United Way of Southwest Georgia volunteers serve local nonprofits on 2024 Day of Action

ALBANY – About 65 community volunteers, clad in “live united” shirts, spent three hours volunteering Friday morning at local nonprofits as part of the the United Way’s 2024 Day of Action.

They packaged food for donation boxes, mopped floors, organized clothing and did yard work at four different locations across Albany: the Feeding the Valley warehouse, the Lily Pad Sane Center, the Salvation Army and SOWEGA Council on Aging. Volunteers either pre-registered or showed up with their supporting employers, including Procter & Gamble, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, MolsonCoors, and more.

Day of Action is one of United Way World Wide’s annual volunteer service days. Thousands of volunteers across the globe went into their communities Friday and put in work, tackling projects.

Shaunae Motley, the president and CEO of the United Way of Southwest Georgia, told volunteers Friday that their willingness to sign up to help says a lot about who they are.

“None of you all signed up today with the expectation of being recognized or appreciated, but you came anyway,” she said.

Motley said volunteers are the backbone of nonprofit organizations.

“We struggle with capacity, we struggle to meet payroll because of the giving back, but because you gave up your time and talent, we are able to meet the needs of the community,” she said.

After a light breakfast at the United Way of Southwest Georgia’s offices, volunteers separated into four groups and dispersed throughout the community at 9:30 a.m.

Volunteers from Phoebe headed to the Feeding the Valley warehouse on Ledo Road.

Feeding the Valley Food Bank is one of eight regional food banks in Georgia. Jay Cannon, the Albany site manager, said the organization really relies on volunteers, clocking in about 37,000 volunteer hours across its Albany, Columbus and LaGrange locations.

On Friday, volunteers packed up six pallets of 460 food boxes. That adds up to 9,200 pounds of food and 1,840 meals for the community.

He said volunteers help free up time for employees to address other needs and that they allow the organization to work with a minimum number of employees.

“The more volunteers you have, the more food you’ll be able to get out to the community,” Cannon said.

The Phoebe volunteers toured the warehouse and gained a better understanding of what Feeding the Valley does for the community. That morning, they were packaging boxes for Feeding the Valley’s mobile pantries that are held in multiple counties throughout southwest Georgia.

They worked together like a well-oiled machine, unwrapping packages of canned goods, nuts and apple sauce cups, packing them in boxes and sending them through a machine that taped them up.

They listened to music hits from the 1970s, '80s and '90s as they worked.

Raven Ross, a 27-year-old senior onsite specialist at Phoebe, said this was her first time volunteering in the community, but she’s trying to get out and find other avenues to help.

Friday is a regular work day for Ross, but she said she took the day to join her co-workers in volunteering. She said she felt energized as she boxed food.

“It creates a positive mindset, knowing that you’re helping families,” Ross said.

Her hometown is Tifton, but she said she’s been in Albany about 10 years. She said Friday’s volunteer work made her excited to help more in the future.

Cannon said he was happy to not only bring volunteers in, but to make them aware of the need Feeding the Valley meets. He said food insecurity within Dougherty and surrounding counties “reared its ugly head” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is my goal that people who come here and volunteer understand that this is a real problem,” he said. “We can’t keep boxes on the shelf, which tells me we can pack even more, and they’ll still go out the door.”

Cannon said people can sign up to volunteer with the Food Bank at feedingthevalley.org. He said the agency always welcomes more help.

At the Lily Pad Sane Center, a group of volunteers mopped floors, wiped down surfaces and cleaned bathrooms. They were armed with rubber gloves, sponges, mops and spray bottles as they tackled each room.

“We’re doing a bit of everything,” Judy Russell, the United Way of Southwest Georgia's 2-1-1 community navigator, said.

Russell used to work at the Salvation Army and has been participating in the Day of Action for more than a decade.

“I hope it continues,” she said. “The response from the community is wonderful, and it’s wonderful to do something for someone else.”

The Lily Pad provides 24-hour services in southwest Georgia for victims of sexual assault, child abuse, neglect and deprivation, as well as children in foster care. They serve the immediate needs of clients from crisis intervention to forensic medical evaluation and evidence collection.

Mary Martinez Fabrizio, the Lily Pad’s executive director, said the volunteers today were providing “sweat equity.”

“We see a lot of children, and we’ve got toys, a playroom, and those things need to be kept up and cleaned; so, it’s fresh and clean for everyone to come in and each child gets that experience,” she said.

Fabrizio said the Lily Pad is fueled by its volunteers in addition to its full-time staff of nine.

“They’re doing things that help our staff and give us a bit of a break,” she said.

The 2024 Day of Action also marked the launching of Volunteer Southwest Georgia, a go-to online site for volunteer opportunities. Community members who are interested in volunteering, as well as nonprofits in need of help, can visit www.volunteersouthwestgeorgia to find opportunities.