Ever wonder how you can help others without leaving your home?
FISH of Cowlitz County telephone volunteers have been doing that since 1971. They answer calls from people requesting food or help with a host of other necessities callers can’t afford. 
Volunteers work three-hour shifts once or twice a month. The only equipment necessary is a cell phone, Wi-Fi and a computer. FISH loans laptops to volunteers who do not have them. Please consider giving your time to help others in need.
We will train you and provide a handbook with step-by-step procedures.

Morning Telephone Volunteer

From 9 a.m. to noon weekdays a volunteer answers calls from people needing food. He or she types the name of each caller and the number of seniors, adults and children in the household on a spreadsheet. Several times each morning the volunteer emails the list of callers to the church so its volunteers can prepare orders, which typically range from 25 to 55 households. The final task is editing the list, which is imported into a database that provides valuable statistics.

Afternoon Telephone Volunteer

Weekdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. a volunteer helps people with emergency needs that they cannot afford. Every request a volunteer approves requires an outgoing phone call to fill a prescription, authorize payment of a water or PUD bill, or order items such as work boots, propane, auto parts and birth certificates. Calls for help can range from two or three to 25 or more a day. The task includes follow up calls to verify costs and type data on a spreadsheet listing all approved transactions. It is used to verify bills.