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I have heard those words countless times over the past twenty-five years during my time at ACO. Front desk volunteers, answering calls from residents in urgent need of food, housing, and other critical resources, often begin with, “I’m just a volunteer, but let me see if I can help.”
I hear it from Food Pantry volunteers, Cares Center volunteers, Resale volunteers, and those supporting special programs and projects—almost as if to soften the importance of what they do.
Let me be clear! You are not “just volunteers.”
You are lifelines. You are the heart of ACO. Your time, compassion, and willingness to serve touch countless lives every day—often in ways you may never fully see or hear about.
Each day, you show up ready to give and ready to care. You answer phones with patience and empathy. You stock shelves, organize donations, greet families with warmth, and work side by side with ACO staff. Because of you, lives are changed in meaningful and lasting ways.
While it may be easy to say, “I’m just a volunteer,” the truth is that your work is immeasurable, invaluable, and essential.
It takes a special kind of person to serve in our Resale operations. The volume of donations we receive each day is overwhelming, yet you show up ready to sort, inspect, clean, and prepare items for sale. Our Book Nook volunteers carefully sort through countless books, many of them serving faithfully for years. Clothing—our largest seller—is sorted piece by piece, checked for quality, and prepared for the sales floor. Furniture is arranged, shelves are stocked, glassware is cleaned, and donations are received and processed continuously.
Volunteering at ACO Resale is a massive, ongoing effort—and one that generates thousands of dollars each year to support ACO programs and help prevent homelessness. What may feel like routine tasks—sorting clothes or testing lamps—are, in truth, acts that change lives.
Our Food Pantry volunteers see the incredible amount of food that moves through our doors each week. They know firsthand that we could not serve the hundreds of families who rely on us without their dedication and time. From sorting and stocking to bagging groceries and assisting clients, your work ensures that children, parents, and grandparents have food on their tables. Every hour you give has a direct and lasting impact.
April is National Volunteer Recognition Month, a time when organizations across the country pause to honor those who give so generously their time. At ACO, we celebrate YOU, but it’s not the celebration that matters most. It’s the heart you bring day after day, week after week, month after month. We recognize YOU!
When I first joined ACO as the Volunteer Director, our staff was small, and volunteers were truly an extension of our team. I knew your names, your schedules, and often your families. You were not just helping—you were partners in building something meaningful. Today I may not know you all on a first name basis, but our directors and managers that you work with directly do, and you are still an extension of our team and a huge partner in our mission.
While ACO has grown and our volunteer community has expanded, please know this: every hour you give is seen, valued, and deeply appreciated. You are essential to every program, every initiative, and every success we achieve.
Today, many of you know Colleen Johnson, our Volunteer Services Director, who works tirelessly to connect your talents with the areas where you can make the greatest impact. Her dedication reflects the same spirit you bring to your service. And throughout the years, many of our staff members began as volunteers, including Colleen, and we all understand just how invaluable you are.
Your role extends far beyond tasks. You are the faces of hope, the voices of reassurance, and the hands that lift others when life feels overwhelming. Your impact is measured not only in meals served, calls answered, school supplies distributed, or holiday gifts shared—but in lives changed, families strengthened, and hope restored.
From the bottom of my heart, and on behalf of everyone at ACO whose lives you touch, thank you. Thank you for your generosity, dedication, and your unwavering commitment to helping others.
You are not “just volunteers." You are the difference between despair and hope, between uncertainty and stability, between need and opportunity. So, the next time you hear yourself say, “I’m just a volunteer,” stop and remember this: you are so much more. You are hope in action. You are heroes, quietly changing lives one act of kindness at a time. And for that, we are so very grateful.
One more thing—my heart is full of volunteer stories. Over the years, so many of you have touched lives, including my own. Some have moved on, and some are no longer with us, but their impact is forever woven into the fabric of ACO. And many of you continue to hold that fabric strong today.
While much of my time now is spent with data, reports, managing staff and operations, and planning for ACO’s future, I deeply miss the days of working alongside volunteers every day. Still, I see you—in the pantry and cares center, at the office and resale, at events, in passing—and I am reminded that you are here, holding us up, and holding hands together. You all are in my heart, and it’s with the deepest appreciation that I say a simple, “thank you” for all that you do. I know that your heart is with ACO too. ACO’s logo of hands and heart says it all.
If you are not currently volunteering with us, but are interested in our opportunities, PLEASE email to Colleen for more info at cjohnson@acocares.org or visit our website at ACOcares.org. We’d love to have you!
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