SCSJ Sustainability Partners

David Hilber ~ bensonplantrescue@gmail.com ~ (402) 933-3867

7224 Maple St. Omaha, NE 68134 ~ Facebook Page

The Benson Plant Rescue (BPR) engages in organic recycling to combat global warming.   Proceeds from plant sales fund the Community Produce Rescue’s (CPR’s) mission of food reclamation and assist the Omaha Public Library with children’s books and computers.

Since 1999, BPR-CPR has rescued plants/produce from retailers/gardeners.  This  North Omaha effort to improve the community with low cost plants (BPR) and FREE produce (CPR)  has expanded into a nationally recognized model of environmental innovation.

BPR’s all-volunteer staff not only sells plants but dispenses knowledge about their care and culture,  making this more like a neighborhood club than a garden center.  Our motto says it all:  “Growing Community, Not Just Plants.”

Jaimee Trobough~ (402) 898-9862 ~ jtrobough@biggarden.org

5602 Read Street Omaha, NE 68152 ~ BigGarden.org

We are a network of 150+ community gardens in metro-Omaha, greater Nebraska, Kansas, and Southwest Iowa. We work to reduce hunger and build community by teaching people to grow, cook, and preserve their own food. We need volunteers at our urban campus near 56th & Sorensen to help with watering, weeding, harvesting, and cleaning. We occasionally need office help as well. Check our website BigGarden.org for upcoming classes, events, and volunteer opportunities.

Types of Service: Assistance with daily activities, environmental clean up/yard and garden work

Understanding of Spanish would be valuable, but certainly not required!

One-time volunteers welcome, as well as individuals who can commit a semester to the organization!

Mark Welsch, C0-Leader of Omaha Chapter ~ NFPOmaha1970@gmail.com ~ (402) 453-0776

P. O. Box 6418 Omaha, NE 68106 ~ www.CitizensClimateLobby.org

CCL empowers everyday people to work together on climate change solutions. Our supporters are organized in more than 400 local chapters across the United States. Together we’re building support in Congress for a national bipartisan solution to climate change.

Jenna Kleine, Coordinator of Volunteers ~ jenna.kleine@cityofomaha.org ~ 402-444-4791

1819 Farnam St. #701, Omaha, NE 68183 ~ https://parks.cityofomaha.org/volunteer-opportunities

The mission of the Omaha Parks and Recreation Department is to provide and maintain a comprehensive park system, manage public property and offer opportunities for the citizens and visitors of the Omaha community to encourage a healthy, positive lifestyle that is essential to the quality of life. From fun recreation events to park clean-up and improvement projects there are numerous ways to offer your service.

Habitat for Humanity

Saturday Weekly Service with Habitat Restore

Molly Carrig ~MollyCarrig@creighton.edu ~ https://omahahabitatrestore.org/

Join members of the Creighton community to volunteer at a local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. All are welcome, you don’t need to be a member of the CU Habitat club to join. All you need is an open mind and a heart ready for service. Roll up your sleeves and get ready to meet your community! At the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, we will be helping to process donations while building relationships, proceeds from the ReStore go to build more Habitat homes in the Omaha community. Transportation is provided. You must register ahead of time.

Service dates and sign ups coming soon!

CU Habitat Club

Ryan Boepple ~ RyanBoepple@creighton.edu.

CU Habitat welcomes all members of the Creighton and Omaha communities to sign up and volunteer at our builds. We work hard to make sure that these volunteer experiences are fulfilling and we appreciate the hard work and contributions these volunteers bring to the program. Our chapter also offers something different, however, for those volunteers wanting to get more involved in CU Habitat – membership! Chapter members become involved in all areas of our organization and are offered a wider range of service-oriented opportunities and privileges. Basically, while volunteers help us work on the home, members go beyond this and participate in the social, developmental, reflective, and organizational facets of the club.

Jon Firmature ~ (402) 292-6560 ~ executivedirector@hfhsarpy.org

1001 Ft Crook Rd N Ste 207, Bellevue, NE 68005 ~ https://www.habitat.org/us-ne

Habitat for Humanity of Sarpy County builds affordable housing in partnership with clients. Volunteers are needed for construction work, vacant lot clean up, working at the Habitat Home Store, on committees, helping with events, and in our office. Hours vary depending on what you would like to do: Office hours are M-F 9am-4pm; the Habitat Home Store is open T-TH 12-6pm, F & S 9am-5pm. We would love to have individuals or groups (8-10 people) participating once or on a continuing basis and ask that all volunteers sign up online through the Habitat for Humanity website, linked above.

Requirements: Certain training required for certain volunteering role

Kate Simmons ~ (712) 328-5830 ~ katherine.simmons@pottcounty.com 
27792 Ski Hill Loop, Honey Creek, IA 51542 ~ www.pottcoconservation.com

Hitchcock Nature Center needs volunteers to share their love for the outdoors and help protect our natural resources. Join our friendly welcome desk volunteers assisting guests, answering phones, helping with the gift shop and participating in office projects, while enjoying the beautiful view of the Loess Hills from your desk. Or, join our Environmental Education volunteers and assist our Naturalists during public programming by leading hikes, presenting programming, directing guests, & overseeing activities.

*Internship opportunities available. Training provided, no prior skills necessary!

Types of Service: Assistance with daily activities, office support/clerical or computer work, usher, greeter

Holy Family Community Center – Churchyard Community Garden

1715 Izard St | Omaha, NE 68102

hfcare@svdpomaha.com

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Omaha is continuing the legacy of the Holy Family Church with the Churchyard Community Garden. This downtown green space provides garden beds for individuals, families, and local groups to grow produce for themselves or for our pantry programs. Volunteers will be doing a variety of work- constructing benches or features on the property, seed processing and planting, maintaining the space for our beehives, and caretaking the garden beds. This Fall, we hope to plant many trees that have been donated to the garden, as well as prepare rain guards and other fixtures. In the Spring, we will prepare the garden beds for families and our other programs. Please contact Chris Combs (Garden Manager) for any questions at (402) 320-0161.

Nicole Partusch, Volunteer & Community Engagement Coordinator ~ (402) 444-7774 ~ Nicole.partusch@cityofomaha.org

1819 Farnam Street, Suite 306, Omaha, NE 68183 ~ www.keepomahabeautiful.org

ONLY RAIN DOWN THE STORM DRAIN: Volunteer groups help clean up debris/litter around storm drains in a selected neighborhood/area, place “no dumping - drains to waterways” decals on the storm drains, and then distribute educational door hangers to residents in the immediate area noting how to prevent water pollution.

LITTER CLEANUP: This program consists of a volunteer group selecting a park, trail, corridor, neighborhood, or stream within Omaha to collect litter. If the group does not have a specific location in mind, Keep Omaha Beautiful can provide a list of high need areas.

Mark Welsch, Omaha Coordinator ~ NFPOmaha1970@gmail.com ~ 402-453-0776

PO Box 6418, Omaha NE 68106 ~ https://www.nebraskansforpeace.org/

Nebraskans for Peace is a statewide grassroots advocacy organization working nonviolently for Peace with Justice through community building, education and political action.

As the oldest statewide Peace & Justice organization in the country, Nebraskans for Peace is the acknowledged voice on peace and social justice issues in Nebraska politics. We have continually advocated for dialogue and peaceful resolution of conflicts, while steadfastly promoting the rights of all people throughout our decades-long history. We address issues of military intervention and foreign policy, economic justice, the environment, Palestinian rights, stopping climate change, nonviolence education, capital punishment, gender and racial equality. Nebraskans for Peace is committed to standing up for what is right, and we are committed to upholding this tradition of conscience, justice and peacemaking for generations to come.

Volunteers with Nebraskans for Peace work in the following activities:

1. Recruit other volunteers – at reserved tables at events, from friends, family and associates
2. Organize events where our issues are discussed
3. Set up and participate in meetings with grasstops (leaders in our community) to talk about our issues
4. Call elected officials to urge them to do the right thing on our issues
5. Write to elected officials to urge them to do the right thing on our issues
6. Set up meetings to talk with elected officials and/or their staff about our issues
7. Meet and talk with elected officials and/or their staff about our issues
8. Organize vigils and protests to draw the public’s attention to our issues

Emily Barber, Community Engagement Manager~ ebarber@nmeomaha.org ~ 402-502-1642

8501 N 30th St Omaha, NE 68112 ~ https://www.nmepomaha.org/

No More Empty Pots is a grassroots non-profit corporation that connects individuals and groups to improve self-sufficiency, regional food security and economic resilience of urban and rural communities through advocacy and action. To help support this effort, No More Empty Pots, collaborates with an array of public and private organizations, businesses, communities, individuals, and entrepreneurs.

We offer several volunteer opportunities, including: gardening at the Florence Community Garden, helping with food prep in our production kitchens, and data/evaluation in our administrative office.

Shelby Larson, Manager of Community Engagement ~ (402) 934-9700 ~ shelby.larson@omahahealthykids.org

5006 Underwood Avenue, Omaha, NE 68132

Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance is a nonprofit organization that works to create a Healthy Home for every child. Our main goal is to bring awareness and education to families in the city about environmental hazards, green and Healthy Homes, and lead poisoning. We are always looking for dedicated volunteers to help us accomplish our goal of creating Healthy Homes for every child in Omaha and beyond.

Volunteers with OHKA can:

1. Host a Healthy Home House Party: This is a great way for you to have some fun with your friends, learn about Healthy Homes and help support an incredible cause. At the party, our staff can help you make green cleaning supplies and natural home improvement remedies, teach you and your friends about Healthy Homes and our work, and you can adopt one of our families to help them make their home safer and healthier.

2. Do a Healthy Home Clean-Out: Once a month, we need volunteers to help us clean out a basement, clear out a living space, clean up a backyard or organize a living area for one of our families. We provide the supplies including haz-mat suits (when needed), gloves, dumpsters and cleaning equipment. Volunteer Clean-Out days usually occur on a Saturday morning for 2-3 hours.

3. Volunteer for Rundee: Rundee is our annual 5K run that is a fundraiser and awareness builder for OHKA. Volunteers help manage the course, staff the stations and cheer on the runners and walkers.

4. Help OHKA in the office: We are always in need of help to organize our supplies, manage the front desk, edit grants, or serve on a committee. Let us know what you’re good at and we will try to make it work!

5. Outreach events

LaJoanna Newsome ~ (402) 898-6000 ~ LaJonna_Newsome@usc.salvationarmy.org

10755 Burt Street. Omaha, NE 68114 ~ https://centralusa.salvationarmy.org/usc/

The Salvation Army seeks volunteers to help improve lives in our community. Various one-time and on-going opportunities including TurkeyFest, Toyland, and bell ringing. Volunteer numbers vary depending on the event. Some registration is required prior to volunteering.

David Corbin, Chairman ~ dcorbin@cox.net ~ 402-690-9134

P.O. Box 4664, Omaha, NE 68104 ~ https://www.sierraclub.org/nebraska

The Nebraska Chapter Sierra Club endeavors to create:

a safe and healthy community in which to live
an enduring legacy for America’s wild places
smart energy solutions to combat global warming
social and environmental justice movements

Since 1892, the Sierra Club has been working to protect communities, wild places, and the planet itself. We are the largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States.

Our volunteers help with social media, legislative issues, community events such as Earth Day, our annual Harvest Moon Banquet, solar tours, electric vehicle displays, etc.