Eau Claire (WQOW)- The giving spirit can be seen walking through the door at some non-profits in the Chippewa Valley.
"Right now there's not a problem getting volunteers," says Community Table Director Rachel Keniston.
Feed My People Food Bank in Eau Claire says volunteers are coming in now more than ever before. Numbers are up about 13 percent this year and increased 24 percent last year. But it gets especially busy during the holidays.
"This is definitely our busiest time of year in terms of volunteers," explains Feed My People Volunteer Coordinator Ashley McCarthy. "A lot of people are in that giving back kind of spirit and want to get involved."
Community Table in Eau Claire has seen a similar trend. But volunteering starts to slow down after the holidays and especially during the summer.
"July and August would be the two lowest. A lot of people are on vacation," McCarthy reveals.
"That's understandable. It's Wisconsin," Keniston smiles. "We want to go celebrate those last few days of being able to be outside and enjoy the good weather."
Both organizations may be booked through January. But that doesn't mean the need goes away when the weather warms up.
"We need to remember this time of year especially the need is here all year long and when July comes, when it's nice to be outside, there's still people in our community that need at that time so we hope people will think Christmas in the summer," explains Keniston.
Community Table and Feed My People are still looking for volunteers to fill out their schedules in 2013. If you would like to volunteer with Community Table, you can call (715) 835-4977. To volunteer with Feed My People, call (715) 835-9415.
