Non-profits are often the lifeblood of communities around the world.

Whether it’s programs for kids, caring for the elderly ,or running the local food pantry, chances are there is an organization behind that effort that is only made possible by local volunteers.

I‘ve served on several local boards over the years, and I can tell you from personal experience it’s not for everyone. Hours spent discussing minute details coupled with hundreds of phone calls and e-mails can have even well meaning folks questioning why they bother.

My biggest takeaway is that most organizations are truly run by one or two people. A board may have 7 members, and an organization can have dozens of volunteers, but chances are that it’s an 80 year old woman named “Margaret” who runs the show.

It’s not that Margaret necessarily enjoys doing all the work. It’s that she has been around long enough to know that if she doesn’t do it, the work likely won’t get done.

My fear is that the Margarets are getting tired and old and that one day soon, their busy hands and their vast knowledge will be gone.

Then I think about the church.

While I’m not religious, I’ve always been cognizant of how much value a local church can provide to the community. Beyond the worship, there’s fellowship. A place where your neighbors congregate and share in your triumphs and your tragedies. In addition, they’re typically the organization behind things like your local food pantry, area homeless shelter and even serve as communal meeting spaces for other local groups.

Now I’m not trying to stereotype, but when I picture an average congregation, there are a whole lot of Margarets sitting in those pews.

The means same Margarets who run the community organizations are also managing the pantry. And the pie sale. And the choir. And the… well, you get it.

We’ve long taken the Margarets of the world for granted, and my suspicion is that they’ve been too busy doing all the work to train or even find their eventual replacements.

People are working longer than ever before and our lives are often already filled with shifting schedules and obligations. Most of the Margarets I know outlived their husbands by decades and simply had the time to tend to these sorts of things.

Is there really another wing of widows who are ready to take the mantle?

It’s not just a Margaret problem either, lest you think I’m being sexist. 

We’re also in dire need of more Bobs.

Bob has been a volunteer firefighter for decades. His fellow firefighters call him Bobby because his dad is Bob senior and still somehow shows up to the pancake breakfasts to cook. Bob, like his father before him, spends hours tending to the firehouse, answering calls and partaking in regular training that often takes hours each week.

When he’s not putting out literal fires, he’s attending his local Rotary or Elks meeting or running the grills at the Lions Club BBQ. You’re picturing a Bob right now, aren’t you?

Well much like Margaret, Bob is getting tired, but he knows if he ever stops, so will much of the work to which he has dedicated years of his life.

Then there’s me.

Even knowing all of the above, I can’t fathom taking the little time I have, when I’m not actively working, to do more work. I’ve decided it’s easier, for now at least, to just write a check. Organizations need money to survive and I’m happy to do my part. But the people that actually do the work can’t be replaced with mere dollars.

We need more hands, and I don’t think there are enough future Margarets and Bobs to pick up the slack.

So what’s the answer? 

Yes, we need more young people to volunteer, but I’m not sure even a dozen of me could ever replace one single Bob, let alone a Margaret.

Many organizations need to be more vocal about all they do in the community and the efforts necessary to continue that work into the future.

We as average citizens, need to pay more attention to their calls for help and make an effort to ensure those who do step up are recognized early and often.

For my part, I’ll be writing more stories that highlight local groups and the people behind them that keep our communities humming. 

Know a Margaret or a Bob or anyone who deserves a little recognition? E-mail dholdraker@waynetimes.com.