There are only 4 paid staff members at the Hope Center! All the incredible work we’re able to do is through an army of selfless volunteers who give their time to create a connected community that fights injustice and works to end hopelessness.

We’d love to have you, whether you want to jump in for an hour here or there, or are ready for a bigger commitment.  

We can always use help translating with some of our guests, so if you speak Spanish, Ukrainian, or Russian, keep that in mind! 

Accessibility: Perfect place for people with a heart for inclusion to work with special needs kids and their families. There are also behind-the-scenes administrative opportunities. 

Clothing: If you’re an organizer, this is the place for you! We always have new donations to process and merchandise.

Employment: Job search expertise is great, but there’s room for so much more—stylists to get people interview-ready, networkers who can find hidden opportunities, writers who can help craft and refine resumes, and more.

Farm: There’s a place for both green thumbs and people who are mechanically inclined. This is a 24/7/365 operation, so there are time slots to work with any schedule!

Grocery: From teams who pick up donations from local grocery stores to early birds who set up every Saturday morning to hostess-with-the-mostest types who staff the coffee bar, there is something for everyone between Thursday morning and Saturday afternoon. This is also an area that welcomes supervised school-aged children.

Health: We are always looking for licensed professionals to expand our healthcare team, as well as behind-the-scenes administrative types.

Housing: This new service area is just beginning to build out a team and needs mentors, community advocates, hosts, researchers, and administrators–all who have a heart for helping people find long-term housing stability and are interested in helping increase the affordable housing stock in the area. This is also an excellent place for those gifted at working with people in crisis who need a short-term housing solution.

Language: It doesn’t take a teaching background or ESL/ELL certification to help with our guests who want to get better at English, although if you have that, great! Just being a native English speaker willing to have conversational practice with someone who is learning English is a huge help.

Legal: We are always looking for attorneys and paralegals to expand our team, but that’s not the only way to jump in with our legal clinic. There are a bunch of behind-the-scenes roles, and chances just to be a friendly, welcoming face who greets people with a cup of coffee and a smile.

Redemption: This is another new service area still building its team. You can get in on the ground floor of helping formerly incarcerated people and at-risk youth with mentoring and life skills training. We also need business owners willing to hire people with a record. 

Repair: If you’re handy with basic household repairs, you can be a huge help to people who can’t afford the labor a contractor would charge and don’t have the skill set to do DIY work on their own.

Seniors: There are as many ways to help as there are seniors we serve. Some need help with tasks, and some need a person to simply sit and spend time together.

Single Moms: We’re always on the lookout for people who want to help with providing parts of the weekly meal the moms and kids eat together. 

Upscale Rummage: a local resale shop donates money back to the Hope Center once we get credit for 9 volunteer hours/week at their Libertyville location. Sign up for a specific time slot here.