Central Oregonians are Lining Up to Volunteer

By Erin Golden, The Bulletin

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Since January, Debbie Woodford has spent two days a week at the La Pine Community Kitchen doing something she loves: creating menus and preparing meals for large groups of people.

In the past, she’s done similar work as the owner of a restaurant and as a cook in a college dormitory, but those positions came with a paycheck. Now, six months after she moved to La Pine from Idaho and started looking for a job, Woodford, 55, still hasn’t had any luck, so she’s cooking for free at the Community Kitchen, which provides free meals to more than 300 people each week.

“It’s not so much about the money — it’s about filling my time,” she said.

And with local unemployment rates settled well into the double digits, Woodford isn’t alone. From soup kitchens to after-school programs, leaders of organizations around Central Oregon say they’re seeing a big increase in the number of people interested in volunteering their time — including many who say they’re out of work and need something that will keep them busy and allow them to network and develop new skills.

Christina Riggs, the La Pine Community Kitchen’s executive director, said she started getting more calls from people like Woodford a few months ago. Back then, the organization had about 30 regular volunteers, and now that number is closer to 50.

“We’ve been getting mostly people that have been laid off, and they need something to do while they look for work,” she said.

Around the area, other groups have seen a similar trend.

Taffy Gleason, the executive director of Bend’s Community Center, said she used to get one or two calls a week at most from people interested in volunteering. These days, she hears from about a dozen people each week who want to pitch in. Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Oregon President Lisa Burbidge said her group now gets about 10 calls per week about volunteering, up from about two per week in the past.

And in Prineville, St. Vincent de Paul Society Executive Director Joe Edmonds said about five people contact his organization every week, looking to help out at one of the group’s thrift stores or in the donation center and food bank. That’s a big change from a year ago, when he said interest from new volunteers was “pretty much nonexistent.” “We are seeing walk-ins coming in on a regular basis because of the economy, saying they’re not working and they would like to volunteer,” Edmonds said. “They’re using it for résumé building and networking and to expand their skills.”

In some cases, new volunteers have offered their assistance with repair and maintenance projects that might have otherwise been out of an organization’s price range. At Bend’s Community Center, Gleason said companies facing smaller workloads because of the economy have sent over teams of employees to volunteer, rather than just writing a check.

“People are saying, ‘I can’t afford to donate cash at this point in time, but can I do something else for you, is there anything else you need? I do carpentry, whatever it is.’ … They’re putting their skills and their wisdom to use.”

Volunteers at the Boys & Girls Clubs have helped with painting and cleaning, repaired doors and electrical outlets, put up Sheetrock and even built a counter in the game room at one club facility. Burbidge said the help has made a big difference.

“We literally went through, room by room, in every club, and put a giant to-do list together and have been checking things off the list,” she said. “It has improved safety in the clubs, made them brighter and more kid-friendly. The kids can tell, and they love it.”

Leaders of many local organizations said they’re now hearing from interested volunteers with advanced degrees and often decades of experience in the work force. For some volunteers, working for free provides a chance to connect with potential employers while they wait for a paying position to open up.

Sandy Sawyer, 38, moved to Bend this winter from Las Vegas and hoped to land a job as a therapeutic recreation specialist. But even though she has a degree in recreation and years of experience — including a stint as a camp program director — Sawyer hasn’t been able to find work, so she’s volunteering with the Bend Park & Recreation District.

On Wednesdays, Sawyer works with elementary school students in a jewelry-making class, and on Saturdays, she helps with the district’s special recreation division, supervising group activities for adults with disabilities. Sawyer said she enjoys the work and hopes it might lead to something more permanent.

“I want to keep myself busy, keep networking and just kind of keep my foot in the door for when a position does open so people know I’m there and available,” she said. “My end goal is to eventually get a position.”

Others, like Liz Coleman, 48, of Bend, say they’re hoping to find a job in another field but want to help out while they have some free time. Coleman, who has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in math-related fields, worked for several years teaching and tutoring students at Central Oregon Community College before taking a similar job in Corvallis. Now back in Bend, Coleman said she’d like to return to teaching math but decided it could be a good time to share one of her other passions: the outdoors. She’s currently finishing required training and preparation to volunteer with some of the park district’s outdoor programs and help out in the Juniper Swim & Fitness Center’s weight room.

“It’s just nice to get out and meet people, that whole stuck home thing — you can only talk to your cats and dogs for so long before you go stir crazy,” she joked.

Though many new volunteers have called local organizations looking to fill the time as they search for jobs, some have also said they want to pitch in for other reasons.

Kathleen Joy, the executive director of the state’s Commission for Voluntary Action & Service, said the latest numbers on statewide volunteerism haven’t yet been released.

But she said she has been hearing from groups across the state that more people are helping out — including some who say they were inspired by President Barack Obama’s repeated mentions of the importance of getting involved in community service.

“I think it’s the Obama factor,” Joy said. “I think people have been reinvigorated, and I think the president’s constant call to service is having an impact on people.”

Others said they think people have become more open to helping out because of both political and economic changes taking place across the country.

Cheryl Howard, the chairwoman of the Orchard District Neighborhood Association, said about 250 people have signed up to join her group in the last few months, including many who say they want to know what they can do to help their neighbors.

She said that’s a change from the past, when many people wanted to be association members but weren’t interested in volunteering.

“I think that the era of consumerism and the ‘me’ mentality is really over,” she said. “People are realizing the important thing in a community is for us all to get together. … I think people are refocusing their priorities, and I think they’re better priorities.”

Gleason said many volunteers want to help because they’ve realized how easy it can be to fall on tough times.

“What I hear more than anything is, ‘I’m still in a good position, I still have a job, my friends, my family and my neighbors are having a tough time, and I want to help other people on some level,’” she said. “I think we’re seeing a lot of empathy, a lot of compassion, a lot of latent caring just coming up because people are saying, ‘Gosh, times are tough for a lot of people, and I could be next.’”