Donate and Volunteer

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. 

• 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.  

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.