Volunteer at Emergency Winter Shelter (EWS)
Volunteering at the Arlington County Emergency Winter Shelter is a terrific direct service opportunity for volunteers aged 18 years or older. Volunteers hold significant responsibility and fulfill a variety of critical roles by working together as part of the shelter team. There are three daily volunteer shifts at the EWS with set hours: Volunteer Shift Monitor, Evening Shift and Morning Shift. Volunteers must sign in at the beginning of their shift and wear a volunteer badge during their time at the shelter. Volunteers are expected to take their responsibilities seriously and treat every client with respect.
Volunteer Shift Monitor: 4 pm – 10 pm
The EWS needs up to two Volunteer Shift Monitors per afternoon/evening to assist the staff with client sign-in procedures, organizing donations and maintaining the clothing closet, re-stocking supplies, organizing storage areas and any other tasks that may arise. Because this shift is six hours long, it is a great way to get community service hours and to experience the shelter environment first-hand.
Evening Volunteer: 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Join our team of dedicated EWS Staff to become an Evening Volunteer. Four volunteers per shift are needed at the Shelter each evening from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Evening Volunteers assist staff members by serving the evening meal, distributing bedding and hygiene items, monitoring the clothing room, watching the front door or completing a variety of other tasks to help the Shelter run smoothly. Sign up either as an individual or with a group and share the evening tasks.
Morning Volunteer: 4 am – 7 am, 5 am – 7 am
Two volunteers are welcomed to the EWS every morning to serve our clients a light breakfast of cereal or oatmeal, juice and fruit or coffee. Morning volunteers also assist with clean laundry distribution, bagged meal distribution (bagged meals distributed when available) and other daily close-out procedures. This is a great opportunity for all of you early-risers!
Provide Meals for the EWS
Another great way to contribute to the EWS is to provide meals for our shelter guests. Volunteers may provide anything from snacks and fruit to a full evening meal. Also, providing bagged meals is a great service to shelter guests as they will be distributed for lunch.
Emergency Winter Shelter
2049 15th Street North (Courthouse Metro)
Arlington, VA 22206
Phone: 703-228-7395
Hours: 4 pm – 9 am
Open seasonally from November 1st through March 31st
There is no minimum requirement for volunteering at the Shelter.
Sign Up
To check the EWS volunteer schedule and to sign up for available shifts, please log in to the A-SPAN Volunteer Information: Volunteer Information Center.
If you’ve never volunteered with A-SPAN before or you’re new to our online Volunteer Information System above, get started now by submitting your A-SPAN Volunteer Application Form.
For more information or to sign up as an EWS volunteer, contact Volunteer Coordinator Sarah Morse at smorse@a-span.org or call 703-842-0168.