Volunteer
Give Back So Others Can Get Ahead
There are many ways to volunteer with Batavia United Way! Use your time and talent to help those in your community build a better life for themselves.
Batavia United Way hosts many events and community activities which are made possible by the generous donation of time of our volunteers. Volunteer for one event which speaks to you or volunteer for many events. Volunteering is what brings our community together. Please sign up here for our volunteer email list.
October
Bat Race 5K/10K: Volunteer to help with the Bat Race, one of our biggest events of the year!
Bat Race
Our annual 5K/10K Bat Race is a fun event with lots of opportunities for volunteering. This event draws over 700 runners and we need a lot of hands to help it run smoothly! Oct 25, 2025 is the date!
Monthly
Help us provide a meal to the guests of Lazarus House, an emergency shelter for those in our area.
Meals for Lazarus House
We are committed to providing food to feed the guests of Lazarus house on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. Consider helping with a portion of this or get a group together and provide the entire meal!
November
Each November, volunteers rake the leaves of seniors, veterans, and people with physical limitations that need assistance. A great activity for families or groups to help our neighbors in need!
Leaf Raking
Our annual Fall Day of Caring - Leaf Raking event helps seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities clear their yards before the winter. Stay tuned for our 2025 date!
Winter
Batavia United Way is pleased to bring Snow Angels, a volunteer snow shoveling program, to Batavia. We will pair a volunteer Snow Angel with a nearby neighbor with limited mobility who needs help clearing their driveway of snow for the 25-26 season (December – March).
Snow Angels
Applications will open in Fall of 2025. Please register if you:
1. Would like to volunteer to help shovel
2. Need help with shoveling and meet the criteria
Year Round
Bilingual Volunteers: We are looking for individuals who are bilingual to assist with our programming.
Bilingual Volunteers
We periodically need help with the following: communication with our preschool scholarship kids or families, food pantry clients, Adopt-A-Family participants, reviewing flyers in translated languages, etc. Find out more by contacting us at info@bataviaunitedway.org or call 630-877-2780.
February
Each February, we gather handmade, signed cards for seniors in our community to let them know they are loved and appreciated. The drive runs for two weeks each year from the end of January through the middle of February.
2025 Drive a Success!
Our 2025 Valentine Drive for seniors ran from Jan 20 - Feb 10. We collected over 900 handmade cards to distribute to seniors who could use a little love from their neighbors this winter. A great project for families, individuals, or groups to do!
February
SOUPer Bowl of Caring
Help us collect ready-to-eat soup to provide the Batavia residents in need with nourishment throughout the winter!
2025 Souper Bowl
The 2025 drive ran from Feb 3 through Feb 7. The friendly competition between the east and west side resulted in the EAST side being crowned the SOUPER BOWL champion and more than 3,100 lbs collected!
April
Spring Day of Caring
Each spring, we host a day or days of caring. Some years we do a spring cleaning drive and other years we do a day of service.
This year, we’re prepared space for 20 garden beds at Batavia Apartments on April 22 & 24, creating opportunities for residents to grow their own fresh produce. It was a wonderful way to work together to make a lasting impact for our community and the environment.
April & August
On the last Monday of every April and August, we hold a blood drive at the Batavia Public Library from 2:00pm - 6:00pm.
Blood Drive
Our next blood drive is scheduled for April 27, 2026 from 2-6:00 pm at Batavia Public Library. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments will be available for your convenience.
May
Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive
Donate food by leaving it by your mailbox or sign up to help pick up the donations!
May 10, 2025
This year, Batavia United Way provided volunteers to assist the postal carriers pick up donations and deliver to the post office to be weighed and then transported to the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry to support our Batavia neighbors in need.
September
Community Dinner Table 2025: One LOOOOONG table with 250 of your neighbors to share in a meal. We need volunteers to help us carry out this event on September 7, 2025
Sept. 7, 2025
Many hands make light work, and this event takes many hands for sure! We had a wonderful group of volunteers this year to help us with set up, serving, clearing plates, and take down and we are so grateful! Stay tuned for the 2026 event date - we will definitely be looking for volunteers in the summer!
September Day of Caring
Help us plant trees and more garden beds for our neighbors!
September 23
Join us as we dig in for a great cause! For our Fall Day of Caring, we’re building and installing 8 garden beds and planting 20 trees at Batavia Apartments, creating opportunities for residents to connect with nature.
Another way to volunteer is to join the Batavia United Way Board of Directors. Directors may serve 3 two-year terms. Directors are involved in the allocation process of selecting community agencies to receive grants. Directors are also engaged in the programs and fundraising of the Batavia United Way. Help support your Batavia community!
To volunteer for community activities, fundraisers, and projects or to find out more about joining the Board of Directors, contact Kathy Evangelista at 630-877-2780 or email info@bataviaunitedway.org.
Thank You For Living United & Volunteering