Volunteering with Low Entropy Foundation

Thrift & Fund Store Supporter

We are looking for enthusiastic and friendly volunteers to support us in person to operate our thrift store. You will perform a wide range of duties from customer service to sorting donations and organizing the store. 

Four-hour shifts are encouraged but any time is appreciated. Depending upon special needs or duties, hours may be flexible. Most volunteers work one shift per week.

Location: Burquitlam Plaza #408 - 552 Clarke Road (This is our new location opening on Sat June 3rd 2023)

Available Shifts (flexible):

• Monday - Friday
  • 9am-1pm
  • 1pm-5pm
  • 5pm-9pm
    
    
• Saturday - Sunday
  • 10am-2pm
  • 2pm-6pm

Responsibilities:

• Providing customer service
• Greeting customers when they arrive and support them
• Process payments via cash or our square terminal
• Receiving and sorting donations
• Checking merchandise for quality and condition
• Organizing, merchandising, and hanging clothing
• Taking pictures and pricing clothes and items 
• Helping set up our events, decorating, and serving refreshments.
• Support us with the promotion of the store and encourage donations

How Volunteering Can Help You:

• By making a difference in your community
• Meeting new people and making new friends
• Self-growth and boosting confidence
• Practicing and learning new skills
• Making you feel appreciated and needed
• Hands-on experience
• Networking
• Gain your volunteer hours for school
• Build your resume
• Connect to the community

What is The C.A.R.E. Program?

C.A.R.E. stands for Compassion, Acceptance, Respect, and Empathy. 

The C.A.R.E. Program is a family-centric program that goes beyond addressing the rampant needs of food insecurity in our community. At Low Entropy, we recognize that putting food on the table for families in need is just grazing the surface. Our goal is to come alongside the families in our community to build meaningful, compassionate connections to facilitate real, sustainable solutions to food insecurity.

The C.A.R.E Program is run by a passionate team of volunteers. Whether it’s food sorting, delivering food hampers, calling in for a weekly check-in with families, or coordinating our team’s efforts, C.A.R.E. volunteers make a real tangible impact in our community.

The C.A.R.E Program is currently running bi-weekly on every other Saturday.

Volunteer Driver Requirements:

• Must have a driver’s license and a reliable vehicle

• Pick up hampers from the CEED Centre in Maple Ridge on Saturdays - you will be given a pick up time between 12:00 - 2:00 PM

• Deliver to up to 5 families in the Maple Ridge area; deliveries are grouped by proximity to minimize driving distance

• Reports to CARE Program Manager

• Weekly commitment of 2+ hours

• Must commit to volunteering for at least 2 months

*We understand that gas is expensive, if needed we can provide volunteers with a gas gift card. Otherwise we are grateful if you are willing to cover the cost of your gas along with volunteering your time.

Qualifications and Skills for all positions:

• Compassionate, Accepting, Respectful, and Empathetic

• Maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries

• Friendly demeanor, positive attitude

• Responsive to emails and messages

Benefits of Volunteering:

• Improved communication and interpersonal skills

• The opportunity to make a difference in the lives of families

• Gain experience being part of a team and working independently 

• Become part of the C.A.R.E. team and Low Entropy community

• Reference Letter upon completion of minimum volunteer commitment

Please contact taj@lowentropy.org for more information

Board Member

Status: Volunteer Opportunity
Commitment: 5-8 hours per month, 2-year term, option to renew
Location: Tri-Cities (Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody) and surrounding areas
Openings: 6

Would you like to volunteer your organizational and leadership skills to help us make personal development accessible to all? At Low Entropy, we understand that real change starts from within; when we seek compassion and emotional intelligence for ourselves, we extend this low entropy state to the wider world around us.

Low Entropy is a registered charity with a mission to elevate humanity through the power of compassionate, authentic communities. Our programs foster transformational impact by empowering people through personal growth and meaningful interpersonal connections. Our current offerings include providing employment services, events for seniors, supporting youth through Art Therapy, and providing food hampers to those struggling with food insecurity.

Located in the Tri-Cities, Low Entropy seeks to build connections and work with local stakeholders to create the future of our community. In 2023, we will be hosting collaborative community events to work towards this goal, as well as launching our Thrift & Fund store to support our programs. In addition, we are actively seeking to become a provider of affordable housing.

To maintain our growth and continue supporting adults, youth & children, we are looking for volunteers to govern our organization on our Board of Directors. The Board is responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring strategies and policies that will enable Low Entropy to meet its goals and carry out its work.

What is the Opportunity?

We are seeking six committed individuals with a passion for our work to join as volunteer members of our Board of Directors for a 2-year term.

You are committed and have expertise in at least one of these priority skill areas:

• Government Relations
• Legal/Risk Management
• Public Relations
• Strategic Planning
• Nonprofit Management
• Governance
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility
• Fundraising and Events
• Affordable Housing

Position Overview

In addition to serving on the Board of Directors and providing strategic governance to Low Entropy, a Director at Large promotes Low Entropy’s objectives and goals by providing leadership to assigned projects, committees, and activities.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for Low Entropy and assure that it maintains its focus on its primary • mission and objectives
• Prepare for, and attend, all Board meetings and participate independently and knowledgeably in all deliberations of the Board. Stays informed about committee matters, prepares themselves well for meetings, and reviews and comments on minutes and reports.
• Participate actively in at least one committee and in the development of terms of references for the committee
• Approve material business decisions
• Stay informed of and meet all legal and fiduciary responsibilities.
• Ensure that performance measures and targets are established that are both realistic and challenging and that they are monitored and delivered
• Develop collegial working relationships with other Board and committee members that contributes to consensus.
• Actively participate in the Board and committee's annual evaluation and planning efforts.
• Participate in fundraising and volunteer events for Low Entropy

Qualifications and Experiences Needed:

• Experience in leading organizations or cross-functional teams preferably with some experience in the non-profit sector.
• Demonstrated business acumen, knowledge, and experience in one or more key functional areas such as Fundraising, Communications/Public Relations, Human Resources, and Law.
• Board of Directors experience is a plus
• Able to navigate complex challenges and deal with ambiguity
• Strong interpersonal skills networking abilities able to create collaborative relationships with government and like-minded organizations
• Strong creative, strategic, analytical, organizational, and personal skills.
• Demonstrated change and project management skills and the ability to delegate
• Able to manage vision and purpose
• Action oriented
• Operates with integrity

Time Commitment:  5-8 hours per month for Board Meetings, committee meetings, and Low Entropy events. Some meetings will be held in-person and others remotely.

Interested? Email info@lowentropy.org with your resume 5 min Loom video.

What is The C.A.R.E. Program?

C.A.R.E. stands for Compassion, Acceptance, Respect, and Empathy. 

The C.A.R.E. Program is a family-centric program that goes beyond addressing the rampant needs of food insecurity in our community. At Low Entropy, we recognize that putting food on the table for families in need is just grazing the surface. Our goal is to come alongside the families in our community to build meaningful, compassionate connections to facilitate real, sustainable solutions to food insecurity.

The C.A.R.E Program is run by a passionate team of volunteers. Whether it’s food sorting, delivering food hampers, calling in for a weekly check-in with families, or coordinating our team’s efforts, C.A.R.E. volunteers make a real tangible impact in our community.

The C.A.R.E Program is currently running bi-weekly on every other Saturday.

Community Connector Responsibilities:

• Responsible for a typical caseload of 3-5 families. 

• Calls families once a week, each call is 10-20 minutes long.

• Develop positive rapport with the families, determine how they are doing, provide a listening ear, and provide resources where appropriate.

• Write confidential case notes for each family in our records.

• Communicate, debrief, and escalate any unresolved or complicated issues with your assigned Case Manager.

• Attend a weekly team meeting to connect with other Community Connectors and Case Managers, learn about community resources, and support each other in this work.

• Reports to: assigned Case Manager

• Weekly commitment of 3-6 hours

• Must commit to volunteering for a minimum of 3 months.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Compassionate, Accepting, Respectful, and Empathetic

• Supportive and non-judgemental

• Good listener

• Maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries

• Experience working with families from different backgrounds

• Knowledge or willingness to learn about community resources

• Responsive to emails and messages

• Familiar with Google Drive and associated applications (Sheets, Docs, etc)

• Confident speaking over the phone and creating connections with others

• Must be comfortable using your own phone to make phone calls
  
  

Benefits to Volunteering:

• Improved communication and interpersonal skills

• The opportunity to make a difference in the lives of families

• Gain experience being part of a team and working independently 

• Become part of the C.A.R.E. team and Low Entropy community

• Reference Letter upon completion of minimum volunteer commitment

• These positions can be done remotely/from home

Application and Screening Process

• Application form

• 2 Reference checks

• Criminal record check with vulnerable sector search (free, online)

• Interview

• Orientation and Training

If you are interested, please email taj@lowentropy.org for more information

The C.A.R.E Program: Food Sorters (Maple Ridge)

What is The C.A.R.E. Program?

C.A.R.E. stands for Compassion, Acceptance, Respect, and Empathy. 

The C.A.R.E. Program is a family-centric program that goes beyond addressing the rampant needs of food insecurity in our community. At Low Entropy, we recognize that putting food on the table for families in need is just grazing the surface. Our goal is to come alongside the families in our community to build meaningful, compassionate connections to facilitate real, sustainable solutions to food insecurity.

The C.A.R.E Program is run by a passionate team of volunteers. Whether it’s food sorting, delivering food hampers, calling in for a weekly check-in with families, or coordinating our team’s efforts, C.A.R.E. volunteers make a real tangible impact in our community.

The C.A.R.E Program is currently running bi-weekly on every other Saturday.

Volunteer Sorter Requirements:

• On-site at the CEED Centre in Maple Ridge on Saturdays (~11am-3pm)

• Organize and pack food hampers according to size of family

• Must be able to stand during shift and lift heavy grocery hampers

• Reports to CARE Program Manager

• Weekly commitment of 3-5 hours

• Must commit to volunteering for at least 2 months

Qualifications and Skills:

• Compassionate, Accepting, Respectful, and Empathetic

• Maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries

• Friendly demeanor, positive attitude

• Responsive to emails and messages

Benefits of Volunteering:

• Improved communication and interpersonal skills

• The opportunity to make a difference in the lives of families

• Gain experience being part of a team and working independently 

• Become part of the C.A.R.E. team and Low Entropy community

• Reference Letter upon completion of minimum volunteer commitment

Low Entropy is a registered charity that focuses on mental health, community building, and connection through authenticity. We are looking for a Graphic Designer to create engaging and on-brand graphics for a variety of media.

We are looking for a couple of skilled volunteer graphic designer who can commit 5-10 hours a week to join our amazing team at Low Entropy! If you are passionate about designing and making a change and impact in the community! 

Your graphics should capture the attention of those who see them and communicate the right message. For this, you need to have a creative flair and a strong ability to translate requirements into design. If you can communicate well and work methodically as part of a team, we’d like to meet you.

The goal is to inspire and attract the target audience.

Responsibilities

-Study design briefs and determine requirements
-Create new graphic designs using Canva or your preferred tools
-Conceptualize visuals based on requirements
-Prepare rough drafts and present ideas
-Develop illustrations, logos and other designs
-Creating visually appealing social media posts to increase engagement
-Use the appropriate colors and layouts for each graphic
-Work with copywriters and creative director to produce final design
-Test graphics across various media
-Amend designs after feedback

Qualifications:
- experience in a variety of graphic designs tools 
- 2+ years in freelance graphic designing
- diploma in graphic designing is an asset

Benefits:

-Full Training
-Flexible schedule
-opportunity to join a volunteer community that wants to give back and make a difference
-resume build up
-career development
-reference upon request
-personal growth/career growth

We look forward to hearing from you!

What is The C.A.R.E. Program?

- C.A.R.E. stands for Compassion, Acceptance, Respect, and Empathy.

- The C.A.R.E. Program is a family-centric program that goes beyond addressing the rampant

needs of food insecurity in our community. At Low Entropy, we recognize that putting food on

 the table for families in need is just grazing the surface. Our goal is to come alongside the families

 in our community to build meaningful, compassionate connections to facilitate real, sustainable

 solutions to food insecurity.

- The C.A.R.E Program is run by a passionate team of volunteers. Whether it’s food sorting, delivering

 food hampers, calling in for a weekly check-in with families, or coordinating our team’s efforts, C.A.R.E.

 volunteers make a real tangible impact in our community.

*The C.A.R.E Program is currently running bi-weekly on every other Saturday.

Food Sorter Requirements:

• On-site at the Elkslodge in Port Coquitlam every Friday’s (9:30am-12:30pm)

• Organize and pack food hampers according to size of family

• Must be able to stand during shift and lift heavy boxes

• Reports to CARE Program Manager (Taj Grewal)

• Weekly commitment of 3-5 hours

• Must commit to volunteering for at least 2 months

Qualifications and Skills:

• Compassionate, Accepting, Respectful, and Empathetic

• Maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries

• Friendly demeanor, positive attitude

• Responsive to emails and messages

Please contact taj@lowentropy.org for more information and apply on our Better Impact Page.

What is The C.A.R.E. Program?

C.A.R.E. stands for Compassion, Acceptance, Respect, and Empathy. 

The C.A.R.E. Program is a family-centric program that goes beyond addressing the rampant needs of food insecurity in our community. At Low Entropy, we recognize that putting food on the table for families in need is just grazing the surface. Our goal is to come alongside the families in our community to build meaningful, compassionate connections to facilitate real, sustainable solutions to food insecurity.

The C.A.R.E Program is run by a passionate team of volunteers. Whether it’s food sorting, delivering food hampers, calling in for a weekly check-in with families, or coordinating our team’s efforts, C.A.R.E. volunteers make a real tangible impact in our community.

Volunteer Driver Requirements:

• Must have a driver’s license and a reliable vehicle

• Pick up hampers from the Elkslodge in Port Coquitlam every Friday - you will be given a pick up time between 12:30 pm- 2:30pm

• Deliver to up to 5 families in the Maple Ridge area; deliveries are grouped by proximity to minimize driving distance

• Reports to CARE Program Manager

• Weekly commitment of 2+ hours

• Must commit to volunteering for at least 2 months

*We understand that gas is expensive, if needed we can provide volunteers with a gas gift card. Otherwise we are grateful if you are willing to cover the cost of your gas along with volunteering your time.

Qualifications and Skills for all positions:

• Compassionate, Accepting, Respectful, and Empathetic

• Maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries

• Friendly demeanor, positive attitude

• Responsive to emails and messages

Benefits of Volunteering:

• Improved communication and interpersonal skills

• The opportunity to make a difference in the lives of families

• Gain experience being part of a team and working independently 

• Become part of the C.A.R.E. team and Low Entropy community

• Reference Letter upon completion of minimum volunteer commitment

Please contact taj@lowentropy.org for more information

Thrift & Fund: Social Media Manager

We are looking for an enthusiastic and creative volunteer to help our thrift store, Thrift & Fund, thrive on our social media platforms. This volunteer would be responsible for assisting our Store Manager with creating and posting content on our Instagram, Facebook, and possibly TikTok.

A minimum of 4-hours per week is required for this position, and the volunteer would need to support in person at our thrift store located at Burquitlam Plaza, #408 - 552 Clarke Rd Coquitlam. The hours would need to be during a weekday (Monday-Friday) between the hours of 9am - 4pm.

Responsibilities

• Connecting with our Store Manager on a weekly basis in person
• Taking photos and videos of our store and our items for sale
• Creating engaging content - posts, reels, stories, etc that would drive more foot traffic to the store
• Ensuring social media content is posted regularly
• Creating graphics and copy for the social media content
• Getting approval from the Store Manager for all content before posting

Requirements

• Familiarity and comfort using Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok
• Experience posting content on social media
• Creativity and flexibility
• Available to come in person to our thrift store once a week during a weekday
• Friendly to our customers, volunteers, and staff while in the store

How Volunteering Can Help You:

• By making a difference in your community
• Meeting new people and making new friends
• Self-growth and boosting confidence
• Practicing and learning new skills
• Making you feel appreciated and needed
• Hands-on experience
• Networking
• Gain your volunteer hours for school
• Build your resume
• Connect to the community

Career Coach

We are looking for a volunteer Career Coach to help our "Career Catalyst" participants enhance their resumes, prepare for interviews, learn networking skills, and more to ensure they are set up to find their next successful job.

This position is hybrid, with some online work and meetings, and possible in person meetings to support our participants where needed.

Responsibilities

• Spending between 5-10 hours a week as a Career Coach
• Creating resources for our program participants related to resume writing, interviewing, networking, and job search skills
• Reviewing and providing feedback on participant resumes - either over email, over the phone, or via meeting online or in person
• Holding mock interviews with participants
• Creating and delivering workshops based on participant needs (to be delivered online, and recorded for participants who cannot attend)
• Additional tasks as needed to support participant's success to finding a job

Requirements

• Experience providing mentoring or coaching to others
• Experience resume writing and interviewing
• Ability to create and deliver workshops
• Friendly, personable, and empathetic demeanor
• Ability to create resources in the form of documents
• Ability to provide support either online or in person

How Volunteering Can Help You:

• By making a difference in your community
• Meeting new people and making new friends
• Self-growth and boosting confidence
• Practicing and learning new skills
• Making you feel appreciated and needed
• Hands-on experience
• Networking
• Gain your volunteer hours for school
• Build your resume
• Connect to the community