Tag Archives: volunteering

The Value of a Volunteer

inspiration, Service Projects

Happy Friday! It’s extra happy for me, because tonight Jacob comes home from Puerto Rico. Never mind the fact that tomorrow morning he leaves for Scout camp; I don’t want to think about that right now. Thanks to modern technology, his absence hasn’t been too hard for me. We’ve texted back and forth each day, and the adults on the trip have been posting pictures to the team Facebook page. It looks like the trip has been a nice combination of work, relationship building, and fun. I can’t wait to hear all the details tonight!

As you may know, I work at a history museum. Although different from hunger-relief orgs, our small educational non-profit faces some of the same challenges – things like fundraising, fulfilling our mission on a tight budget, and doing it all with a tiny (and mostly part-time) staff. I know for a fact that the key to meeting our objectives in a quality way is our other staff – the volunteers.

If you assume that a small non-profit would pay about $10 per hour for help (that number is low, I know. Many of our volunteers are worth far more than that. But it’s a nice round number for this math-phobe, and it makes the point without any chance of exaggerating), then even our most occasional event volunteer is saving us hundreds of dollars per year. Our top volunteer at the museum worked over 400 hours last year – that’s more than $4000 in free labor. But you and I both know that without these volunteers we wouldn’t be spending that much more money – we would be getting a lot less done.

A couple weeks ago, my family and I participated in Feed My Starving Children’s Love Somalia mobile pack event in St Paul. During the four days of packing, volunteers assembled 4.5 million meals. Volunteers. If FMSC had to replace the volunteers with packing machines, they would also have to add staff to maintain and supervise the machines. They would have to work harder to raise awareness and funds. They couldn’t hold special events where 4.5 million EXTRA meals are packed in a weekend.

I found some statistics from the Bureau of Labor that show you just how powerful volunteers are in America. From September 2015-September 2016, 62.6 million Americans volunteered at least once with a non-profit organization. The median number of volunteer hours each person gave was 54 hours per year. The biggest recipient of volunteer labor was religious non-profits. This makes sense, right? If you’re a member of a church, you’re probably doing some kind of volunteer service there – teaching Sunday school, greeting visitors, serving in the kitchen during weddings and funerals, etc. Educational and youth-services non-profits came in second. If you have kids or grandkids in school, it’s hard to avoid the pleas for PTO members, fundraiser parents, and classroom volunteers.

One statistic I found stated that in 2013, Americans volunteered more than 7.7 billion hours. BILLION! If we multiply that by our paltry sum of $10/hour, that’s over $77 billion dollars in free labor given to help others learn, grow in faith, or meet their physical needs!

If you volunteer, and you’re feeling discouraged and wondering if your service is doing any good, think about that number. You are part of something HUGE – something that runs our schools, museums, art institutions, churches, food shelves, homeless shelters, job programs, and many more vital places! If you believe in their mission, make a difference with your time!

What is your favorite place to volunteer? Join the discussion by posting in the comments!

Service Project Playlist 2017

inspiration, Service Projects, ,

A few years ago, when Food Shelf Friday was new, I did a fun post about songs I like to listen to during service projects. The list was a bit small, and today I was thinking of more great tunes to energize and inspire while serving others, so I decided to brush it up and bring it back. Enjoy!

1. “Do Something” by Mathew West: I love the opening part when he’s complaining about all the trouble in the world and he says, “God, why don’t you do something?” God’s answer? “I did. I created YOU!” It’s an awesome reminder that God put us on this earth to be a blessing to others!

2. “Hands and Feet” by Audio Adrenaline: An oldie, but a goodie (2001, but I could swear it’s A LOT older). Audio A still appeals to this recovering grunge gen-Xer.

3. “Kings and Queens” by Audio Adrenaline: (not the original or newest version of the band, but the brief period when Kevin Max Smith from DC Talk was the frontman). This song is powerful, both lyrically and in presentation. The music video is fun too. It has the band and some Haitian kids having a snowball fight of sorts with color war powder.

4. “Shine” by the Newsboys: Another ’90s classic! It’s upbeat and joyful, and it talks about being a witness by the life-changing joy that springs from your relationship with God.

5. “Wherever We Go” by the Newsboys: Another great upbeat song about the joy and power of knowing the Lord. It’s ok to have fun as you serve the Lord and others!

6. “Give me Your Eyes” by Brandon Heath: Nothing inspires compassion like seeing the world through Jesus’s eyes. I don’t know about you, but I often miss opportunities to help others because I don’t think of it until it’s too late. So this song is like my prayer that I would see things how Jesus sees them: to notice needs and be moved to help.

7. “Fix my Eyes” by For King and Country: This is one of my favorite songs. It’s upbeat and powerful. The chorus lists wonderful acts of service that we all know we should be doing if we’re actively living out faith the way Jesus taught, and then it closes with the clincher, “…above it all – Fix my eyes on YOU!” I love that reminder; it’s easy to burn out trying to be good or do good things when you take your eyes off God and see only the world’s troubles.

8. “Evidence” by Citizen Way: I love the message of this song! “It’s not a flag on a field, not a sign in my yard. Not a cause that I join, not a phrase on a coin, it’s the change in my heart…” Love, acted out, is the true evidence of what we believe.

9. “What are You Waiting For” by Natalie Grant: Sometimes helping others is hard, and affecting real change can feel practically hopeless. But you do have the power to make a difference, so what are you waiting for?

10. “Live it Well” by Switchfoot: This is a new song, and a current favorite of mine. It’s a great anthem about the drive to make your life count and make a positive impact on the world. My favorite part is the bridge, where they sing, “I got one life and one love. I got one voice, but maybe that’s enough. ‘Cause with one heartbeat and two hands to give, I got one shot and one life to live.”

All of these songs can be found on iTunes, Spotify, or YouTube, so check it out! If you have additional ideas, share them in the comments!

Hunger Heroes: Helping Kids Serve their City

Family, Service Projects, , ,

I am so sorry that this is late. I wrote it on Thursday then completely forgot to post it on Friday. Better late than never! -K

 

When J was little, he was a big fan of Spiderman and other superheroes. My boy may be big now (16! We’re looking at colleges! Yikes!), but this week I got him to go with me to the Lego Batman Movie. It was fun to relive that part of his childhood together, and we got a kick out of the little kids in the theater and their running commentary during the show!  Kids love superheroes – the costumes and capes, the gadgets and automobiles, the super powers – what’s not to love!?! If your kids are superhero nuts, it can be a great tool to teach them about serving others and how they can be a “hunger hero” in your community.

  1. Superheroes are all about the serve: Ask your kids why Batman protects Gotham City, or why Superman watches over Metropolis. They’ll tell you that their heroes just want to help people. We all have the power to do good and help others – even without a cape. Have your kids brainstorm about ways they can be a hero in their community.
    – Random acts of kindness
    – Sharing with friends
    – Picking up litter
    – Helping friends and neighbors
    – Helping out around the house
    – Serving at community events
    – Much more!
  2. Superheroes have the tools: From supernatural powers to high tech gadgets, superheroes are equipped with the tools they need to do the job! Talk to your kids about what tools you need to serve your community. Maybe it’s carrying a bag on your next trip to the park so you have a way to collect litter. Maybe it’s preparing blessing bags, or printing out the food shelf scavenger hunt sheet before your next shopping trip. Being prepared creates awareness of the needs around us and empowers us to help when opportunities arise.

    A few years ago J and I created blessing bags, and while they were great if I was in my car, they didn’t do me much good when I was walking down the street. So I started carrying Subway gift cards in my wallet so I would always have something to offer a stranger who approached me for help. Instead of fumbling around digging for a few bucks in cash (which I probably don’t have on hand), I pop out a card and hand it over. I picked Subway because they’re EVERYWHERE, they don’t serve alcohol, and their food is filling and nutritious. And gift cards take up very little room in my wallet or phone case, so I can always have them on hand.

  3. Superheroes protect their secret identity: The mask and secret identity are standard practice for comic book heroes. The supers are not about praise or fame, but prefer to remain a mystery, popping in to save the day then retiring to a private life. Believe it or not, this is actually biblical! Matthew 6:2 says, “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” The Bible commands us over and over to help those in need, but we’re not to make it a show. It’s not about us, it’s about making life better for someone else, and showing them the love of Jesus through our actions. Talk about this with your kids. You can even reinforce this lesson by letting your little heroes wear their masks when dropping off food shelf donations or helping around the house.

 

I hope this gives you some fun ways that you can talk to your kids about being a “hunger hero” and serving their community just like their favorite masked men and women!  If you have additional thoughts, feel free to leave a comment!

Volunteer Resource List

Resources, Service Projects,

Like a lot of couples, my husband and I get in date ruts. We always seem to watch the same movies, eat at the same restaurants, and either go bowling or shoot pool when we want to go out and do something. There is a whole big world out there, but at the end of the day it’s hard to think of something original to do. So this year for Valentines, I made my husband a list of all the ideas we’ve talked about but never think of spur of the moment, complete with websites and phone numbers. Now when one of us starts the “what should we do tonight” conversation, we’ve got all the ideas and info right at our fingertips. This week I’m going to do the same for you – a list of non-profits you can volunteer with, including web links. Click on any blue link to go right to the volunteer signup page for that organization. “I didn’t know where to start” is history!
Amazon Smile: Set up your Amazon account so a portion of your spending goes to the non-profit of your choice.

Compassion: Sponsor a child  or volunteer with Compassion at an event near you .

County agencies: Your county probably has many volunteer needs. Check their website for listings. Here is the listing of volunteer needs in Anoka County, Minnesota, where I live.

Dress for Success: Find out how to donate clothing or funds, or consider a hands-on volunteer job. Dress for Success needs people to sort donations and help clients with clothing as well as mentors who can work with clients on job and interview skills.

Feeding America’s Food Bank Finder is intended to help the hungry find a food shelf, but it can also lead you to local donation and/or volunteer opportunities.

Feed My Starving Children: FMSC has permanent packing sites in Minnesota, Arizona, and Illinois, as well as mobile packing events around the country.

Homeless Shelter Directory: Find a homeless shelter near you. Volunteers are always needed!

International Justice Mission: IJM needs interns and lawyers, as well as everyday volunteers.

Meals on Wheels: Drivers and volunteers are always needed!

Minnesota Council of Nonprofits: Job listings including paid work, executive boards, and volunteer jobs at nonprofits in Minnesota.

RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program): Connecting people ages 55+ to local volunteer needs – I work with RSVP at my museum job. They are a huge blessing and make my job much easier!

Second Harvest Heartland: Second Harvest is a network of food banks in Minnesota. They have two locations in the Twin Cities metro area, and they support many other community food shelves.

Venture: Run or bicycle while raising money to fight hunger and human trafficking.

Volunteer Match: Helps volunteers find opportunities in their neighborhoods.

 

That should be enough to keep us all busy for a while! Don’t forget your church is a great resource for volunteer opportunities as well, and feel free to leave more volunteer opportunities in the comments!