volunteer INFORMATION
Please sign up in advance.
If a session you want to attend is full, check for late cancellations the night before or morning of a session.
Spots often open up at the last minute.
Tuesdays 6:30-9:00 pm
Wednesdays 1:00-4:00 pm
Thursdays 6:30-9:00 pm
Saturdays 1:00-4:00 pm
Books can be dropped off during any volunteer session. If you’re just dropping off, you don’t need to sign up, but please check the sign up page to make sure that the session is happening. Cancellations are rare, but they do happen.
Interested in a special session just for your group?
For a donation, Prison Book Program can offer private sessions apart from our regularly scheduled sessions.
Contact our Program Coordinator for details.
You can sign up just before you arrive or weeks in advance! If you can no longer attend a shift you’ve signed up for, please cancel so that someone else can have your spot. You can also check your sign-ups here.
Bringing a kid or friend? Great, but each individual person attending the session must be signed up, even if you use the same email address twice. Please do not bring “plus one’s” who aren’t signed up.
We love hosting all kinds of groups! We can set aside up to 15 spots at any of our regularly scheduled volunteer sessions for groups. Contact our Program Coordinator with your desired dates. Groups should schedule 8+ weeks in advance since sessions fill quickly. If you have a group of more than 15, you’ll need to inquire about a private session. We are happy to arrange these for a donation.
What will i be doing
Prison Book Program is 100% volunteer-powered. Our work would be impossible without the thousands of people who serve with us every year. You might:
- choose books from our library to match requests from incarcerated readers
- prepare book packages for the mail
- sort through donated books and decide which ones to keep and where to shelve them
- process incoming book requests by verifying requestors’ locations and marking up requests with each facility’s rules and regulations
Jobs are distributed at each session through a card system. The number of cards put out for each task is the number of people needed for that task. Arrive early if you want your choice of job.
VOLUNTEERING FAQs
You can sign up on our website before the session. Some sessions fill up quickly, especially Saturdays, so sign up early!
We ask that first time volunteers arrive at the beginning of the session, and all volunteers should stay through the session to help clean up.
Yes! Most of our work is done by volunteers. We have jobs to match all abilities ranging from sit-down jobs to moving heavy boxes. There are no prerequisites or orientations for volunteers. If you are under 18, please look under “Can kids volunteer” below.
Yes. The church has three all-gender bathrooms including one that is single occupancy and handicapped accessible.
While there is no water fountain, we do provide cups people can use for tap water. We usually have light snacks available but you should not count on food. Quincy Center has several restaurants, coffee shops, and convenience stores where you can purchase your own food and beverages.
Many of our volunteers need signed confirmation of their hours, which we can provide. Ask at a volunteer session, where we have blank forms to fill out. If you want a personalized letter with all the dates you volunteered included, email us before your final session and we can have it ready for you.