April is National Volunteer Month
April is National Volunteer Month! We’d like to take this opportunity to celebrate and show appreciation for our dedicated volunteers, and to highlight the importance of an ongoing commitment to volunteering. We are only able to address food insecurity in Chester County because of the immense support that we receive from both volunteers and donors alike. Without committed volunteers who return month after month, year after year…there simply would not be a Chester County Food Bank!
Volunteer Month is a great time to get involved. The temperatures are rising and Spring is here so we’ll be adding more volunteer opportunities each month. Be sure to check our calendar regularly for new openings
In honor of National Volunteer Month, here are some interesting tidbits about volunteering:
The Value of Your Time
Did you know that there’s a dollar amount equivalent to volunteer service? The estimated value of volunteer service in Pennsylvania is $24.35/hour. That amounts to $430,508 of estimated value volunteer hours for the Chester County Food Bank in 2018!
By the Numbers
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most recent data (2015), here are some quick facts about volunteering nationwide:
- 2 million people volunteered at least once between September 2014-2015, which equals a national volunteer rate of just under 25%. Impressive!
(2,484 of those volunteers were with the County Food Bank!) - The volunteer rate for women is about 27.8%, while the rate for men is 21.8%. Gotta catch up, gentlemen!
- Adults between the ages of 35-54 are most likely to volunteer, while young adults are the least likely to serve.
Reasons to Volunteer
If you haven’t volunteered with the Food Bank before, you may ask yourself ‘why should I?’. Here are some great reasons why you should give us a try. Volunteering with us can:
- Teach you new skills, or perfect skills that you already have
- Help to fill out your resume
- Allow you to network with people who have similar skills or interests
- Help you stay active and engaged
- Give you a break from screens and your “normal day-to-day”
- Provide a safe and comfortable environment where social skills can be improved
- Offer a new perspective and appreciation for people outside of your typical social circle
- Lead to new friends
- Learn about the Chester County Food Bank and our work in your community
Have more questions about volunteering? Email Lauren Van Dyk our volunteer coordinator or call 610-873-6000.
Favorite Quotes
We are always inspired by our volunteers. Here are a few famous quotes to inspire you to GET INVOLVED.
- “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.” – Muhammad Ali
- “Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.” ― H. Jackson Brown Jr.
- “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” – Oscar Wilde
- “If our hopes of building a better and safer world are to become more than wishful thinking, we will need the engagement of volunteers more than ever.” — Kofi Annan
- “It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference. ” – Tom Brokaw
- “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” – Dr. Seuss
- “Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Want to learn more? Sign up for our newsletter and stay connected. You can also donate food, funds and time to help us achieve our mission. Call 610-873-6000 to speak to someone about getting involved or requesting a tour. Thanks to you, we’re growing a healthier community.
The Chester County Food Bank is the central hunger relief organization serving more than 120 food cupboards, meal sites and social service organizations throughout Chester County. We mobilize our community to ensure access to real, healthy food.