Our purpose is to organize weekly service opportunities that appeal to a wide range of students and meet a variety of needs in the Tuscaloosa community.
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If you like the outdoors UA’s Arboretum is the place for you! The Arb is a beautiful outdoor nature museum. Volunteering duties include gardening, learning about succulents, and nurturing the unique plant collection. TBH it’s therapeutic and a great way to escape busy school schedules. The food grown in the garden goes directly to the West Alabama Food Bank to help combat food insecurity in Alabama. The only thing required is closed-toed shoes! We serve at this site every Friday from 2:30-3:45pm.
Schoolyard Root is a non-profit that focuses experiential learning through gardening in local elementary schools. By incorporating math and science curriculum into garden lessons, Schoolyard Roots aims to increase access to fresh and sustainable food in Tuscaloosa. Volunteers will be performing various gardening maintenance tasks including weeding and painting, while learning about local flora and fauna! We serve at this site every Thursday from 2:30-3:45pm.
Moundville Archeological Park is one of the nation’s premiere Native American heritage sites. With over 325 acres including a campground, a nature trail, a museum, and an archeological research lab, volunteers are necessary to maintain the campground, help with events, and other various activities. It is recommended that Volunteers wear long pants and closed toed shoes. We serve at this site every Friday from 1-2pm.
The West Alabama Food Bank services nine counties: Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Marion, Pickens, Sumter, and Tuscaloosa. The food is distributed by WAFB member nonprofit agencies who pick up and distribute food to those facing food insecurity in their respective communities. At the West Alabama Food Bank, we do a variety of activities that includes packaging food and stocking the market area. Dress is casual, and closed toe shoes are required. We serve at this site two days a week: Tuesdays 1:30-3:30pm and Wednesdays 2-4pm.
Wings of Grace Relief Center was established through Forest Lake Baptist Church in effect of the 2011 Tornado that swept through Tuscaloosa destroying homes and establishments. What most people fail to realize is that natural disasters have a long-term effect on their victims for years to come. WOG is thriving in growth and outreach because they understand the need for clothing, food and other resources to this day. The Center has expanded in their efforts by providing aid to any individual or family that visits them. Every Thursday and Friday, you will find them giving donations of food, clothing, toiletries, linen, etc. to the public. WOG is requesting the following from their volunteers: pack food and toiletry bags, sort and display clothing, wrap Christmas presents, help facilitate during events, and to be personal shoppers for their clients. Everything at WOG is free of charge! The expectation is that as a volunteer, you will submerge yourself into the experience, learn from the clients, all while being a cheerful giver! We serve at this site two days a week: Tuesday 1-3pm and Wednesday 2-4pm.
The S.D. Allen Building operates a furniture donation and delivery ministry. The building was designed to be used as a short-term staging area for local missions and to be used by the S.D. Allen Ministry as a beachhead to provide for the spiritual and physical needs within the community.
Each week at SD Allen, volunteers move, organize, and repair furniture to be distributed to members of the community. Our labor at the site helps the operation of the community partner as they plan yard sales, bed distributions, and more! 232 families in Tuscaloosa were served by SD Allen in 2020. We currently serve at this site every Tuesday from 1:30-3:30pm.
The House Tuscaloosa was started by two pastors who intentionally left traditional local church ministry to serve the forgotten and an educator with a lifelong dream of opening a used bookstore. In our local community, the forgotten take a variety of forms: individuals who live with a disadvantage because of gender, race or a past mistake, those who have lost loved ones to death, and people who are not comfortable in beautiful church buildings but are longing for a sense of belonging and purpose. The House is a combination of those ideas under the broader definition of literacy, competence or knowledge in a specific area, and founded a literacy center and used bookstore. The House is a soon to be used book store and literacy center! Volunteers will assist in painting walls, trim and furniture, landscaping cleaning, sorting books, etc. to prepare for the opening of this incredible center! As a volunteer you will take a hands on role in the evolution of this space. We serve at this site every Wednesday from 10:30am-12:30pm.
Therapy Riding of Tuscaloosa (TROT ) is a site created to benefit those with developmental challenges through the therapeutic experience of horseback riding! Serving Bama TROT volunteers will help maintain the TROT site through different weekly activities as directed by the site coordinator. Some activities may include cleaning stalls and water buckets, stripping horse stalls, and replacing shavings. It’s important to wear long pants, close toed shoes, and clothes that you don’t mind getting a little messy when working on the TROT site. We serve at this site every Monday from 10:30am-12:30pm.
