Seniors and adults with disabilities will soon get some extra help in doing everyday tasks, for free.

The Opportunity Council recently announced the launch of the Volunteer Chore Program on Whidbey Island. The program brings community volunteers to low-income seniors and adults with disabilities who need support but want to remain independent in their homes.

The program, which will begin serving Island County this spring, already exists in Whatcom County, where more than 150 individuals were served in 2024, according to Volunteer Chore Program Specialist Anya Sachs.

“These folks don’t have a lot of money to stretch to cover their basic day to day needs,” she said. “So what we do is we help them with day-to day-chores.”

The services offered include grocery shopping, yard work, minor house repairs, housekeeping, prescription pick-up, dog walking and medical transportation, all for free to qualifying recipients. Volunteers are not allowed to do tasks that a traditional caregiver would do, like bathing or administering medication. Friendly visits for the sake of socializing are also not among the services included, Sachs said.

Currently, the Opportunity Council is in the process of creating a volunteer base.

Volunteers under the age of 16 are allowed if they are with a school or church group, Sachs said, while all volunteers under the age of 18 must have parental consent. All volunteers go through a background check, and if they drive, they are asked to provide proof of insurance, she said.

On top of looking good on a college application, all volunteers, regardless of age, get to make a positive impact in the lives of the people they serve and make the community a safer and more appealing place to live in, Sachs said.

“It really fosters relationships within the community,” she said.

Some volunteers in Whatcom have become friends with the people they helped. For example, Sachs said, a volunteer continues to visit a client after she moved to a senior care facility, despite the fact that she no longer needed his help. Other volunteers develop a bond with the dogs they walk, an activity they seem to particularly enjoy.

Furthermore, the program offers mileage reimbursement and works around people’s schedules.

“It’s a flexible volunteer opportunity,” Sachs said in a press release. “There aren’t set hours or shifts — if volunteers need to take a break one month, they can jump back in as soon as they’re ready.”

Prospective volunteers can learn about volunteer opportunities and apply online at whatcomvolunteer.org/volunteer-chore-program.

Potential clients with needs that can’t be met by personal funds, family members, friends, church or community programs can ask a primary care provider or social service professional (like a case manager) to fill out the online intake form at whatcomvolunteer.org/volunteer-chore-program-client-intake/.

For a paper version of the intake form, providers can contact chore@whatcomvolunteer.org. Those without a doctor or case manager can call the Island County Opportunity Council for a referral at 360-679-6577.