BECOME A Peace & Justice Volunteer
Filling gaps make a powerful difference in the quality of a person’s life, especially if they have suffered from the pain of exclusion. We soften the rough edges with our direct service programs:
Volunteer preparing for a Resource Fair or serving at the event…these one-stop-shop events offer direct services to anyone who is houseless, low income and in need of vital services. From haircuts to ID vouchers, cooking and budgeting lessons, support obtaining employment, vision screenings, case managers who specialize in housing opportunities and health care, a Resource Fair helps close gaps all in the space of a day. We’d love your help!
Donate food or help to make contacts to obtain food for our Food Pantry for Those Who Carry “HOME” on their backs…..having enough to feed those in need takes faith and effort both. We appreciate your help in keeping our Food Pantry stocked with lightweight and nutritious foods.
Be a Resource Desk Volunteer and fill in when our Resource Desk Manager needs a break! Learn how to refer people to services and distribute food from our Pantry to those in need. Learn how to apply online for free Government Phones for those who qualify and need to stay in touch with family, case managers and medical team support. Touch a life in a way they will never forget.
Have a special skill…..contact us and we may be a good fit for you! Email programcoordinator@gvpeacejustice.org or call (970) 985-4253
Historical examples of how we have fulfilled our mission since 1990:
For over 25 years offered the Alternative Gifts Christmas Fair raising much needed funds for International and Local Organizations providing vital services to people of all backgrounds and ages.
A very popular and life-changing program that was run for many years was the Mexico Connection, taking teens and adults to live with the poor in the colonias above Nogales, Mexico, while assisting with building projects.
Speakers Forums which brought some extraordinary people to Grand Junction. Craig Kielburger, founder of Free the Children, Bud Welch with MurderVictims Families for Reconciliation, Fr. Roy Bourgeois of SOA Watch, and some of the Lost Boys of Sudan.
Along with participating at Neighbors Read on Being Green at the Mesa County Central Library, we held a photographic exhibit entitled Faces & Voices: Homeless in America at City Hall, The Western Colorado Center For the Arts, Colorado Mesa University, Mesa County Central Library and many other area venues.
Social Justice focused films with forums included Bag It—Is Your Life Too Plastic; Time Out of Mind (on homelessness in New York City); My So-Called Enemy (the friendship between a Palestinian and an Israeli girl); Sin Pais (Without Country); and, Remembering the Ludlow Massacre and The Ongoing Fight for Economic Justice. After 9/11 GVPJ helped organize two local forums on Islam and its relationship to Christianity and Judaism.
We have collaborated with many organizations to have voter registration drives at a variety of local parishes and also hosted the Colorado Legal Services ID Project Team to Grand Junction many times to train case managers and others in how to navigate difficult identification situations for citizens.
Coordinated the operation of The Emergency Shelter Overflow Program for 9 consecutive years and gave volunteer support for an additional 2 years to keep homeless men safe and off the streets during the winters when HomewardBound of the Grand Valley did not have enough room overnight for all seeking shelter.
Active member of the Grand Valley Homeless Coalition and GVPJ staff have held officer positions at various times over the past 12 years, as well. We were the first Mesa County Referral Agents for The Fort Lyon Rehabilitation/Substance Abuse Program on the eastern slope in Las Animas, Colorado, as well.