Going M.A.D. About Volunteering

Teens and young adults who volunteer at The Salvation Army might be seen helping in a corps after-school program or wrapping toys at Christmas. But at The Salvation Army in Harrisburg, Pa., volunteer events with Families Go M.A.D. (Make A Difference) are showing that anyone, at any age, can serve.

“The Harrisburg area has a lot of events for children’s growth, but very few programs that show how to be ‘others-focused’ by putting your neighbor’s needs above your own,” says Toni Mark, resource development director for The Salvation Army in Harrisburg. “At the same time, we want to welcome families eager to serve and make them aware of the work and services of The Salvation Army.”

Sarah Vielot, community engagement coordinator at Harrisburg, says, “For many volunteer activities, such as ringing the bell at Christmas, you need to be at least in your teens. But that doesn’t mean we can’t adapt and create opportunities for younger volunteers too.”

Families Go M.A.D. meets four times a year for volunteer activities tailored to kids. Elementary school-age children are shown the importance of giving back as gestures
of kindness. There are ways to uplift others in your own classroom, your neighborhood, and, of course, at The Salvation Army.

“After our discussion on ways to volunteer, the children help pack hygiene kits for our pantry and color Christmas cards for gift boxes that we give away in December,” says Mark.

Middle-school children at Families Go M.A.D. are given more involved tasks, such as preparing utility packets from UGI, Harrisburg’s local gas and energy distributor and a partner of The Salvation Army. The packets have information, utility assistance applications for low-income families, and return envelopes stamped by the preteens.

“Doing this work introduces the love of Jesus to young people. Volunteering is a way that we can all emulate Him, who He is, and stress that He came to serve, not be served,” says Mark, referencing Matthew 20:28. “Some of the work may seem repetitive or tedious, but we stress that when someone volunteers to do this job, it means that a task is getting done without us having to pay. That money can now go to help others. That’s the impact that volunteers are making when they pack that kit or stamp that envelope.”

Another activity M.A.D. volunteers have taken on is packing spices for the food pantry. “We had a girls soccer team that helped scoop up a variety of spices in mini bags for our full-time pantry,” says Vielot. “They’re helping add flavor and variety to the meals that can be made from our pantry and learning about how different cultures use different spices.”

Harrisburg’s local kids’ sports teams, mom groups, and homeschooling households are among the biggest supporters of Families Go M.A.D. And when they walk into the corps, they learn that volunteering is work that directly bene­fits their community.

“We want to motivate our volunteers early and show them how what they do impacts others and the mission of The Salvation Army,” says Vielot. “I was telling a family about our holiday volunteer opportunities, and the daughter turned to her mother and said, ‘Mom, it would be so fun to go shopping for another child who might not have anything
for Christmas.’”

With minds and hearts like that young girl’s, it’s clear that Families Go M.A.D. has found a way to create lifelong volunteers.