How will YOU be involved in 2017?

The Oregon Mennonite Festival for World Relief could not happen without our wonderful volunteers. You can help make life better for people worldwide by offering your skills and time. Do you have a group of friends or Sunday school class that’s looking for a service opportunity? The festival is a great opportunity to serve side-by-side and have a good time!

Below are several opportunities where volunteers would be appreciated. If you are interested in volunteering wherever needed most, please contact Mark Diller, Volunteer Coordinator or fill out the form to the right. All volunteering takes place at the Linn County Expo Center unless otherwise noted.

Pre-event Setup, General (Oct. 13): We are looking for several people (high school students and older) to help set up tables, chairs, booths, and do other miscellaneous tasks on Friday, in preparation for the sale. Contact Mark Diller.

Pre-event Setup, Books (Oct. 13): On Friday, thousands of used books and magazines will be brought to the fairgrounds and they need to be sorted by category. This is a great job for people who love to read. We can use volunteers starting at middle school age. Contact Dave Hockman-Wert or just come to the book area on Friday starting around 11 a.m.

Quilts (Oct. 13-14): In addition to the helpers already lined up, the quilt crew could use another two or three volunteers (high school age and up, especially some tall ones) on Friday to help hang the quilts. On Saturday, we could use about four volunteers (again high school age and up and relatively tall) for the stage crew, displaying quilts that are being auctioned. Contact Anita Lindberg.

Country Store (Oct. 13-14): Volunteers are needed to assist with setup on Friday, arranging merchandise, and then to be cashiers on Saturday. Contact Denise Diller.

Ticket Sellers (Oct. 14): During the festival, ticket sellers have the opportunity to greet event-goers and sell tickets which are used to purchase food at the various food booths. Volunteers (high school age or older) often assist in one-hour time blocks (starting at 7:15 a.m.) but are certainly welcome to help longer! Contact June Forsyth Kenagy.

School Kits (Oct. 14): Volunteers are needed to organize school kit supplies, accept donations, and box up completed school kits during the festival. Some churches deliver kits to the expo center on Friday or Saturday, and people attending the festival are invited to make a donation and put together a kit on site. We will have enough materials available to assemble 250 kits that day. Altogether, there may be 750 or more kits to box up and load onto a truck by the end of the day. Children and adults of all ages are welcome to volunteer. Contact Linda Pauls.

Eco-friendly Food Service (Oct. 14):  We’re working to reduce the environmental impact of the sale by reducing use of  disposables and increasing composting and recycling. During the festival, volunteers are needed to wash silverware and help  guests with composting and recycling. Contact Julia Todd.
 
Event Clean-up (Oct. 14): Following the festival, volunteers are needed to help take down tables, stack chairs, sweep, break down boxes for recycling, and help as needed to clean up. This usually takes place between 3:00 and 6 p.m. Saturday. Please contact Gerry Langstraat or report to him or Jon Umble anytime on Friday or Saturday.