Working together, we can end homelessness in Falmouth.
Volunteer
The BTEO needs volunteers like you!
“You literally saved my life,” was a comment from a former resident who is now in stable housing. Without volunteers, there would be no BTEO. During 2024, over 80 volunteers participated in a wide variety of services to support those struggling with homelessness in Falmouth, including: Packaging, Transportation, Meals, Grants, House Set Up and Breakdown, Re-housing, Landscaping, Office Help, and Special Services and Skills.
Volunteer Meetings
BTEO volunteers meet each month, September through May, except for April, usually at 6:00 p.m. on the third Monday at St. Barnabas Parish House and via Zoom. We discuss updates on progress and new ideas. Individual committees may meet at 5:00 p.m. before the general meeting or on their team’s preferred date/time at a volunteer’s home or via conference calls. There are usually no meetings during the summer. Please join us if you are interested.
Volunteer Opportunities
If you are interested in Volunteering, we would love to have you join one or more of our teams. Note that volunteers may choose “in person” or “no contact” activities. Contact Jay O’Connell, BTEO’s Volunteer Coordinator, at 508-274-7158 or jayo@bteofalmouth.org.
Or you can fill out a Volunteer Application at Belonging to Each Other. What follows describes BTEO’s volunteer teams and what the volunteering work entails.

Packaging
This team of volunteers package meals, toiletries, clothing and other sundries for BTEO’s residents during the winter months. These volunteers typically work about two to four hours per month from October through March.

Transportation
BTEO residents often need rides to and from job interviews, work, medical appointments, shopping and family. Transportation volunteers provide these rides and deliver meals to local emergency shelters in the winter months. Volunteers must possess their own insured vehicle, a clean driving record, a valid license, and be able to pass a CORI check. The BTEO aims to maintain a long list of Transportation volunteers to support peaks and to limit volunteer hours to four to six hours per month during the colder months.

Meals
Volunteers prepare meals for BTEO residents and guests during colder months. Volunteers must be able to follow recipes and stand on their feet for two to three hours. Most volunteers work two to three hours per week twice a month. Also, our resident homes open around November 1 and volunteer chefs prepare meals for the residents for the first week to ease the transition. Each chef must be able to cook dinner for about ght people (one house) and also deliver the meal. Residents perform the clean-up.

Grants
Members of the Grants volunteer team prepare grant applications posted by charitable organizations to help BTEO financially. These volunteers should be excellent readers and have generally good computing and business skills to help respond to often complex grant applications. Grants team members spend about four to eight hours per month year-round including going to Grant team meetings.

House Set Up and Breakdown
BTEO’s main housing season runs from November 1st to April 30th. Prior to opening, volunteers clean each house and move furniture in or out, as required. They also set up the kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms. They then repeat the process during the last week in April. Volunteers should be able to lift 50 pounds, comfortably go up and down stairs, and be good at house cleaning and general maintenance. This kind of volunteer typically spends four to six hours in late October, and again in late April.

Re-Housing
BTEO acts as a transition point from homelessness to stable housing, and BTEO supports our residents when they move into stable housing. We help move everything from kitchenware to furniture and more. Volunteers on this team must be able to lift up to 50 pounds, maneuver up and down stairs, and should be comfortable with cleaning and general house maintenance. Volunteers typically work two to four hours per month, year round, albeit on an as need basis.

Landscaping
BTEO operates three homes in Falmouth, and it is our responsibility to be good neighbors and keep our homes in good condition inside and out. This volunteer team performs the upkeep and maintenance of the outside of our properties. This includes trimming plants and hedges as well as Fall and Spring cleanup. Volunteers should be comfortable performing physical yard work, and expect to spend one to two hours per month from November through April, and more time during Fall and Spring cleanup.

Events
These volunteer team supports BTEO’s fundraising events. This includes soliciting donations from local vendors for auctions and raffles, setting up and tearing down event sites, and registering attendees. Hours range from two to eight per month depending on BTEO’s event schedule. In addition, our volunteers participate in partner events, which raise funds with businesses around the area. BTEO volunteers help staff these partner events. This work requires about two to six hours per month.

Office Help
The BTEO’s staff often needs additional support for administrative functions. This may include data entry, preparing materials for bulk mailing, and related office functions. It requires volunteers who are well organized, and in some cases have basic computing skills. These volunteers spend two or three hours per week September through April.

Special Services and Skills
If you have any specific skills not applicable to the above volunteering services that you think may be helpful to BTEO, please reach out and let us know. Examples include expertise in government services, legal, social media, marketing, technology/IT/web development, and accounting.
Other Ways to Help
Change a life today
Our volunteers are the heart and soul of our services to people in Falmouth who need housing for the cold weather months.