Volunteers

Thank you so much for your interest in becoming a volunteer at Roof Above!

We have temporarily paused onboarding during the holiday season for new individual volunteers and will reopen new volunteer orientations at the beginning of 2023. Please fill out the below form to be notified when we reopen the volunteer program to new individual volunteers.

Individual Volunteer Interest Form

We look forward to connecting soon!

Weekday Support
Monday – Friday, 8:20 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; 1:20 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Day Services Center

• Shower Attendant/Laundry Attendant
• Front Desk/Phone Desk
• Resource Center
• Mail Sorter

Room In The Inn

FOR INDIVIDUALS or SMALL GROUPS
Once a week support from Dec 1st - Mar 31st
4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Day Services Center

• Check-in
• Assigning
• Van loader

Remote

Data Entry (from home, 1 hr evening, experience preferred)

Weekend Support
Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

1. Front Desk support
2. Mail Sorter
3. Shower Attendant/Laundry Attendant

Tryon Shelter
Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.; 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.; 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. 

• HERC (Housing and Employment Resource Center) 

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with us!

Donating your time and talents with a group can create an unmatched sense of camaraderie while helping neighbors who are vulnerable and experiencing homelessness.

Group opportunities are great for friends & family, civic groups, corporate groups, or faith groups. For groups larger than 15, please consider an off-site activity or collection drive. 

• Drink Group: (3-4 people): Bring and serve drinks for 325 people experiencing homelessness. Your group will set up in the dining room of our soup kitchen and pass out drinks to neighbors as they pick up their lunch. Bring 325 individual chilled canned soda or juice bottles and/or bottled water to serve. Sign up here.
• Shelter Meal Services: Groups can serve, financially sponsor, or bring food to either shelter location. If your group is interested in volunteering as a meal service group, please email mealservice@roofabove.org.
• Collection Drives: When people come together, great things can happen. Organize collection drives of our most needed items. A great activity for corporate, school, faith, family, or friend groups.
  • Check our Wish List Items where you can order and have our most needed items delivered directly to us!
  • Moving Home Kits
  • Welcome Home Kits 
  • Fresh Start Kits 

We are unable to accept clothing, household, or furniture donations; please contact Crisis Assistance Ministry at 704-371-3001.

HARVEST HAUL VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

For information on volunteering for Harvest Haul, contact Harvest Haul Lead Volunteer by emailing: HarvestHaul@roofabove.org

Most Saturdays, donated produce is collected from the CLT Regional Market and the Uptown Farmers Market.  Volunteers set up the Roof Above bins in the morning. At the end of the market, the volunteer transports the full bins are transported to the Tryon Shelter at 1210 N. Tryon Street (must be 18 years or older).

On Sundays, we are seeking volunteers to chop vegetables at our N. Tryon Street Shelter. To work in the kitchen, all volunteers must be 18 years old or older, be fully vaccinated & wear a mask.

For more information about group opportunities, email volunteer@roofabove.org 

DAY SERVICES CENTER BAG LUNCHES AND OPERATION SANDWICH: We are looking for families, groups, churches, and companies to provide bag lunches for our neighbors. 

We appreciate any additional help you can provide to our kitchen as we offer “to-go” lunches at this time.  Adding a fruit cup, a snack, and a water bottle to a gallon bag with two (2) individually bagged sandwiches, helps our kitchen staff very much.  Our neighbors love having dessert also!

Click here to sign up. 

GILES SHELTER BAG LUNCHES: Support guests who have stayed at our emergency shelter by making bag lunches. If you would like to support this transition, we are seeking volunteers to make bag lunches for our guests.

Click here to sign up

NORTH TRYON MEN'S SHELTER OPERATION SANDWICH: Assemble 100-600 sandwiches off-site to be served for lunch at our North Tryon Men's Shelter. Click here to sign up. 

Sandwich Guidelines 

• Use either white or soft whole wheat sandwich bread, no heels, please.
• For meat sandwiches, use ham, turkey, roast beef, or bologna.  Please use your best judgment on the number of slices per sandwich. We are looking to serve hearty sandwiches. Neighbors also like a slice of cheese on their sandwiches, please include if your budget allows. If you must choose between making fewer sandwiches and making better sandwiches, please choose better! Think about the sandwich YOU would like to eat at lunch. 
• No mayonnaise or mustard on the sandwiches.  Individual packets of condiments are very much appreciated.
• It is not necessary to add lettuce or tomato.
• Peanut Butter & Jelly is also a popular choice; however, they do not store as well as other sandwiches.  Please limit the number of PBJ to under 100, bag them individually and make sure they are delivered soon after making them.
• The neighbors love egg salad!
• Pimento cheese is NOT well received by the neighbors.
• It is ideal to put sandwiches in individual baggies. Please feel free to use the least-expensive sandwich bags — no need for zip locks.  You can stack the assembled sandwiches inside the bread bag.
• Please keep meat/cheese sandwiches refrigerated.

If you could not find an answer to your question above, please email sandwiches@roofabove.org.

Operation Sandwich Song – composed and performed by fourth-graders at Providence Spring School!