Volunteers Responsible for 75 Percent of CAP's Workload

“Their compassion is a testament to the generosity of the American spirit,” President Barack Obama said, proclaiming National Volunteer Week. The country’s 63 million annual volunteers, he added, are “everyday heroes [who] make a real and lasting impact on the lives of millions.”

Throughout this area the tribute has been expanded into an entire month.

In its honor, Patch visited the Brewster offices of , an anti-poverty project designed to help low-income local residents become self sufficient. 

CAP started as a food pantry 25 years ago, explains Director Judy Callahan, and since then its services have expanded impressively.

The soup kitchen, for instance, is held every Tuesday and Thursday at Brewster’s . It’s staffed entirely by volunteers.

Then there are special projects such as the Thanksgiving basket program. Families receive a turkey with all the trimmings, plus breakfast for the next day. Almost all of the food is donated so lots of volunteers are needed for organizing, packing and distributing. Last year more than 160 helpers came out to support 425 families.

The services go beyond food-based care. CAP also provides school supplies when summer ends and toys during the holidays — programs that reached more than 800 kids last year.

The Wheels For Work project helps working parents get cars, while the organization's summer employment program puts kids to work in local businesses. Since funding for these jobs is provided by grants, it’s a win-win situation.

In addition to grants, CAP, which serves people across the county, receives support from donations, fundraisers and food drives. 

There is a salaried staff of seven but, “the up front, day-to-day operations of the food pantry is almost all volunteers,” Callahan said. The work of the volunteers helps the pantry serve more than 325 households each month.

Volunteer Coordinator Mary Bodor, of Patterson, is a volunteer herself. She interviews potential workers and does the training and scheduling. Bodor said she is proud to be working with CAP.  The customers who come in “are treated with respect."

"Their needs are addressed," she said. "This is a professional organization."

Bodor, who started 10 years ago, says the most rewarding aspect of her job is dealing with the customers. A former social worker, she sometimes runs into previous case clients.

“Instead of preparing to take them to court I’m filling bags of food. That makes me feel good. Everyone needs some kind of assistance at some point in their life.”

Right now, Bodor said, there are 75 active volunteers who take on more than 75 percent of CAP's total work load. They come from all walks of life — students, retirees, people who are between jobs. Sometimes entire families volunteer to help out. 

17-year-old sisters Taryn and Brianne Kelly have been volunteering since November. Seniors at Carmel High School, they come every Friday afternoon.  “Everyone here is really nice,” Taryn said. “They treat us like we’ve been volunteering for years.” 

They especially enjoyed the holiday toy program. “We were organizing boxes,” Brianne said, smiling in reminiscence. “Everyone worked together, like on an assembly line.”

While the organization includes the food pantry and other organized programs, staff members stress that CAP is much more.

“We give all kinds of emergency assistance," Callahan said. "We help people with fuel bills or unexpected medical bills. We help with rent. We provide case management and if we don’t have what they need we guide people to the right resource. We are certainly a food pantry but what we do goes far beyond that.”