There are many benefits to giving back, a sense of purpose and doing good for your community among them. For one group of regular Gleaners volunteers, consistent shifts led to a fun additional perk: the formation of a new pickleball league!
For nearly two and a half years, Gleaners volunteers Chuck Bilyeu, Dennis Tilford, Tod Kogan and many more have been meeting up for weekly pickleball games. The group became connected through regular volunteer shifts at Gleaners. They give back during volunteer shifts every Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoon.
When the shifts are done, they find a pickleball court wherever they can.
“We talk pickleball all the time. But we’ll play at different places, like the Batcher Community Center or Broadway Community Center,” Chuck Bilyeu said.
It’s not just the pickleball bonds forged over volunteer shifts at Gleaners benefiting their health. The actual act of volunteering in and of itself is a healthy habit! A study from Carnegie Mellon conducted in 1970 found that adults over age 50 who volunteered on a regular basis were less likely to develop high blood pressure than non-volunteers. A follow up study conducted in 2013 by Carnegie Mellon similarly found that 200 annual volunteer hours reduces your risk factor for high blood pressure and hypertension by 40%.
Regularly scheduled volunteers make up a crucial piece of our daily operations. While regular volunteers make up just 1.5% of our total volunteer base, they filled 21% of our volunteer spaces last year! Whether it’s building orders for Gleaners 2 Go, giving back at The Caring Place mobile pantry or helping at our on-site distribution, volunteering with Gleaners means taking a direct action towards helping people who are facing hunger in our community.
“Our regular volunteers here at Gleaners truly are the face of Gleaners. Volunteers are working on the front lines, greeting and serving our neighbors and being that constant, welcoming presence. They are our biggest supporters and ambassadors out in the community,” said Christina Basey, who is the Director of Volunteer Programs at Gleaners.
Regular volunteers’ presence at Gleaners is especially crucial in the month of January, when volunteer numbers at Gleaners dwindle, despite neighbors continuing to experience high levels of need. Over the last three years, Gleaners has experienced an average 35% decrease in volunteer sign-ups between the holiday months of November and December, and January.
“There’s not many people here in January. So, it does feel good to be meeting that need. That’s why I keep coming back,” Dennis Tilford said.
If you want to be like the pickleballers and implement a healthy habit by becoming a regular Gleaners volunteer, sign up here!
