-fresh produce from upstate farms.

Volunteers are needed to help sign in participating pantries, count boxes and clear away pallets and debris from the distribution lot in West Nyack. Afterward, volunteers will help in unloading and storing items at the food bank. Volunteers should be in good physical condition and able to lift 50 pounds.

Go here to sign up or get more information.

If you love dogs, then our second volunteer opportunity could be for you. Volunteer Service Dog Puppy Raisers needs people to help raise its next class of puppies so it can keep providing free service service dogs to those in need.

Volunteer puppy-raisers will be taught how to socialize the pups to new situations and people, train them and nurture them in order to building trusting, loving dogs.

Read the specific requirements and express interest in volunteering by clicking here. FYI, volunteers will need to live within an hour of Brewster.

And finally, the Junior League of Central Westchester is looking for volunteers to help their neighbors fulfill the basic need of diapering their babies by soliciting contributions to the Diaper Bank.

The Junior League will send volunteers a "How to Host a Diaper Drive" kit to get them started. Posters and other educational materials will be provided. The organization is seeking individuals, community organizations and corporate sponsors to support the Diaper Bank.

This project is ideal for kids, companies, faith-based organizations, daycare centers and more.

For more information or to express interest, go here.

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