AUGUSTA – Saying he’s planning to pitch in to help a home-weatherization program, Gov. John Baldacci on Tuesday helped to launch a new database that will connect willing volunteers with hundreds of service and nonprofit organizations across Maine.

“I’m suited up and ready to go,” said Baldacci, adding that he’s got his caulk gun and duct tape all ready for his stint with the Keep Maine Warm program in which he’ll volunteer later this month.

Keep Maine Warm is just one of the organizations listed in the new Volunteer Maine Web site Baldacci and others announced. The site serves as a central place for state, nonprofit, public and private agencies to list their needs, and volunteers to scan opportunities to serve.

Organizers said Maine is one of the first states – if not the first – to launch such a statewide database. It was developed by a partnership that includes Maine’s 10 United Ways, state community service and emergency management agencies, and other volunteer and media organizations.

Until the central database was established, Mainers who wished to volunteer their time and expertise had to navigate their way to county or organizational Web sites and phone numbers, said Maryalice Crofton of the Maine Commission for Community Service.

“Our next endeavor is to expand the site to meet the needs of emergency agencies during a disaster,” said Crofton.

Many Mainers may have been inspired after the recent hurricanes in the Gulf States to do some kind of volunteer work, but had no way to link their skills with an organization that could use them.

“[That] platform is now here,” said Lynette Miller of the Maine Emergency Management Agency. County emergency management agencies meeting in Augusta recently appealed for volunteers.

Organizers of Tuesday’s announcement cited figures from Independent Sector, a private, nonpartisan coalition of more than 700 national nonprofits, that say 84 million adult Americans volunteered 3.6 hours per week in 2000. That adds up to 9 million full-time employees providing the equivalent of $239 billion in services.

Tuesday’s announcement came two days before the annual Blaine House Conference on Volunteerism.

On the Net: Volunteer Maine: www.volunteermaine.org/