Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers are essential to our organization. Through committed volunteers, we can reach more people and improve more lives.

If you are passionate about helping others and want to have a positive impact on your community, we need you! We need volunteers in a variety of fields and departments: clerical help, farming assistance, childcare, and more. Please check back frequently as we are constantly adding new positions. If you don’t see something you like right now, we encourage you to fill out the General Application here anyway, and we will contact you if that perfect opportunity opens up.


For more information on how to get involved, please call (856) 451-6330 or complete the Volunteer Application from the link above and mail to:
Michelle Brown
Gateway Community Action Partnership
Human Resources Department
110 Cohansey St.
Bridgeton, NJ 08302

or email to: mbrown@gatewaycap.org.

Volunteer Positions at Gateway 


Please take a look below at our  volunteer openings. If you would like to apply for one of these positions, please complete the application link above or come to our Bridgeton office and fill out an application. As new opportunities arise all the time, we encourage you to submit an application even if nothing below catches your eye. 

We have open positions available in many of our departments in various locations.  If you would like to volunteer in a specific department, scroll down or click on one of the department names listed below. Please note that although we make an effort to update our listings frequently, opportunities are subject to change depending on availability.


Head Start (various locations in southern NJ)


Foster Grandparent

Duties and Responsibilities: Act as “grandparents” to Head Start students. Assist teachers in the classroom and on the playground. Help with meals. Provide a loving and nurturing environment.

Qualifications: 55 and older. Must be patient and kind. Experience working with children a plus. Knowledge of both English and Spanish a plus.

Time Commitment: 15 to 40 hours per week, usually from 9am-3pm each weekday, but scheduling is flexible. Ideally, Grandparents will serve in the same classroom for the duration of the school year.

Volunteer Impact: Foster Grandparents are a great asset to the Head Start classrooms. They share their wisdom and love with children who may not have the benefit of a grandparent at home. Foster Grandparents help provide a nurturing environment at a critical time in a child’s life.

Additional Notes: Volunteers will be subject to additional background checks. The Foster Grandparents program is part of SeniorCorps, the national service program for people 55 and older. For more information about FG, visit http://www.seniorcorps.gov/about/programs/fg.asp. Volunteers may be eligible for a tax-free stipend. 


Playground/Classroom Aide

Duties and Responsibilities: Help teachers supervise students on the playground and in the classroom. Assist with activities and meals.

Qualifications: 18 and older (16 with special permission). Patience and kindness. Knowledge of both English and Spanish a plus. Experience with children a plus.

Time Commitment: A few hours per day, a few times per week between the hours of 8:30am-4:30pm. Volunteer can create his/her own schedule, but a consistent schedule is preferred. 

Volunteer Impact: Volunteers will help Head Start teachers immensely by providing an extra pair of eyes and hands; activities will run more efficiently and supervision will be easier. In turn, students will benefit greatly from a nurturing environment at such a critical time in their lives.

Additional Notes: Volunteers will be subject to additional background checks.


Bus Aide

Duties and Responsibilities: Supervise Head Start students on their buses to and from school.

Qualifications: 18 and older. Patience and kindness. Experience with children a plus. Knowledge of both English and Spanish a plus.

Time Commitment: Weekday mornings and afternoons when students ride buses. Volunteer can make his/her own schedule, but a consistent weekly schedule is preferable. 

Volunteer Impact: Volunteers will be extremely helpful in ensuring that children reach school and home safely and stress-free.

Additional Notes: Volunteers will be subject to additional background checks.




Main Office Administration (Bridgeton)

Office Assistant/Receptionist

Duties and Responsibilities: Answering phones, helping in the mail room, greeting and directing visitors, and assisting with office tasks such as filing and some computer work.

Qualifications: 18 years or older. A professional attitude and appearance, as you will be greeting clients as they enter the building. Knowledge of English and Spanish is a must. Volunteers must have administrative experience and experience with handling phone calls. Familiarity with an office environment is a plus.

Time Commitment: One volunteer is needed every day (Mon-Fri) from 8:30am-4:30pm.

Volunteer Impact: Volunteers will enable the department to stay organized, run more efficiently, and assist more clients. Clients will feel comfortable coming to the office if they see a friendly volunteer greeting them.



Gleaning (Various locations)

Duties and responsibilities: Help harvest and distribute food to local residents, churches, and food pantries.

Qualifications: Any age is welcome. You must be willing to work outdoors.

Time Commitment: Any number of hours during the week; consistent schedule not necessary.

Volunteer Impact: Volunteers will allow this program to expand so that food can be distributed to more local residents.

Additional Notes: This is a great opportunity for schools or other community groups, as well as individual volunteers.



Mill Creek Urban Farm Volunteers (Bridgeton)

Farm Volunteer

Duties and Responsibilities: If you like working outdoors, this is the volunteer opportunity for you. Working on the farm might include activities such as picking berries, planting seeds, digging out soil, and helping with the occasional workshop.

Qualifications: Any age over 14 is welcome. Physical strength is not necessary to volunteer on the farm. Volunteers must be able to follow directions from the farming coordinator and work with moderate supervision after instruction.

Time Commitment: Any number of hours during the week; consistent schedule not necessary.

Volunteer Impact: Our Urban Farm is open year round, and is in desperate need of volunteers to help with upkeep and planting. The food harvested from the farm is sold to local residents and donated. Volunteers would greatly increase productivity of the farm.

Additional Notes: This is a simple and fun way to accumulate required community service hours.We are especially in need of farm volunteers during our planting season, which runs from March-September.



Operations (Bridgeton)

Administrative Assistant 

Duties and Responsibilities: Data entry, filing, typing correspondence, and returning phone calls. Occasionally, volunteers may be asked to assist with specific projects, such as preparing reports and researching issues and demographics. This position can be used as an internship for eligible college students.

Qualifications: 16 years or older. Volunteer should be organized and able to work independently with moderate supervision. Basic computer skills are also necessary.

Time Commitment: Any number of hours during the week, 8:30am-4:30pm. Volunteers should be able to commit to a consistent weekly schedule, but do not need to sign up every day or even for full days.

Volunteer Impact: Volunteers will help the Operations department operate with greater efficiency, as they manage a large amount of information.



WIC (Bridgeton and various locations)

WIC Assistant

Duties and Responsibilities: Data entry, answering phone calls and making follow up appointments, using and understanding the scheduling system, handing out vouchers.

Qualifications: Looking for someone with professional experience with scheduling working in a health clinic or office. 

Time Commitment: Any number of hours per week, but a long term commitment is desired.

Volunteer Impact: Volunteers will help the WIC program operate more efficiently, better enabling the staff to assist clients.

Additional Notes: Previous professional experience with WIC or another health clinic is required for this position.