Lending a helping hand

Dave Brooks

On any given day of the week, dozens of volunteers gather in a small

office in the back of the Senior Services Transportation department

with one goal in mind: to feed the city’s elderly residents.

Operating on a small budget and a big heart, the city’s Seniors’

Meals-to-the-Home program relies on a large network of volunteers to

both prepare and deliver meals to all corners of the city.

“The volunteers are what really make this program happen,” said

program coordinator Jan Gooder, who runs the Meals-to-the-Home

program out of a small Orange Avenue office with the help of Patricia

Gemmell.

Volunteering at the Senior’s Meals-to-the-Home program is just one

of many opportunities available in Huntington Beach. Whether it’s

serving on one of the city’s dozen citizen advisory boards, coaching

youth sports or spending a few hours a week with a senior citizen,

Surf City abounds with opportunities to give back to the community.

“For me, this is a great experience because it allows me to

interact with people in need,” Meals-to-the-Home volunteer driver

Nancy Stapleton said.

After volunteers busily scramble to divide up the hundreds of

meals that must go out to seniors each day, Stapleton loads a cooler

full of food and heads off on her delivery route. Each Tuesday she

brings meals to about 10 seniors.

“For some of the clients, this might be the only human interaction

they have all day,” she said.

More than 10 programs to assist Huntington Beach seniors are

looking for volunteers for everything from preparing a monthly

newsletter to telephone and visitation programs. For more information

on helping seniors, call (714) 374-1544.

Those with an artistic streak are welcome to volunteer at the

Huntington Beach Art Center. Director Kate Hoffman said volunteers

are utilized in a number of capacities, from participating in the

large volume of mailings the center sends out to helping with a

summer art camp or Family Arts Day in the fall.

“We work to determine how (a volunteer) can fit into a program we

have,” Hoffman said. “We try to make it a happy match for the

volunteer.”

For more information on the art center, call (714) 536-5258.

Huntington Beach also offers many opportunities to volunteer

outdoors. On the first Saturday of each month, volunteers converge on

the Shipley Nature Center at 9 a.m. to take part in native plant

restoration. Shipley can be reached at (714) 847-4722.

Those interested in helping educate and clean up visitors to the

city’s dog beach should call (714) 841-8644, while adults interested

in coaching boys and girls baseball, basketball and football should

contact the Murdy Community Center at (714) 960-8895, or the Edison

Community Center in southeast Huntington Beach at (714) 960-8870.

Huntington Beach’s library is always looking for help, said Rose

Saylin, who helps coordinate the adult literacy program.

“We need literacy tutors that can help adults improve their

reading, writing and speaking English,” she said of the program,

which reaches out to about 200 students in the area. Volunteers are

asked to make a year commitment, and give tutoring assistance a few

hours each week. For more information call (714) 375-5102.

Huntington Beach also has a variety of citizen boards and

commissions to help advise the City Council on everything from

finance to the annual Fourth of July parade. A complete list of

available openings is available in the City Clerk’s office.

“It’s a chance to participate, to educate yourself and certainly

the advice that comes from the bodies is taken very seriously,” city

coordinator Pat Dapkussaid.

A complete list of volunteer opportunities is available on the

city’s website at https://www.surfcity-hb.org.