ABOVE: Heaven’s Table Food Shelf volunteers Deb Nafziger, left, and Roni Dauer, right, work in tandem to fulfill food and item requests from those in need. Director Greta Lintelman said they are thankful to have over a hundred volunteers on their roster, who are crucial in carrying out Heaven’s Table’s programs. Sentinel file photo

FAIRMONT – Many local organizations are able to support and benefit Fairmont-area citizens through the giving of volunteers. These volunteers are crucial and deserve to be celebrated, especially during National Volunteer Week.

Let’s Go Fishing is 100 percent volunteer run and operated. President Ron Kallheim said they are part of a network that stretches across Minnesota and Wisconsin.

“We provide fishing and boat rides,” he said. “Cruises for senior citizens, the disabled and veterans at no cost. We have a 25-foot pontoon that’s specially built for us. We have two doors on the pontoon, one on each side with ramps, so we’re able to get wheelchairs on walkers, so we’re able to provide a nice outing.”

Currently, they have around 65 volunteers who fulfill various functions to ensure everything goes smoothly.

“We need captains that will drive the pontoon,” Kallheim said. “We like people who are experienced in boat driving. That helps a lot. We need what we call a first mate. That’s a person who rides along on the boat for fishing and a cruise for fishing. They help people fish, and we bait the hook, we cast it, we help them, we take the fish off the line for them.”

Often, Kallheim said they find volunteers through word of mouth. People will be on boat rides and talk about it with friends, family and others they believe would be interested. In his experience, Kallheim said people often volunteer to give back.

“Once you retire, you find out you have a lot of time on your hands. It’s usually, I would imagine, people have an interest in what the organization does. I’ve always liked to fish, so it was an easy thing for me to start doing that. I’d say that’s probably why they want to give back to an area that they either have an interest in or feel that it’s a good cause to contribute to.”

Kallheim said they do over 70 trips a year and want to make sure they can continue to fulfill their mission every time by always having volunteers available. They host several sessions for people to learn about volunteering and potentially get involved, with the next one happening at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on May 18 in the basement meeting room at the Southern Minnesota Educational Campus (SMEC) building.

Kallheim said their goal heading into summer is to continue doing what they do best.

“Martin County area, southern Minnesota is very supportive of our organization,” Kallheim said. “Our goal is to get new people to come out on the pontoon.”

ABOVE: Several residents of Lakeview Methodist Healthcare Center in Fairmont board the Let’s Go Fishing Pontoon for a cruise on Budd Lake in Fairmont. Let’s Go Fishing is 100 percent volunteer run, with around 65 volunteers carrying out the program. Sentinel file photo

Heaven’s Table Food Shelf runs several programs, including its on-site distributions, home delivery and backpack program for area schools, through which it provides food to 380 kids every week. Besides two part-time positions and a hire through MVAC, Director Greta Lintelman said the wide net Heaven’s Table casts with their foot support is entirely volunteer-based.

“If we have 10 on each service, we have 30 in a week just to open our doors and serve people out the front door,” she said. “Some of those are repeats. Some of them may attend and help us every Tuesday night. Others might do it once a month. The cycle of the number of people going through there is quite high.”

To make sure their programs can continue, Heaven’s Table continues to keep the word going about interest in additional volunteers.

“We have folks that call on their neighbors,” Lintelman said. “They may have another group that they happen to be a member of and bring it up at that location. We do some face-to-face with groups in town like Kiwanis, some of the church groups and other organized groups that allow us the opportunity to tell our story, how we can help the community and ask them for their volunteer work.”

In her view, Lintelman said volunteering is an easy way for people to give themselves and their time.

“It doesn’t cost you anything to volunteer,” she said. “You meet other people. There’s a pretty strong camaraderie amongst the folks that come and work while we’re open. All those people bring their talents together, and it’s a pretty electric timeframe.”

Put simply, Lintelman said they would not be able to do what they do without the support of all their volunteers. For National Volunteers Week, she said they will be doing a giveaway for volunteers in the near future. Right now, Lintelman said they’re at a point where the board is meeting and looking at their current functions, potential improvements and potential new projects.

CREST provides non-professional services for people 60 years or older, including visiting and telephone calls, home helper work, minor home repair, transportation, respite care, six support groups and lunch and learns in Fairmont, Sherburn and Trimont. Director Rob Stauter said they currently have around 60 volunteers, which make up around 60 percent of CREST’s workforce.

“They get people out of their homes,” he said. “The in-home services enable people, if they’re feeling lonely, to have someone come in and visit with them. If they need transportation to a medical appointment, to the grocery store or something like that, it gives them the opportunity to have access to services that they may need.”

Volunteer recruiting is done through church bulletins, the newspaper and social media. At CREST, Stauter said volunteers often start off looking for something to do.

“They want to bless people,” he said. “They want to help people, especially after people retire; they’re looking for something to do. They don’t have a job anymore and they have time on their hands. They want to help people, and they want to feel good about it.”

To be supported by so many volunteers, Stauter said it means a lot to them.

“It means that there are people who want to help,” he said. “We’re just thankful we’re here for people. Without our volunteers, we wouldn’t be in existence, and we would have a difficult time meeting the needs of people in the county.”

In the past few years, they have done a volunteer luncheon for National Volunteers Week. This year, to streamline everything and save some money, they will be recognized at their picnic event on June 18. Looking forward, Stauter said they’re looking to keep doing what they’re doing, helping people in need and enhancing their quality of life.

For more information on Let’s Go Fishing, visit fairmont.lgfws.com or call 507-848-3997. For Heaven’s Table, visit heavenstable.org or call (507) 238-5424. For CREST, visit crestvolunteers.org or call 507-235-3833.