There are so many ways to volunteer with Fresno Mission. It’s just a matter of finding where you, or your team, fit best. That could look like signing up for a shift with our kitchen crew, writing thank-you notes to our donors or something more immersive such as building real, lasting relationships with the people we serve.
Karen Castello has found her place doing exactly that. Now in her sixth year volunteering with Fresno Mission, Karen first came with an open heart to serve and has spent the years since finding meaningful ways to connect with the teens and residents here. She teaches a variety of classes at our Searcy Center, previously known as Rescue The Children, covering topics like boundaries, co-dependency, and forgiveness. She also facilitates events and kids’ camps through Teens That Care, a nonprofit made up of local high school students dedicated to serving their community, where Karen serves on the board as Program Outreach Coordinator. Through that partnership, Teens That Care shows up alongside Fresno Mission throughout the year: taking children who reside with us at Searcy Center on an annual zoo trip, serving two monthly dinners (one at Searcy Center, one at CC’s Kitchen), and running an annual summer day camp.
For Karen, though, the real key is not any one program. It’s consistency. Showing up again and again, she says, is what forms the kind of connection that actually matters, both for her and for the teens and residents she’s built relationships with. She’ll tell you volunteering has changed her too. There’s the gratitude of simply being able to serve, and the joy of watching so many people find real, successful outcomes. “No one should walk a hard path alone,” she says. “We can lighten the burden one carries through God’s grace.”
Her advice to anyone considering volunteering?
Come see for yourself.
“There are so many ways to become involved,” Karen says.
“There is a place for you! Your efforts will bear fruit.”
That’s exactly the spirit April Latham, Fresno Mission’s Manager of Mobilization, hopes more people catch. April works alongside Karen so closely that she feels like part of the staff, not just a volunteer, and she wants others to know just how easy it is to get involved too. Whether you’re looking to volunteer individually or set up a group project through your business, church, school, or organization, there are plenty of Fresno Mission projects, food service, donation drives, and more to get you involved.
Ready to find your place? Get in touch here.
