About 45 Carroll Students, Two Faculty Volunteer Across Helena on Service Saturday

Roughly 45 Carroll College students and two faculty members participated in a campus-organized "Service Saturday" on Feb. 14, 2026, volunteering at multiple sites across Helena as part of what the college called its mission‑driven service activities. The college reported the volunteers worked across the city but did not specify which partner sites received teams that day.

The Hunthausen Center for Peace and Justice, the student-run office that organized the program, described itself this way: "We are the Hunthausen Center for Peace and Justice, or CPJ for short: a student-run office that strives to promote the dignity of the human person through service." CPJ materials also note that "Service Saturdays are an opportunity for students to volunteer at several different locations around Helena for 3 hours on a Saturday. It's a great way to engage with the non-profits and organizations that are supporting and sustaining our community."

CPJ’s list of recurring opportunities names several Helena partners students regularly support. Dr. Ries is listed as the faculty leader for weekly volunteer shifts at Good Samaritan Ministries, with the program scheduled on Fridays that classes are in session at 1:00 starting in September, 2025; students are instructed to "Just meet in the Cube, outside Holy Grounds to head on over together!" CPJ provides the contact jries@carroll.edu for those shifts.

Good Samaritan’s volunteer materials detail a wide range of roles and requirements that Carroll students may encounter when serving in Helena. The Good Samaritan Thrift Store lists volunteer tasks including assisting cashiers, organizing store shelves, sorting and hanging clothes, remodeling projects, testing electronics, organizing and fixing jewelry, pairing shoes, sorting books, sorting religious items, assisting front office staff, street outreach to the unsheltered, leading sobriety groups, and sharing testimony at sobriety groups.

Good Samaritan also sets eligibility rules: volunteers must be at least 16 years of age and must pass a background check; applicants with burglary or theft charges less than three years old, violent assault charges less than three years old, or any sexual misconduct charges will not be accepted. Volunteers age 18 or older must complete Virtus Training, described as a 45-minute video on maintaining a safe environment for children and vulnerable adults, and must review and sign the Diocese of Helena’s Safe Environment Policy.

CPJ’s service listing also highlights weekly meal service at God's Love shelter — "Sign up HERE to serve lunches or dinners with other Carroll students weekly at Helena's local homeless shelter, God's Love. Sydney Forrey will be in touch soon!" — and weekly hospice care opportunities with Enhabit Home Health and Hospice. Carroll’s campus event calendar notes the End of Year Free Market, created in 2021, at the Perkins Call Canine Center (ANZ area on campus, near YMCA park); "Each year, Carroll is able to divert nearly 10,000 pounds from going to our local land fill" through that program.

Residents and organizations seeking to coordinate with Carroll or learn about upcoming Service Saturdays can contact the Hunthausen Center at hunthausencenter@carroll.edu or Dr. Ries at jries@carroll.edu for group volunteer options and scheduling. CPJ continues to list upcoming service opportunities for students and partners across Helena.