Thank You Volunteers!
Happy National Volunteer Week! The Salvation Army would like to recognize and thank all our volunteers who have dedicated their time to us.
Volunteers are our partners in Doing the Most Good and are crucial to The Salvation Army upholding its mission of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and meeting human needs in His name without discrimination. No matter the time of year, volunteers are the heart of our team and are always needed.
Helping with tasks big or small truly makes a difference and helps to change lives. The service and commitment of our volunteers enable The Salvation Army to provide food and necessities to families facing a shortage, reach out to the elderly and those facing hardship in our communities, be a place of love and support for children, make the holidays a time of joy for those in need, and give hope to those facing disaster.
Across our Western Michigan and Northern Indiana Division in 2021, 30,000 volunteers donated a combined 100,000 hours of their time to come alongside our neighbors. Each individual and every hour represents a positive impact on our community.
These individuals provided help to a wide range of our programs and services including our social services departments, food pantries, youth and after-school programs, senior programs, Christmastime toy distribution, bell ringing and more.
At Christmastime last year, 4,758 volunteers donated 15,583 hours to ring bells. Nearly 900 volunteers gave 4,312 hours to help distribute 193,246 toys and gifts to make sure the holidays were cheery for our neighbors in need.
During the first three months of 2022, 553 volunteers have helped fill 12,319 grocery orders from our pantries.
Check out ways you can get involved below!
"The toy shop is like the world to some people, and that's what makes this whole process worthwhile, at least for me. People are here to get a gift for a child that probably wasn't going to get something, and at the end of the day, that's what hits home. This is my way of giving back, and it makes me feel good that I'm able to help out in this situation. I feel that it makes a difference." - Hector, Angel Tree Toy Drive volunteer of over 11 years