BEND, OR -- Several local nonprofits are joining forces this weekend, to recruit much-needed volunteers. Bethlehem Inn Volunteer Manager Jordon Walker says shelters in Bend and Redmond couldn’t operate without extra help, "We rely significantly on volunteers to help us run all of our programs." But, he says, many people think volunteers must be retired or have special skills; when, in fact, there are opportunities for anyone who’s willing. 

"The need for services is growing," says Walker, "And so, we’re going to continue to need to bolster the amount of people that are involved in being part of that solution. So, it’s really a never-ending goal of trying to get as many people involved in what we do, to complete our mission."

Bethlehem Inn hosts what Walker calls a Volunteer Community Conversation Sunday afternoon with Saving Grace, KIDS Center, CASA and the region’s other shelter provider, Shepherd’s House. "We’re all trying to do amazing, great things. It isn't a competition," Walker tells KBND News, "It’s just about trying to get people to the right place where they have their volunteering home." And, he says, it’s not uncommon for someone to help out at more than one organization, "Oftentimes, what you’ll see, too - once you start volunteering in one nonprofit ‘here,’ and you go to another one. A lot of the communities actually overlap. So, you might be helping someone at Saving Grace who you later see at Bethlehem Inn."

Sunday’s event is from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Bethlehem Inn’s Bend shelter (3705 N. Highway 97), where prospective volunteers will hear from various nonprofits and be able to sign up.