Barton Community College’s newly founded Volunteers in Action group will host their inaugural event, a food drive titled “Check-Out Hunger” alongside Barton’s other volunteer group, the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program on Saturday, April 6, at Wal-Mart and the 10th Street Dillons in Great Bend.
Baugh said the RSVP and VIA groups will work together for the “Check-Out Hunger” food drive and will man tables at Wal-Mart and Dillons. Volunteers will hand out grocery lists provided by the food bank listing the most needed items and will collect any that shoppers may wish to donate. Cash donations will also be accepted.
“It will be a multi-generational project utilizing fifth and sixth graders from the Holy Family School, several local Girl Scout groups and RSVP volunteers,” she said. “Our hope is that they (shoppers) will be moved to purchase one or more items on the list to donate to the food bank.”
Sponsored by Barton Community College and founded in January, the Volunteers in Action group is funded by a grant and acts as a supplement to the long-standing Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, which is designed for volunteers who are 55 years or older and has been sponsored by Barton for more than 30 years. The VIA group is for anyone under 55 who wishes to volunteer their time.
Director for both programs Donna Baugh said the goal of the new organization, which was created in response to community interest in a full volunteer center, is to be able to give anyone who wants to volunteer their time a place to go that can provide direction and organization.
“We want to be a facilitator that works with local non-profit and governmental agencies to identify unmet needs, and with the help of community volunteers and volunteer groups, to develop projects to meet these needs,” she said.
Volunteers in Action is a “one-stop shop” for volunteerism in Barton and Pawnee counties, Baugh said. Linn Hogg of Great Bend has been chosen to assist in this effort and will be working with younger volunteers and projects that don’t fit into RSVP parameters.
For more information on the event or how to get involved please contact Baugh at baughd@bartonccc.edu or 620-786-7558.