A Gift of Time: Many start giving of themselves in these tough times
By Melissa Poore
Courier-Journal
mpoore@courier-journal.com

After losing her job in February, Debbie Zoeller-Pullen decided she needed a purpose in life.

So even as she searched for work — she's now marketing manager for Rutledge Environmental — she threw herself into volunteering for agencies like the American Heart Association and the Children's Hospital Foundation.

“That helped me as much or more than I think it helped them,” said Zoeller-Pullen, who lives in St. Matthews.

Volunteering wasn't new to her, she said, but losing the job gave her more time to focus on it.

That's apparently been true across the Louisville area, where many nonprofit agencies report an increase in volunteers, in part because of the high unemployment rate.

“We've had a number of people who I know are unemployed who are volunteering in an area that might not help them find a career path but will keep them busy,” said Mary Sullivan of Metro United Way, which pairs volunteers with a range of local agencies.

And in a city hit hard by natural disasters recently, having people with time on their hands has helped, Sullivan said, noting that many unemployed people were key in helping with cleanup efforts after the Aug. 4 flooding in the area.

That emergency, along with the January ice storm, contributed to a sharp increase in volunteerism with Metro United Way. An estimated 2,500 people had volunteered with the agency as of October, compared to 1,800 during the same period a year earlier. A total of 2,896 people volunteered in all of the last fiscal year, which ends in April, said Kelly Thompson, director of the agency's volunteer engagement center.

“We're going to blow this number out of the water by the end of the year,” Thompson said.

According to the Corporation for National & Community Service, 29.5 percent of Louisville residents volunteer, ranking the city 15th among the country's 51 large cities. Nearly 15,000 other people worked to improve their neighborhoods last year but did not serve through an organization, the group reported.

Across the nation, it's unclear if volunteerism has increased.

An August report by the National Conference on Citizenship said economic distress has limited civic engagement in America.

Based on data collected in May, the annual America's Civic Health Index found that 72 percent of Americans reported cutting back on civic activities including volunteerism.

Nonprofit agencies in Louisville tell a different story.

Vibrant volunteerism

At Wayside Christian Mission, Chief Operating Officer Nina Mosely said she has seen more volunteers who say, “I can't help you financially, but I want to help.” For one month over the summer, TJC Engineering sent employees to the mission to help during a slow business time, she said.

“Volunteerism is extremely important to us, especially in these economic times,” she said, adding that their need has increased recently with the addition of a third campus. “We use volunteers in every area of the mission, from serving meals to working in the accounting office.”

Heather Singleton, special events coordinator for the Children's Hospital Foundation, said more than 1,000 volunteers helped this year with its annual three-day Festival of Trees and Lights, which raised more than $300,000 for Kosair Children's Hospital. Volunteers did everything from setting up trees to selling tickets and helping with children's activities.

“With the economy being down, it's a good way for those to still feel they're giving back to the community,” Singleton said.

At the Dare to Care Food Bank, volunteer director Pat Kenkel said she's seen a 50 percent increase in volunteers from four years ago, mostly from the corporate world.

“We have been very blessed,” she said.

In October, she saw a jump thanks to 906 employees from YUM Brands who sorted food in the warehouse, packing 84,000 pounds of rice and beans and sorting 20,000 pounds of canned and boxed food. Volunteers from UPS also participate in a Corporate Month of Caring.

“There has been a 30 percent increase in demand for food because of the economy, and we've been able to keep up with that,” Kenkel said.

This year, food donations from area schools are up 25 percent, executive director Brian Riendeau said. Students who are required to get service hours through Beta Clubs and other groups have always provided help, but the increase lately has been because of the recession, he added.

“It's some of the strongest support we've seen from youth in our community in a long, long time,” he said. “Students are aware of what's going on in the community. They see it on the news and are motivated to help.”

On average, more than 2,000 people volunteer with Dare to Care each year, many of whom return each week or each month.

“Once they see our operation, they readily sign up to come out and help us,” Kenkel said. “They see the volume of food and our efficient way of sorting it and getting it out into the community, they see the need….”

Reporter Melissa Poore can be reached at (502) 582-4117.