VOLUNTEERS IN SERVICE

COVID PRETTY MUCH BECAME A THING OF THE PAST IN 2023, BUT WE CONTINUED TO RECEIVE A LOT OF REQUESTS FOR PICKUPS FROM FOOD PANTRIES, RIDES TO THE GROCERY STORE, AND TRANSPORTATION TO MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS. THIS CONTINUED TO REDUCE OUR ABILITY TO PROCESS AS MANY OF THE RELATIONAL/ONGOING REQUESTS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO; REQUESTS SUCH AS A FRIENDLY VISITOR OR HELP WITH CLEANING. HOWEVER, OVERALL NUMBERS IN THE RELATIONAL/ONGOING REQUESTS ACTUALLY ROSE. OVERALL, VOLUNTEERS IN SERVICE CONNECTED 1,820 CHURCH AND SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS WHO PUT IN 10,088 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER SERVICE IN 2023. THIS IS AN INCREASE IN VOLUNTEERS BY 13% AND AN INCREASE IN VOLUNTEER HOURS BY 34% WHEN COMPARED TO 2022 PART OF THIS IS DUE TO THE INCREASE IN REQUESTS FOR FOOD ASSISTANCE AND PART IS DUE TO INCLUDING VOLUNTEERS WHO HAVE BEEN SERVING THE SAME VIS FRIEND (CLIENT) FOR SEVERAL YEARS. WE REALIZED THESE VOLUNTEERS HAVE NOT BEEN COUNTED IN THE PAST, AND THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN BECAUSE THEY SERVED DURING THE LAST YEAR. THE BREAKDOWNS OF THESE NUMBERS ARE AS FOLLOWS: BENEVOLENCE VOLUNTEERS: 246 VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTED 539 HOURS TO PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY BY HELPING WITH THINGS LIKE FOOD PANTRY PICK-UP, GROCERY SHOPPING FOR AN INDIVIDUAL, RUNNING ERRANDS FOR CLIENTS, AND OTHER SPECIAL SERVICES. 90% OF THESE SERVICES HELPED PROVIDE FOOD AND BABY ITEMS FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE UNABLE TO GET TO FOOD OR BABY PANTRIES. THESE NUMBERS REPRESENT A 126% INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS AND A 195% INCREASE IN VOLUNTEER HOURS. THIS IS PRIMARILY ATTRIBUTED TO THE INCREASE IN REQUESTS FOR FOOD ASSISTANCE. SERVICE PROJECT VOLUNTEERS: 1,062 CHURCH AND SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS PROVIDED 7,076 HOURS OF SERVICE COMPLETING SERVICE PROJECTS. 204 OF THESE VOLUNTEERS PUT IN 1,352 HOURS OF SERVICE PROVIDING SERVICES SMALLER IN SCOPE SUCH AS MOWING A LAWN, HELPING MOVE FURNITURE TO STORAGE, CLEANING AN APARTMENT AFTER A MOVE, OR PAINTING. OF THESE SERVICE PROJECT VOLUNTEERS, 858 PEOPLE FROM CHURCH AND SCHOOL GROUPS GAVE 5,724 HOURS WORKING ON LARGER SCALE PROJECTS SUCH AS LOCAL AGENCY CLEAN-UP, MORE EXTENSIVE YARD WORK, ALLEY CLEAN UP, LARGER PAINTING PROJECTS, AND SMALL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS SUCH AS BUILDING A RAISED GARDEN OR REPAIRING A DECK. THIS IS AN INCREASE IN VOLUNTEERS BY 20% AND AN INCREASE IN HOURS BY 23% IN 2023 WHILE SERVICE PROJECTS ARE TYPICALLY ONE OR TWO DAY PROJECTS, THE VOLUNTEERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SPEND TIME WITH AND BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH THOSE THEY ARE SERVING. IN THIS WAY, THEY ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE THROUGH THE WORK THEY DO, BUT ALSO THROUGH THE LIVES THEY TOUCH IN SHARING JOY, ENCOURAGEMENT, AND HOPE IN THE NAME OF CHRIST. SOCIAL VOLUNTEERS: THERE WERE 46 CHURCH VOLUNTEERS WHO PROVIDED 888 HOURS OF FRIENDLY VISITOR, MOTHER'S HELPER, PHONE VISITOR, AND SOCIAL OUTING SERVICES FOR THOSE STRUGGLING IN THE COMMUNITY. SOCIAL VOLUNTEERS ARE MORE RELATIONALLY CONNECTED AND OFFER ONGOING SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE AND ARE LONGER TERM CONNECTIONS. THEY TYPICALLY SERVE AN AVERAGE OF FOUR HOURS PER MONTH VISITING WITH LONELY, ISOLATED PEOPLE, BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS AND FRIENDSHIP. THOSE THEY SERVE USUALLY HAVE LITTLE TO NO SUPPORT IN THEIR LIFE AND OFTEN ARE NOT CONNECTED TO A CHURCH. THROUGH THEIR LOVE OF CHRIST, VOLUNTEERS BRING HOPE AND JOY INTO THE LIVES OF OTHERS. THE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS SERVING IN THIS CATEGORY IS 229% HIGHER THAN IN 2022 AND THE HOURS WERE 248% HIGHER. THERE ARE TWO REASONS FOR THE INCREASE. FIRST IS THAT PEOPLE WHO GO FOR A MEDICAL PROCEDURE OFTEN NEED A PATIENT SITTER TO STAY DURING THE PROCEDURE. IF THEY JUST NEED THE SITTER PORTION OF THE REQUEST, BUT DON'T NEED A RIDE THERE, VIS CATEGORIZES THAT AS A SOCIAL VOLUNTEER, NOT TRANSPORTATION. THE OTHER REASON IS VIS BEGAN A PHONE VISITOR/CARD FRIEND DURING COVID AND PEOPLE ARE STILL REQUESTING THIS SERVICE. TRANSPORTATION VOLUNTEERS: TRANSPORTATION HAS BECOME A VITAL SERVICE TO MANY PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY. 466 VOLUNTEERS PROVIDED 1,585 HOURS OF SERVICE BY TRANSPORTING COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO MEDICAL, MENTAL HEALTH, AND DENTAL APPOINTMENTS, AND TO THE GROCERY STORE, BANK, AND OTHER ERRANDS. THIS REPRESENTS A 83% INCREASE IN VOLUNTEERS OVER 2022 AND A 113% INCREASE IN VOLUNTEER HOURS. FOR MANY PEOPLE, VOLUNTEERS IN SERVICE PROVIDED ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE THAT THEY MIGHT OTHERWISE NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RECEIVE. VIS IS UNIQUE IN THAT WE ARE THE ONLY FREE SERVICE THAT PROVIDES RIDES TO MEDICAL PROCEDURES THAT REQUIRE THE VOLUNTEER TO STAY WITH THEM DURING THE PROCEDURE, SOMETIMES TAKING AS LONG AS 3-4 HOURS OF THEIR TIME.