This month, Volunteers In Action/RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) recognizes their over 450 members who serve in this community every day to the tune of 44,000 hours last year an almost 22,000 hours this year so far.
These hours are served by men, women and families in groups or as individuals. Our volunteers provide food for the homeless and hungry, build housing for low-income neighbors, change lives of children by mentoring and tutoring, provide transportation to medical appointments for those who have no family to help. Sometimes our volunteers become the one “human,” contact through the day.
These volunteer aid in the health and well-being of our community, honor our veterans with friendship, kindness and assistance, support our community organizations with their leadership and skills. They even can be the difference between an organization’s doors being open or shut.
The staff at Volunteers In Action/RSVP would like to thank all the people in the community that take the time to share their talents and efforts with the rest of us.
We especially want to recognize our two volunteers of the year, Bob and Evelyn Essmiller, Co-Presidents of the Community food Bank of Barton County. The last six years, this dynamic team has spent countless hours each day and week to maintain, improve, and expand the ministry of the Food Bank.  They are at the Food Bank when it is open three afternoons per week, and before and after hours to prepare and clean-up. Bob an Evelyn also make numerous trips from their rural home to set up for special food drives and deliveries plus attend out-of-town required safety meetings.
As one volunteer stated, “they don’t just preside over meetings and represent the Food Bank to the community; they are passionate about the mission of serving the hungry. They have donated their time (which easily equals a full-time job), vehicles, fuel, energy, an sometimes their health to meet the ongoing ministry of the Food Bank here is Barton County with an attitude of humility, compassion, grace, and generosity.”
Speaking of generosity, we would also like to thank that community businesses that were generous in the donations received to help us recognize our volunteers.
 Over and over again my decision to live and raise my family in this community has been reaffirmed. We help each other. It’s just what we do. We don’t ask for thanks.
Please take this as YOUR THANKS! We see what volunteers do in this community and we appreciate it!