Helping out at The Salvation Army Christmas Warehouse

Feeding families after hurricane Ike

Building a park for our children to enjoy

By definition it is the act of performing or offering to perform a service of one’s own free will without expecting anything in return, but to The Salvation Army volunteerism makes the difference between a program’s success or demise.

Each year through the support of countless individual and corporate volunteers, the nonprofit organization serves nearly 100,00 individuals throughout the Greater Houston region. On any given day they can be found serving meals to seniors and the homeless, playing basketball or football with at-risk youth, painting or rebuilding one of the local Salvation Army facilities, spreading good cheer at a red kettle donation site during the Christmas season, or even sorting and packaging gifts at the Secret Santa Warehouse.

In times of natural disaster volunteers arrive by the thousands, ready and willing to lend a hand to help their neighbors. They cook and deliver meals, and when the day is over they stay to help clean and prepare for the next day.

Pasadena Corps held one of its largest Volunteer Appreciation Banquets to date last month.   

“This is our way of showing how much gratitude we have towards our volunteers. They are really an essential part of what we do, and we want them to know how much we value their hard work and support,” says Captain Edward Alonzo, who heads up the Pasadena Corps Community Center where the appreciation banquet was held. “In planning this event, the volunteers were really the focus of our efforts.”

And while not every volunteer was able to attend the appreciation banquet - the banquet was organized in Pasadena for volunteers who have served in East Harris County - the over 250 individuals who did take part in the event were representative of the overall volunteer population of The Salvation Army. Red kettle bell ringers sat next to disaster relief canteen cooks and drivers.  Senior group and Boys & Girls Clubs volunteers swapped stories about their experiences, and corporate sponsors shared their drive to give back to this community.

Cynthia Grove, volunteer coordinator for The Salvation Army, says she has seen a significant increase in the number of individuals and organizations who are contacting her in search of volunteer opportunities with the nonprofit.

"As our nation struggles to navigate through tough economic times, it is amazing to witness how committed our community is to lending a hand to one another," she notes.  "It is very inspiring."

That inspiration is also what drives many of the members of The Salvation Army’s Advisory Board and Councils throughout the local region. These groups of individuals are also made up of volunteers who give of their time and talents for the benefit of the organization.

Most come from an executive management background.

“Having a strong advisory board has been the secret to our success. Obviously, the more qualified and effective our leadership is the more we can do,” concludes Major Marshall Gesner, area commander for The Salvation Army Greater Houston Area Command.

To learn more about current volunteer opportunities and to sign up to be a volunteer Click Here.