Volunteers needed to help seniors

A South Whidbey nonprofit organization is seeking more volunteers to meet the growing demand for services.

In 2016, South Whidbey at Home began with the mission to help people 55 and older age in place while still remaining active community members. The membership-based grassroots organization was the work of the late Lynn Willeford, who created many South Whidbey nonprofits that still operate today.

Volunteers for South Whidbey at Home provide on-island transportation, light gardening, technical assistance, short-term pet care, a social visit and minor household repairs, among other things. Members, who currently pay annual dues of $240, can make up to two requests per week, both which are limited to about two hours.

Background checks are performed for every volunteer. The organization operates on the principle of flexibility, meaning volunteers are free to create their own schedule and need not worry about fulfilling commitments when they are off-island. Volunteers are especially needed on weekends to fulfill requests.

Ambassadors visit new members in their homes and assess their needs. There are some things that are outside of the scope of what South Whidbey at Home does, such as cleaning services or caregiving. Scholarships are available for members based on financial need.

According to Frank Simpson, the organization’s director, South Whidbey at Home currently has about 140 members and nearly 76 active volunteers. A total of 1,400 requests have been fulfilled this year alone, with transportation, social visits and running errands ranking as the top three most popular requests.

Simpson cited a recent New York Times article about kinless seniors, people who don’t have any close contacts as they age.

“The climate of need changed considerably over COVID because that was, essentially, the ultimate isolation,” he said.

South Whidbey can be a scattered community, he added, with many people living down long driveways and on large lots. South Whidbey at Home aims to provide connections, whether volunteers are providing a social call or some other kind of service.

Because of the older demographic of South Whidbey residents, volunteers are often helping their peers. Simpson said there are many volunteers in their 70s, and some in their 80s.

Nancy Van Wormer, a board member for South Whidbey at Home, also performs volunteer tasks.

“As I moved to the island as a widow, in a home by myself, I thought, someday I’m going to need this,” she said. “Some of us, as volunteers, volunteered because we know this is coming. So you pay it forward and hopefully benefit later on.”

As a volunteer, she regularly goes grocery shopping for a member and cooks meals every week as part of a community effort. She has also walked dogs and paid social visits.

“What volunteering does for me is it gets me into the homes of people on this island. This person now has a face and a name and I start talking to them and they share their stories, you listen and you share,” she said. “That’s what community is all about, is person-to-person and heart-to-heart. How do you do that other than go out there and meet them?”

South Whidbey at Home is hoping to attract some young volunteers. Many board members found a recent article in the Whidbey News-Times about a group of brothers assisting seniors on North Whidbey to be inspiring. Young adults of high school or college age are a welcome addition to South Whidbey at Home and would foster intergenerational friendship within the community.

“When I talk to my friends where I used to live, I just always say, ‘South Whidbey is the most caring place I have ever lived in my life. We take care of people,’” Van Wormer said.

For more information about South Whidbey at Home, visit swathome.clubexpress.com.