Donate and Volunteer

Your donations make a big impact

Camp Erin and the Carousel program are two examples of the many programs made possible by your support. Your donations of cash and goods are accepted throughout the year. Gifts can be made in memory or in honor of someone special.

All contributions made to Providence Hospice and Home Care are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. To find out about the giving opportunities that best suit your needs, call the foundation director at 425-261-4822.

Donate Online

Make a Meaningful Connection as a Volunteer

Providence Hospice and Home Care of Snohomish County (PHHC) volunteers and complementary care practitioners serve patients and families throughout Snohomish County, wherever they may call home (private residence, nursing facility, adult family home, etc.). Volunteers play a key role in their own communities providing support and comfort to those who are facing terminal illness.

Hospice volunteers provide non-clinical patient care and family support, assist with grief support services, and contribute administrative and operational support.

Complementary care practitioners provide comfort to hospice patients through licensed Massage Therapy and music modalities (Certified Music Therapists, Thanatologists, or Therapeutic Musicians).

We offer opportunities to gain new skills, uphold client agency and autonomy in pursuit of their goals, and empower you to be an informed advocate. All roles support our core values of compassion, justice, dignity, integrity, and excellence. Our team will help you discover your strengths and guide you toward your best role. Comprehensive training is tailored to each position to ensure you are confident and comfortable in your responsibilities.

Interested in volunteering?

If you're interested in volunteering with Providence Hospice and Home Care of Snohomish County, please review our current volunteer opportunities below and then view our application information. You can also call us at 425-261-4777.

Patient care volunteers offer essential practical and emotional support to hospice patients and their loved ones. We provide comprehensive training to ensure confidence in one's ability.  Activities may include: 

  • Companionship - Engage in activities, conversation, and emotional support for patients and/or caregivers.  
  • Errands/shopping - Pickup groceries or other supplies, etc.  
  • Respite - Support caregivers by providing up to four hours of patient companionship allowing for a rest break from direct care of their loved ones in their homes.  
  • Life Legacy - Facilitate conversations and support patients in recording their life stories. 
  • Light household tasks and yardwork - Straighten and tidy up, vacuum, dust, load/unload dishwasher and/or laundry, lawncare, gardening, etc.  
  • Light meal preparation - Put together items laid out for a meal, heating food, etc. 
  • Music - Provide non-therapeutic music for patient enjoyment. 
  • Transportation - Transport patients to and from appointments (volunteer does not go with patient into the appointment) or outings to local places such as parks, shopping areas, etc.   
  • Vigil - Offer a peaceful presence at the bedside of patients who are within the last 48 hours of life.  
  • Virtual or remote opportunities are available as well depending upon the needs of those we serve.  

Our pediatric program blends in-home Palliative and Hospice care for children from birth to 21 years of age. Volunteers offer essential practical and emotional support to pediatric patients and their loved ones. We provide comprehensive training to ensure confidence in one's ability.  

Parent or guardian always remains in home while volunteer is present. 

Support may include: 

  • Parent/Guardian - Provide a break for the adult.  Run errands, perform light household tasks or yard work.  
  • Patient/Siblings - Spend time playing, reading, or assisting with homework. 

The Pediatric Team provides integrated care to young patients who have a life-limiting diagnosis. The focus is always their quality of life and provides a holistic approach to address physical, educational, emotional, social and spiritual needs of patients and their families. 

Haircut volunteers travel to wherever a hospice patient calls home (private home, skilled nursing facility, etc.) to provide free haircuts with simple styling.  Your visits can increase comfort, self-esteem, and dignity, even when a patient can no longer leave their home.

Volunteers must be professionally licensed in Washington to cut hair. We provide comprehensive training to ensure confidence in working with hospice patients. 

You set your own schedule.  Even 1 haircut a month makes a difference! 

Notary volunteers travel to wherever a patient calls home (private home, skilled nursing facility, etc.) to provide an extremely important service for patients who are homebound and with limited financial resources.

Notary volunteers help ensure that the patient’s wishes are honored by notarizing health-care related documents, such as: 

  • Medical Power of Attorney 
  • Financial Power of Attorney 
  • Wills 

Volunteers must be licensed in the state of WA as a Notary Public. 

You set your own schedule.  Even providing services once a week or twice monthly makes a difference!

Pet Therapy is a visit or series of visits from a Pet Therapy team (a handler and their animal) to a patient or family who has requested them through their hospice care team. 

The simple act of petting an animal can trigger the release of beneficial hormones that enhance mood.

These visits are intended to: 

  • Alleviate stress and feelings of isolation. 
  • Provide opportunities for reminiscing and sharing stories about their own pets. 

Pet Therapy teams must be certified through an accepted organization.  If you aren’t already certified, we are happy to provide information on the process! 

To ensure Veterans receive the service and care they deserve, Providence has partnered with the nationally recognized We Honor Veterans program. 

Volunteers are needed to offer Veteran-to-Veteran companionship and to participate in honoring ceremonies. 

How can you help?  
  • Engage in conversation, watch TV, play cards.  
  • Listen to stories Veteran patients may have never told anyone and because of your military bond they feel safe sharing with you.   
  • Take part in a ceremony to honor a fellow Veteran and their family.  No uniform is required. 

We Honor Veterans is a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Vigil volunteers spend time with a hospice patient who is within 48 hours of death to provide comfort, dignity and a peaceful presence. This time may include reading, music or simply sitting with the patient.

Where: Vigils are provided at the bedside wherever the patient resides, including at home, in a facility or hospital. 

When: While vigil visits are scheduled as needed, they often occur at night.  

Volunteers receive specialized training about providing compassionate support to patients and families as death approaches.  

Camp Erin® King and Snohomish County volunteers offer essential emotional support to grieving children and teens. We provide comprehensive training to ensure confidence in one's ability.  Roles may include:

  • Big Buddy - Provide camper support for the weekend.  
  • Clinical Point Person - Trained counselors or grief specialists aid in camper support in partnership with Big Buddies. 
  • Grief Activity Facilitator - Skilled facilitators with experience working with youth lead or co-lead grief activities. 
  • Logistics - Provide behind-the-scenes work to ensure camp runs smoothly. 
  • Musician - Create music during grief activities using own instruments. 
  • Pet Therapy - Trained teams provide support to campers and volunteers throughout the weekend.  
  • Photographer - Capture cabin photos and camp activities using own camera equipment. 

Providence offers grief support groups for youth to address their feelings and memorialize their significant people.  Concurrent parent/guardian   groups offer an environment of compassion for adults nurturing grieving youth. All grief support groups are facilitated by trained staff and volunteers.  We provide comprehensive training to ensure confidence in one's ability.  Activities may include: 

  • Engage in activities, conversation, and emotional support for group participants 
  • Co-facilitate activities and conversation 
  • Assist with Providence community memorial events  

Hospice provides grief support to people who have experienced the death of a significant person.   Volunteers offer essential practical and emotional support to those navigating their grief.  In person and virtual opportunities are available.

Activities may include: 

  • Administrative Tasks: Clerical tasks, event organizational support 
  • Direct Support: support groups, memorial events, phone calls to bereaved

*No licensure is required

Administrative Volunteers perform a variety of general office and clerical tasks which help our agency operate smoothly. Activities may include: 

  • Assisting with mailings 
  • Assembling printed materials for patients and families  
  • Assembling materials for supply room 
  • Serving as front desk receptionist to direct guests and receive packages 
  • Special projects throughout the year

Our Handicraft program provides the opportunity for volunteers to craft items which provide comfort and improve the quality of life for hospice patients, families, and the bereaved. Activities may include:

  • Crocheting  
  • Knitting    
  • Quilting 
  • Sewing 
  • Woodworking 

Patterns and guidelines are available for all items.

Contact us for more information and to discuss contributing your handicraft skills.

Complementary care practitioners provide comfort to hospice patients through licensed Massage Therapy and music modalities (Certified Music Therapists, Thanatologists, or Therapeutic Musicians).

Complementary care practitioners can volunteer their services, or they can provide them as an independent contractor through Providence Hospice. If you’re interested in volunteering, please view our application information. If you’re interested in becoming an independent contractor, please contact us for more information.

Massage therapy providers

Licensed Massage Therapists provide gentle massage for adult or pediatric patients to:  

  • Relieve pain 
  • Decrease stress and anxiety   
  • Address edema  
  • Manage other symptoms 

Our practitioners have experience using techniques appropriate for our patients. 

Therapeutic music providers

Certified Music Therapists, Thanatologists, or Therapeutic Musicians visit patients to: 

  • Decrease anxiety 
  • Reduce isolation 
  • Ease end-of-life transitioning 
  • Manage other symptoms 

Needs often treated by music therapists in hospice care include social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and spiritual. 

*For musicians who are not certified but interested in providing non-therapeutic music to patients, please see our Patient Care Volunteer opportunity.

How to become a volunteer at Providence Hospice

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Providence Hospice and Home Care of Snohomish County! Our volunteers play a key role in their own communities providing support and comfort to those who are facing terminal illness. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old. All roles support our core values of compassion, justice, dignity, integrity, and excellence. An overview of our process for becoming a volunteer is below:

Step One: Application

Complete and submit an online application

Step Two: Interview

We will contact you for a personal interview. The interview will offer you a chance to ask questions about our volunteer program, help you discover your strengths and guide you toward your best role.

Step Three: Orientation & Training

We provide comprehensive training to ensure confidence in one's ability and offer opportunities to gain new skills. Trainings utilize a hybrid format of self-paced modules and in-person training specific to your role. All online training modules must be completed prior to attending in-person training.

Upcoming Trainings:

  • Wednesday, Feb 7th, 2024
  • Wednesday, March 20th, 2024
  • Wednesday, May 8th, 2024
  • Wednesday, September 25th, 2024

Please feel free to contact us at 425-261-4777 with any questions.