Volunteer Opportunities
Members of the greater Saint John community are invited to inquire about volunteer opportunities with the Saint John Seafarers’ Mission, here are a few ways you could help:
through being present to provide a warm welcome and answer questions and converse with seafarers from around the world during opening hours of the Centre;
through providing baked goods to the Centre for the hospitality offered to seafarers when visiting;
through providing donations of winter clothing (coats, hats, gloves) for seafarers who mostly all come from warmer climates;
through donations of toiletry items;
participate in preparing our annual ‘shoe box’ holiday gift and essentials program that takes place each November-December and sees the gifts delivered to the dozens of cargo ships in Port over the holiday period;
participate as a volunteer in our fundraising events.
Visitation to the Seafarer Centre
Crew on cargo vessels can visit the Seafarers Centre located at 92 Tilley Lane when they are at the Port of Saint John, New Brunswick. This Centre provides an opportunity to leave the ship and spend time in a ‘home like’ environment, on land. While here, seafarers can make use of the complimentary Wi-Fi to contact loved ones in their home countries, relax, and have conversation with local Saint John community volunteers who care.
Life working on board ship can be isolating and last for 6 months or more at a time. Often this means seafarers are less connected to loved ones in their home countries and lack socialization and recreational opportunities.
Even the ability to pick up essentials of personal care can be a challenge of living and working on board a cargo ship. The port chaplain operates a van on behalf of the Centre which aims to make it possible to get into the city to shop for these essentials.
Get Involved
Fill out the volunteer application form if you’re interested in volunteering and we will reach out to you with upcoming opportunities!