Mary Ann McMinn calls them "Eblen Miracles" - the strange yet delightful way the charities needs are almost always met.
Mary Ann McMinn first came to Eblen Charities in order to do some good in retirement in the fall of 2009. At the time there was only one other volunteer!
Today there are months that Eblen relies on more than 300 volunteers and she orchestrates them all: Volunteers for events, fundraisers, sorting, collecting, give-a-ways, and the reception desk.
“The growth has been phenomenal…more hands and feet to do a massive job” she says. As Eblen Charities has expanded so has and does the need for volunteers. Each week during the winter 40 volunteers help in the office. “Much of the outreach and many of the programs Eblen provides simply could not happen if it were not for our volunteers”, says Susan Riddle of Eblen Charities. The help they provide is priceless but if you had to put a value on it would be around 200 THOUSAND dollars! Last year volunteers worked 7804 hours with a standard value of $24.19.
“We are all working toward the goal of helping people who are struggling-hard, working people who for the most part just can’t make their dollars stretch or are experiencing a crisis or catastrophe.”
As a retired teacher, a mother of 2 and grandmother of 4, MaryAnn, along with her husband Ray have impacted countless lives in the Asheville area through their years of work and volunteering. “There is a place for everyone and every background - if you like administrative work…we have that. If you prefer to help at an event…we have that. If you can only help from home…we can do that too!”
If you would like to know more about the volunteer opportunities at Eblen please email Mary Ann at
[email protected]
