Editorial: ’Tis the season to be a volunteer

At this time of the year, the message goes out: It’s good to give, and spread cheer. We heartily agree.

That sentiment is often twisted to encourage too much spending on unnecessary things, but there are better ways to contribute. Volunteerism is one of them.

To volunteer is to act on an optimistic belief that we can help, that things can be improved, and so the level of volunteer participation in a community reflects the confidence residents have in themselves and their communities.

And volunteerism has a multiplier effect: Communities with a strong volunteer ethic are more connected and more stable, healthier and happier.

In other words: Please do volunteer, in whatever manner you are able. Volunteerism has benefits for those who give and their communities, as well as those who receive the gift of volunteer largess.

And note: There are many different ways to volunteer.

Some volunteer opportunities might be just outside your door: helping a neighbor with yardwork or errands; joining a Neighborhood Watch group; picking up loose trash on your block; joining in to help as needed at a nearby school or church.

People who are homebound might be able to help from where they are, making calls or working online for an organization they favor.

Volunteers with expertise and/or experience in a particular area, whether that be engineering or social media marketing, are in high demand.

In many cases, a monetary donation is the fastest way to provide relief. That’s the case, for example, when a food bank finds itself short of a particular staple.

Fortunately, Hawaii has a robust network of service agencies and organizations that transform the volunteer impulse into action. Contact an organization with a mission you admire and find out what’s needed.

Aloha United Way (auw.galaxydigital.com) offers a guide to organizations needing donations or volunteers. Kanu Hawaii (www.kanuhawaii.org) maintains an extensive list of volunteer opportunities.

Visiting Hawaii for a short time? Nonprofit organization travel2change (travel2change.org) offers “fun and impactful” activities throughout the islands, with the goal of benefiting local communities when tourists visit. Opportunities can be searched by date and location. Check the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s list at gohawaii.com/voluntourism.

The power of volunteerism — of pitching in, of working to bolster individual and community health, safety and well-being — was a thread running through the inauguration speech of Hawaii’s new governor, Josh Green, on Dec. 5.

Green related the story of the medical volunteers who stepped up to join him in an urgent 2019 mission to administer measles vaccines in Western Samoa, where children were dying from the highly contagious disease: In 36 hours, Hawaii volunteers vaccinated nearly 37,000 people, “and 6 days later the measles just stopped spreading,” he said.

From this, Green said, “I realized that there is no challenge the people of Hawaii can’t meet if we pull together.”

On a statewide basis, the governor is assembling volunteer advisory councils to help create affordable housing plans; in his inauguration speech, he pledged to build kauhale (tiny home) communities in every county, partnering with the private sector “and everyone else in Hawaii who wants to come together to lend a hand.”

Despite this optimism, however, the numbers of people in need in Hawaii have only grown throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, which like most calamities caused the most suffering and loss among those with the least.

Help if you can, in the way you choose. We all benefit.