National Volunteer Month in the United States takes place in the month of April. This month is dedicated to honoring all of the volunteers in our communities as well as encouraging volunteerism throughout the month.
Our local volunteers help us print and mail lists of medications for callers seeking help with several prescriptions (our call center helps with this information over the phone, but due to the volume of calls we receive we may mail you information for long lists of medications), update information in our databases, and help mail out the NeedyMeds Drug Discount Cards. Some of our earliest volunteers were offered paid positions in the formative years of NeedyMeds, and have been everyone from high school students seeking work experience to retired people looking for light office work. Our local volunteers have unfortunately had to discontinue their work from the office during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but we’re looking forward to when we can all work together safely.
In recent years, we launched our Volunteer Ambassador Program (VAP) that allows interested advocates around the United States to help spread the word in their communities about NeedyMeds’ resources. We have Volunteer Ambassadors all over the country — from Massachusetts to California; from Macon, Alabama to Homer, Alaska — who distribute NeedyMeds Drug Discount Cards, provide presentations of NeedyMeds resources for vulnerable populations and comprehensive training for organizations within their communities. They’ve even been able to safely hold an event during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Many of our volunteers are healthcare professionals or advocates, as well as students and members of other healthcare organizations. If you are interested in becoming a Volunteer Ambassador, contact us at outreach@needymeds.org.
We also have a board of directors composed of volunteers with professional backgrounds in medicine, law, nonprofit management, and local government. Our board oversees the progress being made by NeedyMeds month-to-month as well as approving budgets, plans, and strategies. Our board has been able to safely continue regular meetings through teleconferences over the past year.
With our network of volunteers, NeedyMeds is able to accomplish much more than we would as a small nonprofit. We applaud volunteers all over the country, and thank you all for your service.
