The North Shore Salvation Army is in desperate need of fresh recruits this Christmas as demand has increased while the number of volunteers plummeted.
The charity normally deploys 35 altruistic helpers this time of year. But with less than two weeks before Christmas the local Sally Ann has fewer than a dozen volunteers, according to community ministries director Peter Defehr.
"It's probably that demand is so large within the community," Defehr said. "People get donor fatigue, they also get volunteer fatigue."
Having fewer hands has made for heavier work as lineups for Monday, Wednesday and Friday food banks have grown longer, said Defehr.
The Salvation Army is planning to host a Dec. 21 Christmas dinner for about 125 guests in need - approximately 40 per cent more than last year, according to Defehr.
"I am just so short of volunteers," he said.
After a plea for more help yielded nothing, Defehr said he and his wife have been working 12-hour days to keep the organization running smoothly.
But even with one 78-year-old volunteer working like a trooper and an outreach worker shopping for food on her own time, the situation is nearing a breaking point, Defehr said. "You can only put in so many hours and expect so much from (volunteers), and when that becomes overwhelming, typically, we end up losing them as well."
The end result is the Salvation Army is less able to meet the needs of desperate people, said Defehr.
Volunteers are needed in the warehouse and kitchen.
