Nat’l Salvation Army Week, Part II: Volunteers
National Salvation Army Week is May 9–15. To celebrate, The Salvation Army Northern Division will publish a special story every day of the event. Each story will highlight a topic or service that illustrates how The Salvation Army is Doing the Most Good® in Minnesota and North Dakota.
The Salvation Army adores its volunteers. About 68,000 of them gave their time in Minnesota and North Dakota last year. Without their help, there would be no Salvation Army Northern Division.
Think about that number for a moment – 68,000. That’s almost enough people to fill the new Vikings stadium.
Here’s another big number: 372,000. That’s how many hours the volunteers gave. That’s enough hours to last more than 42 years.
Indeed, Salvation Army volunteers accomplish mass amounts of good. Some serve meals to people experiencing homelessness. Others sort food donations, or help at our stores. Still others provide comfort to disaster survivors, or tutor children in our youth programs. The list goes on.
Some volunteers are young, some are old. Others, like Charlotte Flexhaug of Williston, N.D., are ageless. At 90 years old, Flexhaug (pictured) was recently named Volunteer of the Year for The Salvation Army Northern Division. The six-year, high-energy volunteer is vital to the Williston Salvation Army food shelf, ensuring that nothing goes to waste – including using leftovers to feed local chickens.
“Charlotte sees what needs to be done and she does it,” said Kristin Oxendahl, community engagement director at the Williston Salvation Army. “She is still feeling over-the-moon blessed by her nomination.”
Meet all five of this year’s Volunteer of the Year winners, including Jim Daly (Lifetime category) and Ashley Bracamontes (Youth category), both of whom also won Volunteer of the Year for The Salvation Army Central Territory, which includes 11 Midwestern states.
Volunteers are a main reason why The Salvation Army is one of the most efficient charities around, with about 82 cents of every dollar providing direct service to people in need.
“Volunteers save The Salvation Army oodles of money that we would otherwise spend on labor or professional services,” noted Jennie Connors, a longtime Salvation Army volunteer relations associate, adding that the estimated value of U.S. volunteers is about $23 per hour. “These savings amount to more hot meals, more nights of shelter, and other critical services for the people we serve.”
Those savings pile up when businesses and organizations send groups of their employees to volunteer. Last summer, for example, 27 employees from PricewaterhouseCoopers (pictured) saved the Minneapolis E. Lake St. Salvation Army an estimated $5,000–$7,000 when they spent a day painting, replanting a garden, and serving a community lunch.
Please celebrate National Salvation Army Week by becoming a Salvation Army volunteer today. Find opportunities in your area by perusing our list of volunteer activities in Minnesota and North Dakota.
Volunteers are especially needed weekdays in the Twin Cities to serve hot meals in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Be inspired
What motivates Salvation Army volunteers? Why do they help? What makes them tick? Discover the answers to these and other questions in the interesting volunteer stories below.
Don’t give in to excuses: A Duluth Salvation Army officer pens a beautiful blog about what happened to him the day he didn’t want to volunteer but did anyway.
Humble doctor is unashamed: Dr. Luther Philaya lost everything to addiction. He now volunteers to satisfy the community service requirements of his parole.
Party time: Volunteer Christa Christopherson (pictured wearing ribbon) held her bachelorette party at The Salvation Army Harbor Light Shelter in Minneapolis.
Seeing is believing: Chris Brekke is a donor and weekly volunteer who gets to see, with his own two eyes, precisely how The Salvation Army uses his money to impact lives.
Please join us during National Salvation Army Week by volunteering or making a donation to support your local community.