Over the last five years alone, volunteers have given almost 250,000 hours here in support of people with urgent financial needs. It’s a gift that exceeds $1 million in value annually. During National Volunteer Week, and throughout the year, we are grateful for the many caring individuals and groups who perform one-quarter of the work here at Crisis Assistance Ministry!

“I believe we are all here to help each other.” – Nancy Sipe

The words of volunteer Nancy Sipe sum up the motivation behind the thousands of volunteers who give time and energy to help our community through Crisis Assistance Ministry.

Chuck Barger is a long time friend of Crisis Assistance Ministry and the families served here. When it came time to retire from his daily role at Common Market, he found a new way to use his retail skills, stocking Crisis Assistance Ministry’s Free Store with donated items for individuals and families who shop here free-of-charge.

Brendan Coffey is passionate about his community and about the practice of change management. An Enterprise Change Manager with Avid Xchange here in Charlotte, he first got to know Crisis Assistance Ministry as part of an assignment for his MBA program at Queens University of Charlotte.

A member of First Presbyterian Church and former employee of Bank of America, Ruth Ellen transitioned into the Benefits Access Counselor volunteer role almost two years ago. She is an extremely dedicated individual, supporting customers each week. Thus far, Ruth Ellen has worked over 125 hours, assessing customer needs and connecting each one with community resources for which they are eligible.

This team from Piedmont Natural Gas is among thousands who give their time to inspect, prepare, hang and shelve donated goods to ensure more than 80 families each day find essentials. Because shoppers are able to find shoes, clothing, and household goods free-of-charge, they are able to redirect their limited resources to other priorities like food and shelter.