Mission: Miriam's Kitchen's mission is to end chronic homelessness in Washington DC through the following ways:
- Connect chronically homeless guests with the highest quality, most nutritious meals in the city.
- Case Managers build a community where each individual feels safe getting the help that they need, when they are ready to receive it.
- In partnership with people who have experienced homelessness, advocate for the D.C. government to make investments in the housing programs that are most proven to end homelessness. Meanwhile, Miriam's Kitchen partners with other service providers and government agencies to change the way homeless services are delivered in Washington.
- The most successful intervention for chronic homelessness is Permanent Supportive Housing, which couples permanent housing with supportive services that target the specific needs of an individual.
Website: https://miriamskitchen.org/volunteer/
Email: volunteer@miriamskitchen.org Please see volunteer page for more specific contact emails.
Phone: (202) 452-8926
What volunteers do:
- Kitchen: Serve a meal or do prep work for a future meal. Kitchen volunteers commit to one regular shift per month. Shifts are Breakfast M-F 6-830am, Dinner M-F 4-630pm, Prep Tues and Thurs 12-2pm
- Guest services: Distribute toiletries, fulfill clothing orders, or simply engage with guests. Some volunteers help by giving haircuts, manicures, or writing resumes. Do you have some other skills to offer? Let us know! Times are M-F 6-8:30am and 4-5:45pm
- Miriam's studio: Lead a writing group or assist the art therapist before, during, or after studio time. Writing Group leader M-F 8:30-9:15am, 2:30-4:15pm. Art Helpers M-F 8-10am, 11-2pm, or 2:15-4pm.
- Advocacy: Support the advocacy team by lending your writing, communications, and media skills to our campaign.
FYI:
- Check out faq's at https://miriamskitchen.org/volunteer-faqs/ for more specific volunteer information.
- New volunteers must first attend a volunteer orientation session.
- Volunteer shifts are only during the week, not the weekend.
- You must commit to once a month on an ongoing basis.
Mission: PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect open expression in the United States and worldwide. PEN America champions the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Their mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. The Prison Writing Program sponsors an annual writing contest, publishes a free handbook for prisoners, and provides one-on-one mentoring to inmates.
Website: https://pen.org/about/programs/prison-writing/
Email: penmentor@gmail.com
Phone: (212) 334-1660, ext. 117
What volunteers do:
- Mentors read and edit submissions and provide written feedback. If possible, PEN encourages mentors to suggest or forward reading materials or exercises pertaining to their student's work. When sending material back, the mentor will either request new work from the prisoner or ask for a revision. There is a minimum of three exchanges between mentor and writer.
- Volunteers serve as judges in the program's annual prison writing contest.
FYI:
- The level of anonymity in the correspondence is entirely up to the mentor: you may use your own name, a pen name, or initials.
- Both the prisoner and the mentor should expect a response no later than five weeks.