BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — During the holidays, it seems like the opportunities to help our community are frequent with holiday planning, with lots of volunteers to supplement them. But what happens after the new year? As it turns out, the needs are still just as prevalent every day as they are at Christmastime.
Many people see the inside of the kitchen at The Mission at Kern County, whether they are helping to cook meals on Thanksgiving morning or when donating canned goods around Christmas. Despite the season of giving being over, though, The Mission's kitchen is in operation every day providing meals to people, and relying on its volunteers.
Volunteer Coordinator for The Mission at Kern County Jacqueline Carroll says there's no problem getting volunteers for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
"Oh, my gosh, we had a really good turnout for the holidays," said Carroll.
Savvannah Maldonado, advocacy public relations manager for the Community Action Partnership of Kern, agrees.
"It's the season of giving. People look for opportunities to get involved and they have extra time on their hands, so they just look for opportunities to do so," said Maldonado.
And the opportunities are plenty during the holidays, with enough volunteers to easily fill all the spots. But something happens after the fundraisers, dinners, and community gatherings slow down.
"You know, around the new year, people start to settle in and they just kind of take a break," said Carroll, adding that The Mission has had to increase volunteer opportunities to get more help, as the aid they received during the holidays has not stayed strong.
But some local high school students, including Abby Cook, senior at Bakersfield Christian High School, are stepping up to continue the support.
"We all want to be here. We all want to be doing something greater than ourselves, and that's what volunteering just is for us," said Cook.
That's probably what others are also thinking, as not every organization has felt the same drop in numbers The Mission did after the new year. In fact, some organizations have gotten even more help from the community after the holidays.
"So, ironically, we've seen an increase since the holidays. We saw about a 300 percent increase in volunteers, and that's been steady the last couple of months," said Maldonado.
According to Maldonado, the number of volunteer hours at the CAP-K Food Bank and HeadStart Program have doubled since December, and the M Street Navigation Center volunteer hours have tripled, all in the name of giving back.
"Volunteering is just a way to give back to our community and our home, and just try to make it better for people less fortunate than us," said Cook.
There are always opportunities to donate and volunteer. 23ABC, along with our community partners, hosts and sponsors food drives, toy drives, clothing drives and more throughout the year.
If you're looking for a way to give back, please consider donating to our Senior Food Drive this month.
