LEWISTON – The Maine Public Broadcasting Network is looking for volunteers in April and May to staff The MPBN Great TV Auction at its studios in Lewiston.

While the televised portion of The MPBN Great TV Auction takes place between April 21 and April 30, volunteers will also be needed before and after those dates.

As donated items for The MPBN Great TV Auction continue to pour in, volunteers are needed to process and catalogue each one. After the auction ends, each item needs to be packed and shipped to its winning bidder. During the auction itself, there are many jobs that need to be filled – answering phones, entering data, packing and shipping, and much more.

“This is our biggest single fundraising event of the year, and it requires an immense amount of volunteer time and effort,” said MPBN Volunteer Coordinator Pam Smart.

“We look forward to seeing our regular volunteers, who are practically family to us, and we also enjoy seeing new people come in each year. It’s a great way to network with other volunteer-minded people in the community, and it’s actually quite fun. Plus you get to munch on pizza and hot dogs and see all that goes into a live television broadcast of this magnitude.”

This year marks the 35th year of The MPBN Great TV Auction, which was recently recognized by PBS as the country’s best public television auction.

MPBN’s Lewiston studio, where the volunteers are needed, is at 1450 Lisbon St.

Volunteers are asked to call Pam Smart at the auction office at 1-800-884-1717. For more information about The MPBN Great TV Auction or to donate an item, visit www.mpbn.net/auction or call the auction office.