A Force for Good
“We strive to have a volunteer army that does the most good for those most in need,” says Geoffrey Swires, a Major with the Fall River Salvation Army, an organization that cares for as many as 800 families during the holidays, using 30 additional volunteers. “We work with people who offer their time, talents, and treasure. They make a huge impact in some people’s lives.”
The New Bedford Salvation Army serves 3,000 families during Christmas time and uses
up to 100 volunteers.
“Without volunteers we couldn’t serve the community the way we do,” says Michael Jung, a Major with the New Bedford Salvation Army. “Our volunteers come to us mostly from word of mouth. There are people who enjoy what they’re doing and they’ll tell their friends and recruit them to help as well. Most people are grateful to have an opportunity to serve others and knowing that they are giving back to the community. There’s a social element too – a lot of volunteers may not know each other and they become good friends. It’s a nice way to meet new people and make new friends.”
Johnny Garcia, 41, of New Bedford assists three days a week at the Salvation Army doing maintenance work and loading and unloading trucks with food and other donations.
“We make it fun,” Garcia says of the experience. “We want to make sure that everything is taken care of for the homeless and everybody else that comes in. At the end of the day you feel good about what you’ve done – it means a lot to people. The doors are open to anyone and we like providing a hand to help.”
Most to the duties that Salvation Armies require of volunteers are simple but significant.
The New Bedford chapter relies on volunteers to help fill out applications for Christmas food and gifts. They help prepare the building for their meals while serving the food and they assist in handing out food to local homes and delivering toys. They also rely on people who speak Spanish and Portuguese to translate.
The Fall River chapter uses volunteers to cook food, prepare it, serve it, and clean up afterwards. Licensed drivers are used for picking up food from the Greater Boston Food Bank. They also deliver food throughout the area.
The Salvation Army is a Christian-based organization that preaches the gospel of the New Testament, but they refrain from forcing their beliefs on their guests. People of all faiths are welcome to partake in their gifts and generosity.
“We believe that we do all of this for Christ,” Jung says. “We share the word of the Lord but we don’t discriminate regardless of anything – we serve all of mankind.”
And the Salvation Armies rely on volunteers for their renowned red kettle and bell ringing responsibilities at retail stores throughout the area. But their future may be in jeopardy due to a lack of volunteers.
“We need volunteers more than ever,” says Fall River’s Curtis Nelson, Chairman of the Salvation Army’s Advisory Board who has been affiliated with the organization for 15 years. “With minimum wage increasing, we’re spending a lot of money to have people who will run the kettles.”
Last year, the Fall River Salvation Army spent 40 percent of its kettle income on people who tended them. Families and friends are encouraged to be gratuitous with their time, if only one hour per person. The Rotary Club and the Masons donate some of their time but people of all stripes are welcome to host the kettles.
Bernie Smith, 77, of East Bridgewater works at the New Bedford Salvation Army as a member of the Advisory Board, focusing on finance. He was referred to the organization by a friend.
“I’d always admired what the Salvation Army does and this is a way to participate in that,” he says. “It’s good to see people benefit from the generosity of the Salvation Army. There’s a personal satisfaction that comes from it.”
For adults, volunteering may be a benevolent gesture, but for children it can be a lesson in civic contribution and an introduction to providing for their community. Many local organizations welcome the contributions of young people.
“For people who work at the kettles, bringing your children with you can be a great lesson for them,” Nelson says. “They have fun ringing the bell while they learn about how to think civically and it exposes them to giving.”
Big Impacts
Another local organization that sees an increase in the number of volunteers during the holidays is My Brothers Keeper, with bases in Dartmouth and Easton.
The Dartmouth branch of My Brothers Keeper has been in business for seven years, collecting and distributing donated items such as furniture and gifts for the holidays, helping people of all ages. They receive many of their donations from local businesses, schools, and churches. They amass more than 4,000 volunteers each year, including the efforts of local high school and college students who often help with wrapping toys and compiling food and clothing for children, as well as accompanying a driver who delivers them along with furniture to the homes of those in need.
Joanne Maxwell-Barbarito of Westport has volunteered at the Dartmouth location since it opened.
“This is a most accepting community,” she says. “The volunteers are very accepting of the people they’re serving. We serve people with no questions asked – it’s a wonderful feeling for them that no one is judging them.”
At the Acushnet-based Gifts To Give, 1,000 out of the 1,500 volunteers who assist every month are children, mostly from regional schools. They assist in handling the more than 20,000 pounds of goods that are dropped off at the center each week. The organization is run entirely by volunteers. They primarily process and organize the goods, which are mostly clothes and shoes, books and toys, as well as items such as soccer balls, basketballs, and footballs.
Their 60,000-square-foot establishment is referred to as “The Philanthropy Factory.”
Another local organization relying on volunteers is Fall River’s Hearts of Hope. This group requires volunteers to put together lunches and help deliver them to the homeless as well as organizing, sorting, and boxing donations of clothing. They are also needed to help decorate, set up, and serve meals as well as cleaning afterwards.
And there are people who also help children in need, particularly Horizons for Homeless Children, an organization which works in 20 shelter locations in Southeastern Massachusetts.
Horizons largely focuses on their “Playspace Program” geared towards children living in regional shelters providing them with the opportunity for play that supports their healthy development. They establish developmentally-appropriate and trauma-informed “kid friendly” sites for critical learning and growth, providing books, toys, games, and arts and crafts.
People who work for Horizons are known as “Playspace Activity Leaders (PALs). They work at least two hours a week at the same time and same location, typically Monday through Thursday, day or evenings for six months or more. PALs must be at least 16 years old, while anyone under 18 must have an adult guardian who attends both the required training and volunteering. Training is a one-time, three-hour session and people can apply online.
Age Appropriate
There are often many opportunities for assisting the elderly in South Coast including local Councils On Aging and the New Bedford-based Coastline Elderly Services.
The Dartmouth COA uses volunteers for events such as classes in exercise, computers, and sowing as well as facilitating educational programs. They need people to man the Thrift Store and answer telephones, helping to prepare for events and working as receptionists. The organization also features a program known as “The Discovery Center,” where volunteers are interviewed and matched with local non-profit organizations.
According to Nancy Miller, Program Director of the Dartmouth facility, the volunteers for “The Discovery Center” are “retirees looking at the next chapter of their lives and want to share their knowledge and experience.”
The three New Bedford COA’s need assistance with their Adult Day Programs running bingo games, playing games with the clients as well as arts and crafts. They also use volunteers as tour guides when they take day trips to locations such as Lake Winnipesaukee and Foxwoods. Every four or five months the organizations will go on extended trips to places such as Washington D.C. and Amish Country.
Coastline Elderly Services offers four major volunteer programs, among them The Foster Grandparent Program, A Money Management Program, A Nursing Home Ombudsman Program, and their Caregiver Companion and Support Services Program. The Nursing program helps advocate for seniors who are in nursing homes while the Caregiver program has people assisting those with dementia and other memory loss issues.
Coastline also provides volunteer opportunities in their Nutrition Program, popularly known as “Meals On Wheels” where people can help serve meals to seniors at congregate sites throughout New Bedford and delivering them to local recipients.
But for those who are unable to contribute during the holidays, most organizations use volunteers throughout the year. The United Ways of Greater Fall River, Greater New Bedford, and Plymouth County offer a website providing volunteer opportunities at volunteersouthcoast.org.
The Greater Fall River United Way is a contributor to the national campaign known as “Warm Coats, Warm Hearts.” Gently-used coats are collected at Burlington Coat Factory located at 181 Mariano Boulevard in Fall River. Clothing donations can also take place at the United Way at 30 Bedford Street in Fall River – including hats, mittens, gloves, scarves, socks, and hand warmers. Volunteers assist with the sorting of the goods as well as their delivery to locations such as Hearts of Hope, Family Services Association, Fall River Emergency Shelter, Stepping Stone, and others. The program started on November 10 and will run until the end of January.
Another organization affiliated with the Greater Fall River United Way is SER-Jobs for Progress.
An affiliate of the national program SER-Jobs for Progress located in Dallas, the Fall River chapter is devoted to helping the minority community and the disadvantaged in the area by offering employment services, upgrading of job skills, and increasing business and economic opportunities. SER-Jobs for Progress conducts the national program, Handshake, where local students can get credited or non-credited internships where they assist in things such as office management and assisting staff.
Meghan Rogers is the Communications Coordinator at the Greater Fall River United Way.
“Volunteers play a vital role in their community,” she says. “Regardless of their contribution, they’re giving of their time and talents to make their community a better and stronger place.”
