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Helping out at The Salvation Army
Christmas Warehouse
Feeding families after
hurricane Ike
Building a park for our
children to enjoy
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By definition it is the act
of performing or offering to perform a service of one’s own free
will without expecting anything in return, but to The Salvation
Army volunteerism makes the
difference between a program’s success or demise.
Each year through the support
of countless individual and corporate volunteers, the nonprofit
organization serves nearly 100,00 individuals
throughout the Greater Houston region. On any given day they can be found
serving meals to seniors and the homeless, playing basketball or
football with at-risk youth, painting or rebuilding one of the
local Salvation Army facilities, spreading good cheer at a red
kettle donation site during the Christmas season, or even
sorting and packaging gifts at the Secret Santa Warehouse.
In times of natural disaster
volunteers arrive by the thousands, ready and willing to lend a hand to
help their neighbors. They cook and deliver meals, and when the day is over they stay to help clean and
prepare for the next day.
Pasadena Corps held one of
its largest Volunteer Appreciation Banquets to date last month.
“This is our way of showing
how much gratitude we have towards our volunteers. They are
really an essential part of what we do, and we want them to know
how much we value their hard work and support,” says Captain
Edward Alonzo, who heads up the Pasadena Corps Community Center
where the appreciation banquet was held. “In planning this
event, the volunteers were really the focus of our efforts.”
And while not every volunteer was able to attend the
appreciation banquet - the banquet was organized in Pasadena for
volunteers who have served in East Harris County - the over 250 individuals who did take part
in the event were representative of the overall volunteer
population of The Salvation Army. Red kettle bell ringers sat
next to disaster relief canteen cooks and drivers. Senior group
and Boys & Girls Clubs volunteers swapped stories about their
experiences, and corporate sponsors shared their drive to give
back to this community.
Cynthia Grove, volunteer coordinator for The Salvation Army,
says she has seen a significant increase in the number of
individuals and organizations who are contacting her in search
of volunteer opportunities with the nonprofit.
"As our nation struggles to navigate through tough economic
times, it is amazing to witness how committed our community is
to lending a hand to one another," she notes. "It is very
inspiring."
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