WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — While many will gather around Thanksgiving tables this week, volunteers at Sacred Heart Christian Service Center are making sure others in the community won't go hungry.
The center serves between 25 to 60 clients three days a week, with numbers rising during the holiday season. This year, they distributed 50 complete turkey dinners to families with children under 15.
"You should see the faces that come in crying. They've never asked for help in their life. And now they feel like, 'Man, I have nothing in the refrigerator, nothing in my cupboards,'" said Tim Higgins, who has volunteered at the center for five years.
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps shows volunteering rates have rebounded since the COVID-19 pandemic. Around 28% - or 75.8 million people - volunteered with nonprofits between September 2022 and September 2023.
However, Georgia lags behind, with only 19.9% of residents volunteering, ranking 41st among states.
Despite lower state numbers, local volunteers remain committed. Michael Oliveras, a retired firefighter from Robins Air Force Base, says he volunteers weekly at the center.
"After I retired, I kind of missed that community. And I thought what better way to give back to the community and keep that service spirit going than to volunteer here," he said. "It's local, and there is a need."
The center provides more than just food assistance. Volunteers also help with clothing needs and special occasions, like providing birthday cakes for children's celebrations.
"We have people come in with nothing. They don't even have shoes or socks in the wintertime," Higgins said. "It's freezing, so it feels good that you can at least clothe them or put food in their belly."
The economic impact of volunteering in Georgia remains significant. Using the national average value of volunteer time - $31.80 per hour in 2023 - the state's 1.5 million volunteers contribute approximately $2.4 billion in economic value annually.
"We treat everyone that comes here with the utmost respect and service," Oliveras said. "We want the people to feel good about getting their needs filled, even if we can just help a little bit."
The volunteers emphasize that anyone could find themselves needing assistance.
"Any one of us could be in a gutter at one time in our life - a job loss, a death, drug addiction," Higgins said. "We see it all here, and it could happen to us."
Sacred Heart Christian Service Center continues accepting donations of food, time, and resources. The center has expanded its services to include Saturdays, opening on the third Saturday of each month to reach more community members in need.
"I just feel privileged to be able to work alongside my friends and parishioners here at the service center and to give our best foot forward," Oliveras said. "And to give to our community here locally in Warner Robins."