Odessa American- Volunteers needed for the holidays

BY LYXAN TOLEDANES
Store shelves are already stocked full of gifts to be exchanged during the holiday season, but local organizations are hoping for some things that can’t be bought.

Quintessentially known as the “season of giving,” the Thanksgiving and Christmas season warrants the need for more volunteers at nonprofit organizations.

“We depend so much on volunteers, because we have such a small staff,” Catholic Charities Executive Director Faye Rodriquez said.

At Catholic Charities, help is needed most in Christmas gift donations, packing those gifts and sorting them for families attending the Blue Santa gift-giving event, organized with the Odessa Firefighters Association.

However, Rodriguez said that the amount of help during the holiday season doesn’t differ much from the rest of the year at Catholic Charities. Rodriguez said the booming economy produces an adverse effect for volunteering.

“Believe it or not, whenever we’re having a boom, it’s harder to get volunteers because everyone is busy, especially male volunteers. Their work schedules just don’t permit them to volunteer,” Rodriguez said. “There are so many people that would like to volunteer, but they need to be paid, so they look for jobs instead.”

Even though long-term volunteers may be hard to come by, Rodriguez said she is expecting more help for Blue Santa.

“Last year, we had lots of young people. They really enjoyed it, which was so nice,” she said. “I got the impression when we talked to them, they felt good about it, and we would have more people participate in the handout this year.”

Catholic Charities isn’t alone in needing volunteers.

As the holidays loom closer, the West Texas Food Bank and its partner agencies are also in need of help, Odessa Links Executive Director Andrea Quiroz said.

“The food bank needs help with getting donations of cans of food. Every one of those agencies that are food distributors will need volunteers until the end of the holidays,” Quiroz said.

And one of the major food events that need an army of volunteers to feed an army of people is H-E-B’s ninth annual Feast of Sharing community-wide free holiday meal on Dec. 2 at the Ector County Coliseum.

Quiroz said during the four-hour event, volunteers have served more than 1,500 plates of food and have manned activity booths for the approximately 3,000 people in the children’s area. In total, around 400 volunteers are needed to help the event run smoothly.

“Volunteers put this all together. It’s awesome. It’s a community coming together and making a difference,” Quiroz said. “There’s a lot of work that comes together. It’s heartwarming to see we’ve made a difference for those four hours.”

While 400 volunteers might seem like a lot of people, Lt. Stephen Correira said there’s no such thing as too many volunteers.

Correira, Corps officer of the Salvation Army, said more than 100 people volunteer at the Salvation Army every Christmas season. And when an influx of volunteers shows up to help for Thanksgiving or Christmas meals, no volunteer is turned away.

“If someone comes to volunteer, there is always something to be done,” Correira said.

For Thanksgiving or Christmas meals, volunteers help serve food and also help pack food boxes for delivery. Throughout the holiday season, volunteers also assist with the Angel Tree Project and present distribution and ring bells at store fronts.

One duty might not seem like work at all, but it’s one Correira said is just as essential. Correira said having a conversation with someone is one of the simplest yet one of the most effective ways of helping someone in need.

“You may be the only person they talk to,” Correira said. “Volunteerism isn’t a complicated thing. Volunteerism is about relationships, having one-on-one contact with those you are serving.”

@OAcitylife