Susannah O. MacKay

Bridging The Gap to Volunteers

BY SUSANNAH O. MACKAY

The events of the last few years have touched every member of our community. From isolation and loneliness to job loss and hunger, we have all come through this difficult time in need of encouragement and support. There is one answer to this challenge that can strengthen everyone: service. The simple act of serving helps those in need, and heals those who serve. There is something each of us can do, individually or with our families, clubs or faith-based organizations. But, sometimes, it’s hard to know how to get started. If you’re looking for service opportunities in our area, JustServe.org is a free nationwide website and app that works to match volunteers with nonprofit organizations.

The goal of JustServe is to unify and strengthen communities, and the tool’s popularity recently has grown in the metro Atlanta area. By providing organizations with another resource for recruiting volunteers, and allowing volunteers an easy way to identify opportunities, JustServe is helping communities pull together and meet needs where they are happening.

In our area, JustServe has partnered with nonprofits including MUST Ministries, Simple Needs Georgia (SNGA) and more.

“MUST Ministries is so grateful for the JustServe platform, which helps us find amazing volunteers to serve our neighbors in need,” said Angel Radford, MUST Ministries’ director of volunteer services. “We can always depend on the JustServe volunteers to come with a servant’s heart and work hard. We love being able to partner with them to advance the work in our community.”

A partnership with Aroundabout Local Media will showcase different service opportunities monthly. If you run a nonprofit or are looking for ways to make service a regular part of your life, check out JustServe.org. You can sign up for regular updates and learn more about nearby organizations, too. JustServe makes it easy to just go out and serve.

Susannah MacKay is a local JustServe specialist. She grew up in Marietta and loves helping strengthen her community through service! Follow her on Facebook @JustServeGeorgia. 1. MUST Ministries Mobile Pantry. The MUST Ministries Mobile Pantry bus visits locations throughout Cherokee and Cobb counties for pop-up food pantries. Volunteers, ages 12 and older, meet the bus at the location and help set up the pantry, assist clients with food needs, and tear down the pantry at the end of the event. https://bit. ly/3djfE5K.

2. Simple Needs Georgia Comfort Kits. When new guests arrive in local homeless shelters, they often do not have much with them. To help them feel more comfortable, SNGA provides them with a duffel bag containing toiletries and other items they will need during their stay. You can help by purchasing items, donating money toward the project or putting the bags together. https://bit.ly/3doampn.

Help Save Lives

Resolve to Give Blood at a Red Cross Location Near You

National Blood Donor Month has been observed in January since 1970, and recognizes the importance of giving blood and platelets while honoring those who roll up a sleeve to help patients in need. The community is invited to help save lives by donating blood at the Cobb Red Cross Blood, Platelet and Plasma Donation Center at East Lake Shopping Center, 2145 Roswell Road in Marietta, or at another community blood drive scheduled in the area.

The winter months can be especially difficult to collect enough blood and platelets to meet patient needs. Inclement weather can result in blood drive cancellations, and seasonal illnesses, like the flu, can prevent some donors from making or keeping appointments to give. Blood donors with all blood types are encouraged to make an appointment to give.

Each Red Cross blood drive and donation center follows the highest standards of safety and infection control, and additional precautions — including face masks for donors and staff, regardless of vaccination status — have been implemented to help protect the health of all those in attendance. Donors are asked to schedule an appointment prior to arriving at the drive.

How to Help

To make an appointment, or to learn more about blood drive locations, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device. Completion of a RapidPass online health history questionnaire is encouraged to speed up the donation process. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass, or use the Blood Donor App.

A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at checkin. Individuals who are 17 years old (16 with parental consent), weight at least 110 pounds, and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood, according to Georgia’s regulations. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

About the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters, supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood, teaches skills that save lives, distributes international humanitarian aid and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

Blood from Black donors is needed urgently to help patients with sickle cell disease.

Key Messages

• If you’re feeling healthy and well, your blood donation is needed now to help meet the needs of hospital patients. • The Red Cross continues to address a nationwide blood shortage. Donors of all blood types are needed to give now, to ensure blood is available when patients need it. • A diverse blood supply is important. Donors of all ethnicities are needed. A patient is more likely to find a compatible blood match from a donor of the same race or a similar ethnic group. • Help ensure blood is available to those with sickle cell disease when they need it. Blood donations from individuals who are Black are needed urgently to help meet the needs of patients with sickle cell disease.

Find more information at

RedCrossBlood.org/OurBlood. • Eligibility questions?

Call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit

RedCrossBlood.org.

Local Blood Drives

Jan. 3

Northstar Church

3413 Blue Springs Road, Kennesaw 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Jan. 4

Hillside United Methodist Church

4474 Towne Lake Parkway Woodstock 2:30-7:30 p.m. Jan. 6

Cherokee Presbyterian Church

1498 Johnson Brady Road, Canton 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Jan. 7

Orange UMC

220 Orange Circle Road, Canton 2-7 p.m. Jan. 8

Good Shepherd Lutheran

1208 Rose Creek Blvd., Woodstock 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Jan. 10

Woodstock First Baptist

11905 Highway 92 2-7 p.m. Jan. 11

Kennesaw First Baptist

2958 N. Main St. 3-8 p.m.

Legacy Park

Jan. 11

Wellstar Cherokee Health Park

1120 Wellstar Way, Holly Springs 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Jan. 12

Kennesaw First UMC

1801 Ben King Road 2-7 p.m. Jan. 13

Hickory Flat Fellowship Church

5301 Hickory Flat Highway 2-7 p.m. Jan. 14

Canton City Hall

110 Academy St. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Jan. 18

Canton American Legion

150 McClure St. 12:30-5:30 p.m. Jan. 20

Hickory Flat Fellowship Church

5301 Hickory Flat Highway 2-7 p.m. Jan. 22

Woodstock Christian Church

7700 Highway 92 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Jan. 24

St. Clements Episcopal Church

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