Nonprofits in the Springfield area prepare for the season of giving

Jessi HawkinsVolunteer Spotlight

Published: Nov. 22, 2020 at 10:51 AM CST
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – While nonprofits and organizations are gearing up for a busy holiday season, many are looking forward to Giving Tuesday.

The day falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, which will be December 1. It’s dedicated to giving back to important causes and nonprofits around the world. Although Giving Tuesday is typically online, the goal is to have people give anything they can, which can be their time, money or effort to raise awareness.

Habitat for Humanity Springfield is one of the many organizations in the Ozarks participating this year. It’s taking the virtual aspect and using it as an advantage to connect while showcasing community and resilience using the hashtag #HabitatHammersBack.

“We are fighting back against that because we still want to do our mission of building and repairing homes,” explained Abby Glenn, Habitat for Humanity Development Director. “We are hammering back against the pandemic so that we can keep moving forward to continue to help more people in need.”

Glenn says events like this are especially important during the pandemic. Between focusing on their missions as nonprofits to help the community and getting people to volunteer beyond the holiday rush, it’s pretty busy.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has lead to either difficulty recruiting volunteers or difficulty limiting how many people can volunteer this year. Glenn says they’ve had a steady flow of volunteers at its restore, similar to years past. While they typically notice a dip in construction volunteers during the colder season, the numbers are slightly smaller because they had to limit them to about five at a time.

Glenn says circumstances have not been ideal, but their work and mission to continue have not changed. This is why Glenn says now especially, people should think about volunteering at a local nonprofit beyond the holidays

“There’s always an opportunity even though this is the motivation time people see. It’s important to maybe get inspired right now, but maybe you can set aside some time to have a regular service day or a regular commitment that you’re going to give, maybe just a couple of hours a month. You can make that commitment now so that you can serve throughout 2021.”

To find local volunteer opportunities, check out Volunteer Ozarks.

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