Palisades Emergency Residence Corporation

PALISADES EMERGENCY RESIDENCE CORPORATION (PERC)

VOLUNTEER GUIDLELINES

In an effort to make your service here as rewarding and enjoyable as possible, we have developed guidelines for volunteers. We expect individuals and group leaders to review these guidelines before arriving. Group leaders are responsible for group members strictly adhering to each item.

  1. All volunteers must fill out an application before volunteer service can begin.
  2. Each volunteer must be scheduled in advance. Unannounced walk-ins are not accepted.
  3. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian while on site (unless you are part of a group with adult chaperones). The minimum age to volunteer is 13. All minors must have a completed consent form signed by a parent/guardian on file before volunteer service can begin.
  4. No one under the age of 18 is allowed to work with knives or the stove/oven in the kitchen.
  5. All volunteers need to arrive on time. Early admittance is not permitted. We are counting on you, so late arrivals can cause difficulties for our staff who expect help at the scheduled time. You may be turned away if you arrive late. If you cannot arrive for the date and time for which you are scheduled, please call the office (201-348-8150) as far in advance as possible.
  6. Any scheduled volunteer who does not show up and has not called to advise us in advance will not be allowed to volunteer in the future.
  7. Please sign in upon arrival and sign out upon departure.
  8. Please do not bring extra people with you when volunteering. Every volunteer must be scheduled in advance.
  9. PERC is not responsible for the personal property of volunteers. Please keep valuables at home or locked in your car. Personal storage areas are not provided.
  10. Do not give rides or money to clients, and do not accept gifts from clients.
  11. Please dress comfortably but conservatively. Jeans, t-shirts and sneakers are appropriate for most volunteer activities. Shoes should have closed toes.
  12. Property of PERC must remain on site and at no time are volunteers authorized to remove or take food, groceries, merchandise, equipment, or donated items without permission from a PERC staff member. Volunteers are not authorized to give permission to other volunteers to take or remove items. Taking food from the kitchen that was supplied by the Community FoodBank of New Jersey is considered stealing and is a federal offense.
  13. If you are volunteering to acquire hours for community service (such as for high school/college), it is the responsibility of all volunteers to bring a service form from their school or organization and obtain signatures from a PERC staff member before departure. PERC is not able to provide letters of activity at a later date as proof of communityservice.