Welcoming TENT as a New TimeBank Anchor Organization
We are excited to announce a new collaboration between the Taos TimeBank and TENT [Taos Elders and Neighbors Together]. TENT is a volunteer-based “virtual village” that helps elders stay in their homes with comfort and dignity by offering rides, errands, basic home support, tech help, caregiver relief, and social connection. All of this is available for a surprisingly low membership cost compared to typical elder care, which makes TENT’s work incredibly accessible for Taos residents.
This partnership also grew directly out of overwhelming feedback from TimeBank members asking for more elder support, companionship, and respite care within our exchange network. Instead of reinventing a parallel system, we chose to strengthen what already exists.
Why This Collaboration Matters
TENT’s services align naturally with our mission of neighbors helping neighbors. Their volunteers already offer many of the most requested forms of support inside the TimeBank community.
With this partnership:
- Active TENT volunteers can now earn TimeBank credits for their TENT service.
- Verified volunteers receive a TENT badge in their TimeBank profile.
- TimeBank members gain a trusted path to both offer and receive elder support.
- We welcome more caregivers and helpers into the mutual-aid network.
This makes TENT’s already affordable support even more impactful while expanding the caring capacity of Taos as a whole.
While TimeBank members may connect with TENT in different ways, all services provided through TENT are coordinated and approved directly by TENT. Only officially screened TENT volunteers serve TENT members, and receiving support from a TENT volunteer does not make someone a TENT member.
The TimeBank’s role is to recognize and support volunteer service through time credits, not to replace TENT’s application or coordination process.
How This Partnership Works
Traditionally, TimeBank Anchor Organizations receive credits for volunteers who participate in TimeBank-organized service opportunities, which are open to any member.
TENT is different.
Because elder care requires training, vetting, and steady relationships, only officially screened TENT volunteers can serve elders through TENT, even when earning TimeBank credits. All screening and coordination stay fully within TENT.
The TimeBank still gifts time credits to TENT as an Anchor Organization, allowing them to recognize and uplift their volunteers with added appreciation and incentive while strengthening both organizations.
This model protects elder safety, honors TENT’s standards, and still connects their volunteers to the wider network of mutual aid.
How to Get Involved
If you are already a TENT volunteer
Email help.taostimebank@gmail.com to be verified so you can begin logging hours and earning credits.
If you are a TimeBank member who wants to receive support or explore volunteering with TENT
Visit their website to learn more:
https://taoselders.helpfulvillage.com/
This collaboration expands access to high-quality, low-cost elder support and responds directly to one of the most requested needs in the TimeBank. Together, TENT and the TimeBank are helping build a more connected and resilient Taos, one hour at a time.