Volunteers fuel the engines of holiday giving

The start of the holiday season is bringing the annual outpouring of support from volunteers.

They’re hoping to brighten Thanksgiving for those who are less fortunate.

At the Siena/Francis House, Tim Sully said, “We need around 15 volunteers to serve each meal and we have been blessed to have more volunteers than we know what to do with."

That’s a good problem to have at this time of year. More than enough volunteers will be on hand for brunch and dinner Thursday.

It's a common theme around the metro.

The Salvation Army’s Jeff Strickler said, "I'm always impressed at how many people will sacrifice a good part of a holiday to go out and help people in some manner."

Strickler is the divisional secretary for the Salvation Army. They're set up with 120 volunteers who will deliver Thanksgiving meals to more than 1,000 people.

“We do have a good amount of volunteers for that, which is great that the community comes out and supports that effort as they do each year."

That same support can be found for those who don't have a place to call home right now.

At the Siena/Francis House, Development Director Sully said they've actually had Thanksgiving shifts filled for quite some time.

“It's just a way of letting the guests know that someone out there cares about them and they're special."

Their crew will be working from 5:30 in the morning until 8 at night and they won't be the only ones serving this holiday season.

Sully said, "We already have our volunteers scheduled for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, just because of that support. People really do care."

The Salvation Army tells 6 News they could really use help with bell ringers at kettles around the metro. You can sign up by

or calling their volunteer bureau at 402-898-6000.