New website links volunteers with agencies in need

It’s no secret that people in Idaho tend to donate more and serve more than their peers in other states. A recent WalletHub survey ranks the Gem State as the third most charitable state in the union, behind Utah and Maryland (survey found HERE).

Knowing where and how to serve can sometimes be a challenge. That’s where the website justserve.org comes into play. “It matches service projects with people who want to volunteer,” said Katherine Whittaker, who co-coordinates the website with her husband, Dwight.

The website is fairly straight forward. Service based groups, charities, churches, or government groups who need volunteers create a project profile on the website. The Whittakers vet the project to make sure it meets the standards of a non-profit, then approve it. Then regular people or groups who want to volunteer can search their city and look for projects that fit their schedule and available skills.

The website, initially started and sponsored by the LDS church in San Diego, is now operating in several dozen cities across the US. In Idaho, “it started about a year ago in Boise, and then in Pocatello, and now we’re helping to role it out in Idaho Falls,” said Katherine.

While the Idaho Falls roll out is recent, already there is a huge demand for volunteers. “Right now their are at least 42 to 45 active projects that are on the site,” said Dwight. “The need for volunteers exceeds 7,000 individuals since we started.”

Despite the huge demand, charities that have posted jobs on the website have seen benefits. “We’ve had several, at least 20 people that are serving here that have come to us from this website,” said Mozelle Neville of the Idaho Falls Humanitarian Center. “We need a lot of help and a lot goes on here. So through JustServe, it gives us an opportunity to make our awareness known to people in the community.”

A link to the justserve.org website can be found HERE.