Devotion of volunteers can’t be praised enough

The nights are growing longer, and the newfound chill in the air heralds the oncoming holiday season, which for my part always seems to arrive too soon.

I’m never ready for it. I always have a tendency to fly by the seat of my pants when it comes to Christmas and the New Year celebrations. Chances to make a little merry always seem to give way to the demands of the season — food and gifts to buy, wrapping, cookies to make, playing chauffeur for kids’ sports events, decorating, and of course the ongoing demands of running a modern daily newsroom.

In fact, the lead-up to Christmas is possibly my busiest time of the year. And if you’re anything like me, you may find you have little time for those intangible extras that help bring joy to these holidays. It’s for this reason I often stand in awe of those who manage to put aside their own needs and find the time to volunteer a few hours to some local cause or event.

From those who offer gift-wrapping services at the Shoppers Mall to raise money for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, and the men and women who deliver Christmas hampers for Brandon-Westman Christmas Cheer, to the dozens of men and women who make food, serve guests and make deliveries during the Westman and Area Traditional Christmas Dinner, it’s the devotion of the volunteers who make the season bright for so many people in our community. So it can be disheartening when the number of volunteers starts dropping off.

It’s easy to see how many of the service organizations in town, for example, have declined or ended altogether, simply due to a lack of volunteers who see value in their services within the community. But in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteerism in general took a direct hit.

Last March we reported that, according to research conducted in 2023 by Volunteer Canada, 65 per cent of non-profit organizations in the country were struggling with a shortage of volunteers after the pandemic ended, and 35 per cent of those organizations had to reduce their programming and services because of that shortage.

It’s not a Brandon-specific problem. Statistics Canada reports that there has been a significant decline in the number of hours of informal volunteering in Canadian communities due to the fewer number of volunteers involved in improving local communities.

“Compared with previous years, fewer Canadians engaged in informal volunteering activities in 2023,” states the June 2025 report. “This resulted in a decline in the rate of informal volunteering from 74 per cent in 2018 to 66 per cent in 2023.”

Sectors related to hospitals, sports and recreation associations, education and research and religious organizations had the most significant declines.

However, while there are many reasons for the decline, it doesn’t mean people aren’t interested in volunteering. But it does mean that organizations have had to change how they approach their volunteer base.

For example, according to local reports here in Brandon, more teens and millennials — the generation between the ages of 29 and 44 — are showing an interest in volunteering.

“We have seen a big shift in people wanting to volunteer for short-term activities or short-term programs. Volunteering at an organization for 10-plus years was what we saw in previous generations. They really believed in legacy volunteering,” Kamillah El-Giadaa, training and development manager with Volunteer Manitoba, told the Sun in March. “So, millennials and younger people are very keen on volunteering for causes and for specific things that they feel passionate about for a shorter period of time.”

In response to this new generation of volunteers, organizations like the Salvation Army have upped their game a little.

The Salvation Army is always looking for help to mind their donation kettles around the city. The goodwill organization started its Christmas Kettle fundraising campaign yesterday, offering flexible two-hour shifts over the six days per week that they campaign.

The United Way West Central Manitoba in Brandon offers numerous short-term morning or afternoon volunteer opportunities, including their Coats for Kids program, the Tools for School program, the recent Holiday Tree Auction and the Day of Caring — a one-day citywide event where members of the community volunteer to help non-profit organizations, parks and community programs with projects that they do not have the time, resources or staff to accomplish alone.

And there are many non-holiday-related opportunities within the community as well, such as volunteering time at Westman Immigrant Services. You can assist teachers during English classes that run during the week. You can support newcomer children at the Care for Newcomer Children facility while their parents are learning at WIS. Or even simply become an occasional support worker with opportunities that come up through WIS from time to time.

Whether you are looking for some work experience, or just a chance to give back to the community, I would encourage all of us to think how we could best help our community — not just in the coming months, but in the year ahead as well.

I am considering my own options as the holidays approach, and trying to sort out where I could play a part in the community as a volunteer on a limited basis. The fact that so many organizations are rising to the challenge of working with the limited time and numbers of new recruits is encouraging.

Perhaps there’s hope for me yet.

» Matt Goerzen, editor