(GREAT FALLS) Benefis Peace Hospice of Montana is seeking the help of volunteers throughout Cascade, Pondera and Teton Counties. The organization provides care to terminally ill patients within the community as well as to their families.
In Great Falls specifically, Peace Hospice is looking for individuals of any age to serve meals on weekends. The need for volunteers is in all aspects of what they do, but the greatest demand they currently see is related to meal deliveries. Peace Hospice delivers three meals per day, every day of the week.
The organization is searching for volunteers who are not only reliable and flexible, but also caring. Peace Hospice of Montana Volunteer Coordinator Sara Graft said volunteers play an important role in a patient’s life.
“Volunteers come in all shapes and sizes,” Graft told MTN. “Really, I love that we are just a dynamic group of people, and the heart [of it] is that we just care about other people.”
Graft added that she believes the most important factor in retaining recruits is the power of finding a fulfilling hobby.
She said, “A volunteer once told me, ‘this is the kind of work that can’t be bought,’ and it really is. People come here because they want to help others, but really there’s this altruistic value in it where their life is also getting fulfilled.”
Beginning Friday, April 5, Benefis Peace Hospice will offer a free, three-day training session for new volunteers. According to a press release from Benefis Health System, the training is scheduled for “April 5 from 6 to 9 p.m.; April 6 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.; and April 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.”
The training sessions will take place at Benefis Health System in Great Falls, as well as through the REACH Montana Telehealth Network. The last day to register is March 29.
All volunteers must complete the entirety of the training process, in addition to a background check. Training, according to Graft, should not feel overwhelming because volunteers can back out if Peace Hospice is not the right fit for them.
“There’s no obligation if you do the training,” Graft said. “It’s a real time of exploration and to see what it’s all about.”
Graft continued, “We could not do it without our volunteers – I can’t say [it] enough. I’ve been here long enough to really understand and appreciate that. The whole hospice movement was started by a group of volunteers; it’s very much a part of our culture at hospice.”
Those interested in volunteering can do so here or by calling (406)-455-3040.
-Reported by Elizabeth Transue/MTN News
