Volunteers make a difference with United Community Ministries

Volunteers are truly the heart of UCM! Spring is the time of year to celebrate the dedication of awesome volunteers, of all ages, walks of life, and in all capacities of donating their time and talent. Last fiscal year, more than 1,931 volunteers dedicated close to 26,000 hours to making UCM's program happen to help neighbors in need. That you, volunteers, for being part of our programs and impact. Volunteers make it possible for UCM's clients to have someone to turn to in their times of trouble.

What makes UCM’s program so unique is the organization’s ability to provide volunteers with highly varied opportunities for service, for both skilled and unskilled volunteers. The organization works closely with each prospective volunteer to place them in the best possible volunteer position for their needs, skills, talents and desires. With over nine different service needs, volunteers have the opportunity to serve in a wide range of roles, including distributing goods from the food pantry, teaching English as a Second Language, and educating on financial literacy. In 2011 alone, volunteers gave over twenty thousand hours of their time to support UCM programs and services – the equivalent of ten full-time positions.

Elizabeth McNally, Acting Executive Director of UCM says, “Volunteers are at the heart of our mission to fight poverty, hunger and homelessness. In 1969, UCM started as a grassroots organization, with one paid staff member and many, many volunteers to meet the needs of the community. Today, we serve more than thirteen thousand people each year and that would not be possible without the dedication and commitment of our volunteers.”

Photos from this year's Volunteer Appreciation week celebrations can be found here. Thank you volunteers for making a difference!