At the core of every initiative, program, event, or other organized effort designed to help the community, there are volunteers.
This week is the perfect time to celebrate the people — often in the background — who donate their time for the betterment of those around them during Volunteer Appreciation Week.
Wait, how many volunteers?
Julie Nikel, the volunteer coordinator at Central Station in Winkler, has firsthand experience of this vital community's impact. Her organization, which offers different supports to those who need them, is one place where volunteers tend to pool.
She says Central Station has 115 individual volunteers, and another five groups (about 100 people) in rotation.
Although it is often said, it is always worth repeating.
“We could not do what we do without our volunteers,” says Nikel. “We have 12 paid staff that work in all kinds of different areas, and then with 115 people to support [us], we can do what we do.”
Where do volunteers help at Central Station?
Nikel says one of the most essential things the volunteer groups help with is the Café 545 community meal.
“We have a free community meal, and we serve between 300 and 350 meals every Monday,” she says. “You can imagine that takes a lot of people to put something like that on, so every Monday, a different group comes in and helps us with the serving and cleanup. It's a very busy day at Central Station.”
Volunteers also help with the food cupboard, including Stacey Friesen, who has been offering her services for the past seven years.
One of her roles is that of a friendly host.
“I get to see everyone as they come in the door, and I love it,” she says. “I get to chat with people and see how they're doing," she says.
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Friesen initially began volunteering because her youngest child started school, which left her with a lot of free time to fill.
“I love people, and Central Station is such a great way to connect with people, get to know our community, see what the needs are, and encourage people. That's what I love,” she says, adding that it’s an enriching experience.
“I hear some struggles, but I also meet people that are totally new to our community, so they're just learning how we do life here, and so that's really interesting to me just to understand the differences between cultures and things like that.”
A volunteer from before Central Station began
Volunteering with Central Station has been a part of Peter Wiebe’s life since before Central Station existed. He was the chair of a church board approximately 15 years ago when the MB church decided to undertake a community centre project in Winkler.
“We began investigating the possibility of [doing] something in the town that would ... fill a role that wasn't being filled at the time,” he says. “We couldn't do it all to start with, but we started small, and it's grown to this now.”
Wiebe says that he began his volunteering career with what would become Central Station by helping renovate the kitchen in the old building.
Now, he is a driver.
“I've been driving for the food cupboard since it was still a little shack on the Cargill Road,” he says.
For Wiebe, watching Central Station grow from its humble roots has been “unbelievable.” He says his favourite part of his role is meeting new people from all over.
“I think about two weeks ago, I did a tabulation of the day, and I had 12 nationalities in the same day in my van — so from Eritrea to Afghanistan to Cuba to whatever,” he says.
Wiebe’s motivation for his work is also tied to his faith. In his view, providing rides to people when they need it and food when they need it is a “way to be who [he] is called to be.” Through his service, he strives to “be a church” daily.
“That’s important,” he says.
‘A unique problem to have’
In Winkler, Central Station has no shortage of volunteers willing to lend a helping hand. Currently, there is a volunteer waitlist.
“Our website has a volunteer application form that people are welcome to complete. We currently have a wait list of volunteers who would like to volunteer and there is no opening for them,” says Nikel. “That's a very unique problem to have.”
Nikel is thankful for the “problem.”
“We are so grateful that when there is a need and an opening, there's usually volunteers or potential volunteers waiting to come on board and help us,” she says.
For Friesen and Wiebe, it’s no wonder that so many people want to volunteer with Central Station. According to them, it’s a good gig.
“We really enjoy it,” says Friesen.
Nikel says that this week, during Volunteer Appreciation Week, Central Station plans to have a dinner to thank the community that serves such an essential role.
With files from Ty Hildebrand