MENASHA, Wis. (WFRV) – VolunteerFEST brought nearly fifty nonprofit organizations into one room in an effort to recruit more people to join their ranks.

Brad Creighton, the Community Engagement and Events Coordinator for Volunteer Fox Cities, said, “Our VolunteerFEST is our annual event where we have agencies come in and we invite, the community to come in, everybody’s invited to meet talk with the agencies in a relaxed no-pressure setting.”

Volunteers had a chance to learn opportunities ranging from cleaning up the fox river to helping repair homes or even working with kids.

Kathy Olson, the Program and Outreach Coordinator for Girls on the Run of Northeast Wisconsin said, “Girls on the run is a youth development program that combines social-emotional learning with physical activity for girls 3rd through 8th grades. Running is integrated into lessons to help girls to feel joyful healthy and confident.”

Many people came out to learn more about how they can give back.

“I think volunteering is super important,” said Mary Underhill, a volunteer at the event. “I love to give back to my community and I think this is a great event opportunity for me to get exposure to different nonprofits in our area.”

Organizers said that there are dozens of opportunities to volunteer in the Fox Valley and it is more important than ever going into the holidays and coming out of the pandemic.

“Especially going into the holiday season, there’s a great need for volunteering, whether it’s a one-time volunteering thing or a long-term commitment or whatever time they have,” Creighton. “Our nonprofits in the valley can’t do what they do without volunteers.”

You can learn more about how you can get involved in any number of these organizations by visiting the Volunteer Fox Cities website here.