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On Saturday, May 11, mail carriers across the country will do their part to Stamp Out Hunger by collecting food donations left at mailboxes along their routes. In the Erie region, the donations will go to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania to help feed hungry families locally.

Second Harvest is seeking volunteers who are willing to be assigned a route to follow letter carriers and pick up the food donations and transport them to designated drop-off sites. Volunteers can work as individuals, families or in groups, such as Scout packs.

If you’re interested in helping out, or need more information, call Samantha, special events coordinator at Second Harvest,  at 459-3663, Ext. 108.

It’s getting a lot easier to volunteer in Erie County.

United Way of Erie County and The Nonprofit Partnership launched its new online volunteer database this morning at a news conference.

Get Connected, or getconnected.unitedwayerie.org, matches aspiring volunteers with local opportunities based on their skill set and availability. Users can also follow local nonprofits and receive alerts when new volunteer listings are posted.

“This is the biggest idea that Erie has yet to get connected to,” said Bob Wooler, executive director of The Nonprofit Partnership, during the news conference. “This is the convergence of need and services.”

Wooler said Get Connected services both youth and adults, highlighting event work, short-term engagements and long-term projects for highly skilled volunteers.

Maj. Les Walter, of the Salvation Army, said the website launch will be especially helpful as the holiday season approaches. The Salvation Army is experiencing what Walter called “volunteer burnout,” as many longtime volunteers have “retired.”

“We’re hoping through this effort, more volunteers step up,” said Walter, during the news conference. “Even if money is tight, you can still give a few hours of your time.”

United Way of Erie County President Bill Jackson said the nonprofit is also looking to expand Get Connected”s reach into local schools. It can be used as a resource to help students fulfill volunteer hours, said Jackson.

Karen Seggi, executive director of Second Harvest, said she plans to use Get Connected with her two children.

“I want (my children) to learn that philanthropy is important,” said Seggi.

To learn more or make a volunteer profile, visit getconnected.unitedwayerie.org.

Image is a screenshot of Get Connected

The Erie Times-News and GoErie.com are keeping you updated on Erie region volunteer efforts.

Here are some volunteer stories from this week:

St. Benedict Center helps teach refugees
Volunteers teach work skills, such as sewing and bicycle repair, to new refugees at the St. Benedict Education Center.

Volunteers to clean litter from Lake Erie coast
Pennsylvania-Lake Erie International Coastal Cleanup volunteers have bagged 169,390 cigarette butts and 41,680 beverages containers in the local watershed over the past nine years.

Gleaning with Erie’s Second Harvest Food Bank
Four volunteers with Second Harvest Food Bank worker Jack Nunes picked more than 1,200 pounds of produce at Mobilia Fruit Farm in North East Township.

The Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania is looking for individual and group volunteers to pick usable leftovers from fields and orchards after the harvest.

“Our goal this year is to obtain as much produce as we can since produce is high in nutrition and low in fat and sodium,” the food bank wrote on Volunteer Match.

The food bank will compile a list of interested volunteers. Due to the nature of the activity, volunteers will often be given 24 hours notice before a shift.

Food-picking opportunities may arise before the harvest as well. Second Harvest Food Bank predicts this opportunity will run from the spring until November.

To participate, visit Volunteer Match or contact Brian McCaleb at 459-3663, ext. 106, or volunteer@eriefoodbank.org.

Want to help out but can’t participate in the food-picking? Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania has several opportunities.

Happy Martin Luther King Day! And more importantly for this blog, Happy National Day of Service.

Volunteers across the nation are using their day off to do some good in the spirit of Dr. King’s message.

As President Barack Obama said in a national proclamation on Jan. 13:

As we work to meet the challenges of our time from fixing our schools so every child gets a world class education to ensuring all Americans have access to strong and secure economic opportunity let us draw strength from Dr. King’s stirring affirmation that “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.”

Want to give back here in Erie? Look no further.

Here are some National Day of Service opportunities.

Give the gift of warmth

The Burlington Coat Factory is collecting gently worn winter coats in its fifth annual Warm Coats + Warm Hearts Drive.

The goal of the drive is 1 million coats.

The drive ends today, so take some time during this day off and go through your closets.

And as an added perk (besides the rush of an altruistic deed) Burlington Coat Factory is offering a 10 percent discount on purchases through today.

Erie Insurance’s week-long volunteer event

Fifty-four Erie Insurance employees will be volunteering in three locations throughout the city this week.

Erie Insurance is also donating $1,500 to each location.

Volunteers will be:

-Hosting group activities at the Erie Center on Health & Aging on Jan. 16

-Painting an 100-year-old building in Downtown Erie on Jan. 17 and 18

-Tutoring students at Pfeiffer-Burleigh Elementary School on Jan. 18, 19 and 20

Feed the hungry

Second Harvest Food Bank is looking for volunteers for its afternoon shift (1 to 3:30 p.m.)

Take a break from your day and help distribute food to those in need.

Can’t make it today? Second Harvest Food Bank is always in need of volunteers.

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Do you know of any other National Day of Service volunteer opportunities? Email me at catherine.cloutier@timesnews.com or leave them here as a comment.

Photo courtesy of Montgomery Serves