The Salvation Army is an international organization that focuses its core values on faith and service by giving back to those in need. The Grand Forks Salvation Army serves the greater Grand Forks and East Grand Forks communities and helps facilitate and organize various food drives, coat drives, and other forms of charitable service for the benefit of others.
Part of what makes this charitable work possible is the selfless work and hours put in by volunteers that reside within the Grand Forks community. These volunteers are from all different ages and backgrounds, ranging from college students seeking an outlet to give back to full-time staff members who have helped contribute for years.
I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Salvation Army last week and wanted to share the experiences of mine and fellow volunteers while serving our community. The entire process of signing up and volunteering proved to be incredibly easy and started with visiting the Salvation Army’s web page that is specific to the Grand Forks region in North Dakota and following the prompts to sign up for a date and time to volunteer. I slated myself to work on a Wednesday afternoon between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., working it into my schedule and volunteering alongside my friends while doing community service work through the Salvation Army. We reported at our scheduled volunteer shift at 2 p.m. and were grouped into teams and put to work, ranging from helping organize boxes filled with donated clothes, food, and assisting wherever else help was needed.
The experience proved to be incredibly rewarding as it was evident that the work that we were taking part in really made a difference, with the entirety of the complex bursting with energy as other volunteers worked together to help tackle the numerous differing tasks that had to get done. I had the opportunity to ask Callum Dickel, one of the volunteers who served alongside me, to reflect on his experience serving in the Salvation Army. Dickel stated that “volunteering was an incredibly fun and rewarding experience that allowed me to get involved with the community while getting to spend time with others that I would not typically get to spend a lot of time with,” He also mentioned that the work he got to take part in “truly made a difference, as the staff at Salvation Army expressed their gratitude and were thankful for the help that me and my group offered,” highlighting the importance that volunteers play in helping keep non-profit organizations such as the Salvation Army afloat through their willingness to serve.
Whether you are seeking to get more involved within the Grand Forks community or need to build community service hours for your resume, I strongly encourage you to embrace the challenge and volunteer at the Grand Forks Salvation Army this year. To sign up, you can visit their website https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/.
Daniel Silva is a Dakota Student General Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected].
