Partners in English Langulage Learning (PiELL) provides free one-on-one tutoring of ESL to non-native speakers in Nevada County. All tutors are volunteers which PiELL trains to teach ESL. They offer a two day training session three times a year.

Lost in a Crowd?  This is how hundreds of Western Nevada County Residents with limited English language skills feel when making medical appointments, speaking to doctors and nurses, talking to their children’s teachers, filling out job applications, asking for directions, or reading labels. These hard-working and motivated people represent a growing number of adults living in the community who want to learn or improve their English speaking, understanding, reading, and writing skills.  Plus help on the following:  

• Driver's Licenses
• Citizenship

PIELL has been serving Western Nevada County since 1985 and is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization with more than 50 trained volunteer tutors currently teaching over 45 a… [read more]

Vitalant in Grass Valley provides blood and blood services to regional hospitals. Vitalant Grass Valley (formerly BloodSource) works with community members to have volunteer donors give in different ways to help patients in need.

There are different eligibility guidelines for different donation types, e.g. platelet donation. You can learn more at Vitalant.org or call 877-258-4825 if you have questions about eligibility. Donors can give whole blood, red blood cells, platelets, or plasma. All blood types are needed.

Performs comprehensive blood donor testing; specialty laboratories address rare blood needs and compatibility testing for marrow/blood/stem cell/organ transplantation testing.

Find locations here: https://www.vitalant.org/locations

Email contact form here: https://www.vitalant.org/Resources/Contact-Us?Form=1

FOOD BANK OF NEVADA COUNTY FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS

Grass Valley - Western Nevada County
2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month from 10am-1pm
Grass Valley Seventh Day Adventist Church
12889 Osborn Hill Rd, Grass Valley, CA 95945

Higgins Corner - Grass Valley - Southern Nevada County
3rd Thursday of each month from 3:30-5:30pm
Sierra United Methodist Church (near Lake of the Pines)
22559 W. Hacienda Dr, Grass Valley, CA 95949

North San Juan
2nd Tuesday of each month from 10am-12pm
Oak Tree School
18847 Oak Tree Rd, North San Juan, CA 95959

Town of Washington
3rd Wednesday of each month at 12pm
Washington Fire Department
15406 Washington Rd, Washington, CA 95986

Truckee
Tuesday from 4pm-5pm
Sierra Community House
12116 Chandelle Way, Suite D2, Truckee, CA 96161
Call to confirm if weather or other factors might affect distributions. 775-545-4083

Income guidelines are posted under the USDA tab on the FBNC website: https://foodbankofnc.org/usda-1

If you'd like to volunteer contact Volunteer Coordinato… [read more]

The Mission of One Source – Empowering Caregivers is to improve quality of life for In-Home Caregivers and their loved ones by providing cost-free, non-medical support while they remain at home in a safe and healthy environment.

This resource is eligible for electronic referral.  One Source provides assessments for in-home family caregivers and loved ones to help create a specific plan to assist the in-home caregiver with respite and other resources.

Provides volunteer respite in-home family caregivers at no cost.

There are regular trainings for volunteers to become Respite Care Specialists. Call for details. 530-205-9514.

Offers outside referral recommendations to caregiving assistance organizations in the community.

The FREED Telephone Reassurance program is for anyone feeling lonely or isolated in Nevada County. A phone bank of volunteers makes phone calls Monday - Friday to check-in, chat, and socialize. Individuals who would like to receive telephone calls can choose to receive calls from one day a week up to 5 days a week. 
 
The FREED Friendly Visitor program matches Friendly Visitor participants to volunteers—who then get together to see movies, hang out, have conversations, play cards, go for a walk, or just talk. Volunteers can also meet by phone. 
 
Due to factors such as a lack of transportation or community inaccessibility, many seniors and people with disabilities go through prolonged periods of social isolation and loneliness. People who have disabilities identify numerous obstacles to community inclusion. In rural areas, especially, people are at risk for experiencing isolation which is a risk factor leading to many poor health outcomes.
 
Volunteers
Volu… [read more]

10/30/23 - Senior Firewood program is FULL FOR WINTER 2023-2024. People who want to APPLY for winter 2024-2025 can call GCSS at 530-615-4541 to be added to a list. Ask for Sonia.
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The Senior Firewood Program provides qualified seniors a limited amount of pine/fir to supplement their other home heating sources when wood is available. Also accepts donations of wood as able.

PLEASE NOTE: Anyone wanting to apply to receive wood or donate wood should call to learn the current status of the program. Wood supplies generally run out each season and there are not always enough volunteers to accept wood donations. Call 530-615-4541 to learn when applications open and whether donations are currently being accepted.

At times when the Senior Firewood Program is out of wood, Project Go may be able to help both Nevada & Placer County residents if they are income eligible for LIHEAP (they do not need to be seniors, just income qualified). Call 916-782-3443… [read more]

The Connecting Point Volunteer Hub is an online database for connecting Nevada County residents to volunteer opportunities in local nonprofits and public agencies.


Web pages

• Home - https://volunteerhub.connectingpoint.org/

The Defensible Space Advisory Visit program provides a one-on-one consultation and advice at your home for comprehensive education on compliance with Public Resource Code 4291 – the law that requires defensible space around structures. PRC 4291 was expanded in 2005 from 30 feet to 100 feet of clearance.

With increased promotion of defensible space, many people were confused and had difficulty understanding what needed to be accomplished. The council implemented a volunteer advisory program with formal training by CAL FIRE and local resources to provide an advisory visit that mirrored a compliance inspection without the threat of enforcement.

The County of Nevada Office of Emergency Services offers a Defensible Space Inspection that is more formal than the Fire Safe Council's Defensible Space Advisory Visit. The County program attends more to compliance and complaint issues.

Fire Safe Council asks that people please consider making the suggested tax-deductible donation of $25 (to cover co… [read more]

2023 VOLUNTEER & DONATION INFO

To volunteer:

• Connecting Point Volunteer Hub - 530-274-5601
  • https://volunteerhub.connectingpoint.org/
• Interfaith Food Ministry - 530-273-8132
  • https://www.interfaithfoodministry.org/volunteer.html
• Food Bank of Nevada County - 530-272-3796
  • Family Friendly Volunteer opportunities, https://foodbankofnc.org/volunteer
    Gleaning for the Food Bank: Times and locations vary
    Higgins Distribution: 3rd Thursday of the month from 3:00-5:30
    Home Delivery Drivers: Every 1st and 3rd Tuesday and Wednesday of the Month, time is flexible
    Grass Valley Distribution: 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month from 9:00 - 12:30pm
    Packing in the Warehouse: 2nd and 4th Tuesdays from 9:00-11:00am
    Bridge of Giving: Sunday, 11/5   
    Holiday Distributions: 11/16 and 12/24. 9:00-12:30pm
    Concessions for Scrooge at the Nevada Theatre: 11/24 - 12/24, evening shows & matinees
    Toy Run: Saturday, 12/9
    Toys for Tots: Saturday, 12/16
    Summe…

[read more]

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide Online Tax Assistance allows taxpayers to e-file their return themselves free of charge or with the remote assistance of an AARP tax counselor. To prepare your own taxes online, you can request help from a volunteer counselor to coach you through the process using your own computer while screen-sharing. Tax-Aide also provides taxpayers with access to free software to prepare taxes totally on their own (OnLine Taxes). Access to free software is limited to taxpayers with an AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) of $73,000 or less. You can estimate your AGI by checking the amount on line 11 of your 2020 tax return (form 1040 or 1040-SR.) If your income falls within these guidelines, please click Request Help on this page: https://taxaide.aarpfoundation.org/online-self-and-assisted-prep
 
Web pages:
https://taxaide.aarpfoundation.org/
https://taxaideqa.aarp.org/hc/en-us
https://taxaide.aarpfoundation.org/online-self-and-assisted-prep
https://www.olt.com/main/vita/getsta… [read more]