Linda Bell thinks of volunteering as an investment.

That’s why Bell, secretary of East Mount Airy Neighbors (EMAN), wants to spread the word about Northwest Volunteer Connect, a Nov. 15 event at Summit Presbyterian Church in Mt. Airy designed to connect potential volunteers with area organizations that need help.

“People come to the neighborhood and say `How can I get involved?’” she said. “This is how you can get involved. People should feel like they are investing in the safety and the quality of life [in the neighborhoods] that they’ve invested in.”

West Mount Airy Neighbors and EMAN are partnering with Summit Presbyterian Church, 6757 Greene St. (Greene and Westview Streets), which is organizing and hosting the free event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15.

Representatives from more than 33 area nonprofits will be sitting at tables in the church’s fellowship hall with handouts describing volunteer opportunities.

Volunteers can tutor, clean trails, sort furniture and donations, tend trees, deliver meals to the elderly, and open their homes to young refugees or to people needing a place to stay during hospital visits, among many other opportunities.

“We’re an organization that depends on volunteer service,” said Amelia Marran, program manager at Friends of Wissahickon, explaining why the park organization will send a representative to Northwest Volunteer Connect. Volunteers help maintain trails and structures and can also serve as park ambassadors.

“We’re a park that spans the width of Northwest Philly and we have many opportunities for our neighbors to get involved,” she said.

Angelique Seth, development associate and volunteer coordinator at Pathways to Housing, said Pathways is looking for volunteers for its Furniture Bank program.

Volunteers help sort and repair furniture at the Furniture Bank’s warehouse in Juniata Park, making it available to people who are moving into homes after living on the street or staying in shelters.

Seth hopes to accomplish even more at the Summit event. She wants to raise awareness so that people who are downsizing or moving would consider donating furniture to the Furniture Bank. Even better, she said, she would like to inspire neighbors to plan a neighborhood furniture cleanout to benefit the Furniture Bank.

Mt. Airy resident Nancy Morrow will be among those looking for opportunities.

She wants “something where I felt I my skills and experience could be used by the organization and that I could be contributing in a way that was meaningful and helping others,” she said. Her expertise lies in aging, mental health, teaching, and nonprofit management.

But Morrow also wants the general camaraderie that comes with volunteering.

“The social connection of it is as important to me as the intrinsic activity,” she said. “I’d like to make new friends, have an enjoyable time, feel good about helping others, and feel that it is meaningful. If it feels meaningful, I’m fine with putting hotdogs in hotdog buns.”

Summit Presbyterian Church’s pastor, Rev. Cheryl Pyrch, said the event matters to the church and its congregation. “As a church that believes in mission and service, we want to connect our neighbors who want to serve with community groups that need help,” she said.

“It’ll be a double-win when the connection is made,” she added, particularly here in Northwest Philadelphia, which already has reputation for community-minded service. “We’re happy to support the many hard-working and dedicated Northwest nonprofits who do so much for our neighborhood.”

Northwest Volunteer Connect will be held Saturday, Nov. 15, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Summit Presbyterian Church, 6757 Greene St., Phila. 215-438-2825. Free.