Lend a hand to SERVE at Empty Bowls event

Good morning, Prince William and Happy Sunday. I hope you can spare a few hours this Friday evening to help the wonderful folks at Securing Emergency Resources Through Volunteer Efforts Inc. with their Annual Empty Bowls Event. This is a partnership with local artists where you purchase a hand-made bowl and then fill it with your supper. Volunteers are needed to serve dinner, prepare salads and desserts and especially help with other kitchen jobs. This event is held at the Manassas Baptist Church ’s Java Rock Annex on Oct . 24 from 6 p .m . to 8 p .m. Teens must be 16 years old and adult volunteers are also very welcome during the event or on Thursday for set-up. Please call Jan at 703-367-6742 if you can spare just two hours to help out with this fun event.

Literacy Volunteers of America have a simple question for you and that is, “Can you read?”

Since you’re reading this newspaper , you might consider being a tutor to an adult in the Woodbridge area desperately trying to better his or her skills. The literacy training program equips you with all the tools needed to make a huge impact on a family trying to keep their head s above water. Please call Literacy Volunteers at 703-670-5702 for all the specifics.

The Prince William Sheriff’s Office is looking for volunteers to help in its Manassas office as well as helping with community events. As you may recall , these public safety professionals participate in safety expos, child ID events, toy and food drives, as well as other charitable events. Please call Nancy at 703-792-5817 for your volunteer information packet.

The Carteret Mortgage Boys and Girls Club in Manassas is full of kids , so it has lots of ways you can volunteer to work with kids from elementary to high school age. Please call Tim at 703-365-2582, Ext. 226 to learn about the many volunteer opportunities at this fabulous safe place for kids.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)  is gearing up for the next 5K fun non-competitive walk on Nov . 1 at Lake Fairfax Park. This is a wonderful way to involve your entire family — including the dog — for a great cause. Please check out the website: http://www.walklikemadd.org/fairfax to register online. We can all be part of the elimination of drunk driving.

And hold on to your hat because the folks at both ACTS and SERVE are feverishly working on Operation Turkey to provide healthy food baskets to needy families at Thanksgiving. If you feel as if we’re moving at warp speed , we are! And if you are feeling the grocery squeeze , think how hard it’s going to be on families living on the edge.

So here’s how you can help — do a food drive at work or in your neighborhood for canned vegetables, jello, muffin mix, bag stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, macaroni and cheese, instant potatoes and a gift card to purchase their meat of choice.  Or you can volunteer throughout the month of November sorting, bagging or distributing.

To help out SERVE in the Manassas area from Nov. 8 through Nov. 23, please call Jan at 703-367-6742 or e-mail her at . To help ACTS in the Woodbridge/Dumfries area on weekends beginning Nov. 1 through 22, with a few days in the middle of the week, please e-mail Michael at or call 703-221-3186, Ext. 240.

f you are looking for other opportunities, please don’t forget to call the team at the Voluntary Action Center. Diane can help senior volunteers with Retired and Senior Volunteer (RSVP) opportunities at 703-369-5292, Ext. 207; Shelley can help with 1-800 volunteer opportunities at 703-369-5292, Ext. 201; Sue can help you with the Medical Reserve opportunities available in Disaster Preparedness at 703-369-5292, Ext. 204; and Bonnie can help you with all the other many opportunities available in Disaster Preparedness at 703-369-5292, Ext. 202. Or please don’t forget our website at http://www.volunteerprincewilliam.org. Thanks so much for all you do in our community. Until next week, please stay safe.

Mary Foley is Executive Director of the The Voluntary Action Center in Manassas. She can be reached at 703-369-5292, Ext. 203; or on the Web site, http://www.volunteerprincewilliam.org