Volunteer Couples Feel the Love at Neighbors
During a recent analysis of our volunteers, we were amazed to discover there are 33 married couples who regularly volunteer their time and talents at Neighbors, Inc. That makes up 16% of our on-going volunteer base.
Although the number of volunteer couples at Neighbors is amazing, it shouldn’t be a surprise that volunteering and love go together. According to research done by the London School of Economics, people who volunteer are happier, have more empathy and build stronger social bonds – all factors which increase the feeling of love[i]. GozAround, a volunteer opportunity matching web site, encourages couples to volunteer together to strengthen their relationship by: sharing experiences, discovering common values, trying new things together and gaining perspective on life[ii]. With all of these positive relationship reinforcements, it’s no wonder that so many couples chose to serve others together.
Couples who volunteer together do a variety of tasks to keep Neighbors thriving – things like picking up food donations, assisting clients in the Food Shelf, participating in parades, dressing up as soup can mascots, running events and more! In almost every program and department, a volunteer couple can be found.
[i] M. Horoszowski, “5 Surprising Benefits of Volunteering,” Forbes (blog), March 19, 2015, https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2015/03/19/5-surprising-benefits-of-volunteering/#31ab7100127b.
[ii] “5 Reasons Why You Should Volunteer as a Couple.” GozAround (blog), February 8, 2016, https://www.gozaround.com/blog/5-reasons-why-you-should-volunteer-as-a-couple/.
Check out some of their stories and photos here:
