Educational Concerns For Hunger Organization
ECHO
Frequently Asked Volunteer Questions

FREQUENTLY ASKED VOLUNTEER QUESTIONS

1. I am only in the SW Florida area for a couple of weeks. Can I still be a volunteer?
  In some cases, yes. Short-term volunteers are typically placed in an outdoor work area where they will not need much training. Short-term volunteers may also be able to help different departments cleaning, folding newsletters, making jam and jellies or prepping for an event.
2. I only have a few hours to give. Can I still volunteer?
  Yes. The amount of time each volunteer gives to ECHO ranges from 4 hours/month to 40 hours/week.
3. Is housing provided for volunteers?
  ECHO has very limited housing for volunteers, and they are all for full-time volunteers who have a proven track record with ECHO. The following attachment in pdf format contains a partial list of hotel and housing accommodations in the Fort Myers area: Accommodations
4. Are there any age requirements?
 

With very few exceptions, ECHO does not accept volunteers less than 16 years of age. Volunteers under 18 must also have a parent permission form turned into the office before they can begin to volunteer. There are no upper age limits.
5. I am busy during the day. Can I volunteer on weekends or after hours?
  Volunteers cannot work after hours during the week, and there are only a few areas in which someone can volunteer on Saturdays: Grounds keeping, cleaning ECHO guest quarters and/or hospitality of ECHO guests and students. Grounds keeping volunteers must arrive no earlier than 9:00 am and leave no later than 12:00 noon. Hospitality and cleaning volunteers are both on-call positions.
6. Can I get service learning hours for the hours that I work?
 

If you are an ECHO volunteer, service learning hours hours will be credited for the work that you do. ECHO, however, does not solicit help from persons whose sole purpose in wanting to volunteer is to fulfill service learning requirements, and can not go out of its way to create volunteer opportunities for students needing service learning hours.