2023 Volunteer of the Year
St. Vincent de Paul Southwest Idaho invites you to celebrate another year of serving our neighbors in need.
In 2022, St. Vincent de Paul Southwest Idaho had over 97,000 Volunteer Hours!
Home Visitors, Food Pantry Volunteers, Thrift Store Volunteers, and Seasonal/Special Project Volunteers – The work we do would not be possible without you!
We invite you to vote for the nominated Volunteers for the 2023 V.O.T.Y “Volunteer of the Year” Award!
This year, we will feature volunteers in each of the following categories:
Home Visit Volunteer
Food Pantry Volunteer
Thrift Store Volunteer
*Individuals may be nominated for multiple categories, however, they will only be eligible to win one category receiving the most votes*
Volunteer of the Year is a way to nominate volunteers that represent the mission of St. Vincent de Paul and represent our cultural values as follows: Authenticity, Teamwork, Compassion, Effective Communication, and Accountability.
Winners from Each Volunteer Category and the Overall “Volunteer of the Year” will be awarded at the
Volunteer Appreciation Picnic on May 12th, 2023
SCROLL DOWN AND VOTE IN EACH CATEGORY!
Pantry VOTY 2023 Ended
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Jeff Stanhouse - Jeff selflessly gives his time as nearly a full time volunteer. The Overland pantry could not run at the capacity it does without his efforts. He volunteers for all of our "special projects" and does so with a smile and a servant heart.50% 111 / 220 -
Tom and Sue Kuziej - Tom and Sue joined the Holy Apostles conference 8 years ago. They have been co managers of our pantry for 7 years. They are dedicated to making sure our pantry is always stocked with quality food for our neighbors. This involves placing orders with El Ada, Idaho food bank and many trips to Winco to keep food on the shelves. Tom works hard to get the best price he can and has spent numerous hours looking for the best price of eggs. In addition to all the reporting that is required they also train all new pantry workers and coordinate drivers to help with food pick up. The number of families coming to our pantry has continued to increase with the rising cost of food. Year over fiscal year we saw an increase of 33% in the number of families using the pantry. Tom and Sue are always looking for ways to make sure we have food for them as evident by the number of trips Tom is making to Winco.24% 53 / 220
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Carol Sauerland - For years until she had to retire for physical reasons, she WAS the Sacred Heart, then the Overland Pantry. She was there every day, whether we were open, or not. No one worked harder and was more reliable.3% 7 / 220
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Donna Apeles - Donna has been extremely active in our conference both in the pantry and with ServeWare. She is always willing to go along on a home visit as a second. She is well trained in all aspects of the conference. She has helped with reporting and interviewing in the pantry as well as any job that needs to be done. Donna voluntarily assumed the responsibility of ServWare Administrator. She did the training along with the President and took the role of training everyone often going to their homes no matter the distance she needed to travel. She works tirelessly maintaining the records and paying the bills in a timely manner. Donna is a great volunteer and is always willing to help where she is needed. It would be extremely difficult to replace her as she works with many tasks that are detailed and timely. She is well known and respected in the community.4% 10 / 220
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Rita Franklin - Rita slides under the radar, she comes in does our morning Albertson's sorting of deli and produce she is always thinking of others. she brings in thoughtful cards/gifts from time to time (holidays). And is always looking for ways to plug in as much as she can AND she has a full time job as a teacher!!! she gives selflessly and does so with no expectations.3% 8 / 220
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Skeeter Thompson - If you have ever gone to the Overland Pantry, chances are you have had a friendly hello from Skeeter. He has been a faithful volunteer with the pantry for over a year and a half.Skeeter started volunteering with SVdP because his mother volunteered with us for a long time, and he wanted to continue the tradition! He always is a quick to jump in wherever is needed, but often likes to run carts out to clients. Skeeter often shows up before special events, and stays through to help clean up. It is an honor to have him helping in our organization!8% 19 / 220
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Mary Lou and Cisco Limbago - Mary Lou and Cisco began volunteering for St. Clare’s during the Pandemic when we were desperately in need of help. Many of the pantry regulars were not willing to come back due to age and health issues. Cisco came and helped us manage traffic and makes sure we get cars off the boulevard and in for food boxes and out in record time. Mary Lou jumped in and helped get the pantry reorganized and sanitized and put her bilingual talents to work interviewing our friends and giving them a friendly face each visit to our pantry. In addition to the pantry Mary Lou completes a number of home visits each week. We are blessed to have this couple volunteering in our conference.5% 12 / 220
Home Visit V.O.T.Y Ended
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Laura Botimer -Laura joined the Holy Apostles conference 6 years ago and became a home visitor. She then took on the role of home visitor coordinator training all new home visitors as well as working cases. In 2019 we started moving to Serveware and Laura stepped up to learn the application and quickly became an expert. She developed a training manual and put all our home visitors through training. She has always made herself available to answer questions and assist home visitors. Laura takes on more cases than anyone while training others. Laura is dedicated to helping all our neighbors and has also developed a relationship with Idaho Health and Welfare to ensure our neighbors get the help they need.26% 67 / 253
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Lynn Kelly - Lynn Kelly would be a wonderful recipient of Volunteer of the Year for St. Vincent de Paul Southwest Idaho. She was a founding member of the Reentry Conference now known as St Dismiss which was formed over a decade ago. In that situation she takes one day each week to serve those who call in on the helpline. She has served as Treasurer for that group for most of her tenure. In addition, she has been a supporter and volunteer for StoryLink which brings services to those incarcerated. Lynn quietly works behind the scene to make projects successful. She is a perfect example of a Vincentian. She will not be excited about being brought into the spotlight for her work, but truly deserves the recognition.3% 10 / 253
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MJ Stewart - MJ’s specific job description isn’t easy to put in words, unless those words are “helper of those in need, regardless of what that need may be”. Her scheduled volunteer hours are on Wednesdays, but she’s often at a table in the store on any given day simply because that’s when someone needs her. Whether that person needs furniture, clothing, food or other assistance, she’s there to offer aid if she can, sometimes even if all they need is a bit of counseling. I don’t know if there is a less judgmental person in the world, but if so I’ve never met them. Her dedication to the needs of those she encounters is off the scale, and her constant smile does a lot to brighten the lives of everyone around her. I’m proud to nominate MJ, who serves without any thought of recognition or reward, yet I know no one who deserves it more.62% 159 / 253
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Betty Brigante - Betty Brigante is a member of St Mark’s Conference. She is probably the main reason that SM is still an active Conference At times, St Mark’s has suffered from lack of active members. During these spells, Betty stood up and took on most of the load of Home Visits. You have to be devoted to your mission to take on the load she did. She has never backed away from the mission of St. Vincent de Paul2% 7 / 253
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Nonie Mcwhorter - she has been a Vincentian member of St. Johns Conference for 20 years plus. She has been Conference President and Council Vice President in addition to being a Home Visitor for all those years. In addition she has helped other Conferences when they were short of staff by doing Visits for them, When OLV was re established, she volunteered to go there and train Home Visitors. She has been part of the Ozanam Orientation Team for several years and she and husband Doug were leaders in the Thanksgiving Turkey Project for many years. There are many other qualities that shout out her attributes, and those who know her don’t have to be told.3% 10 / 253
Thrift store Voty 2023 Ended
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Mike Lechner - Mike Lechner has been a volunteer at the State Street store since 2001, shortly after retiring. He initially began by testing vacuums and televisions. In the ensuing years, he's gone on to expand his skills in testing electronics of various kinds. For the last 22 years, he has faithfully served an average of 3 days a week for 3.5 hours each visit.19% 19 / 98
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Linda Varela - Always a beautiful spirit to have in the store. Makes amazing displays always willing to help everyone. Embodies the spirit all of us should have Linda comes with a smile and a helping hand each time she comes. She takes all of the priced product and displays it thru out the store. She helps customers other volunteers and community service and truly understands that every little bit helps give back to the community6% 6 / 98
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Teresa Carlson - I think Teresa is an exceptional volunteer for lots of reasons. She comes in twice a week and sorts and prices all of our linens for us. She is always very cheerful and says hello to everyone. She always introduces herself to the community service workers working in her processing area and makes them feel welcome. On more than one occasion, I have seen her stay late just to finish off a box of linens because she doesn't want to leave things undone. She straightens the linens area out on the floor because she cares about the store, and has even been known to tidy the breakroom for the same reason. She also is sure to let us know when she will not be coming in. She is a great example of service and friendship, as many of our volunteers are, but Teresa really goes the extra mile!! I am thankful for her!!50% 49 / 98
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Rick Wittner - Ricky has been volunteering at the Broadway location for around 4 years now. He sorts the DVDs and CDs and puts them out on the floor. Ricky is a very big asset to the people that work there plus a big help to the customers. He has several people that ask for him by name and are very pleased with his customer service. It is a real pleasure to be able to have him as a volunteer at our location and we look forward to having him continue for years to come.7% 7 / 98
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Mary Ann William - Mary Ann has volunteered at the Nampa Thrift Store since 1998 - 25 years. She currently serves as co-manager of the SVDP Nampa Thrift Storestore. Mary Ann cashiers 2 days a week. She is an avid bird watcher and an artist.17% 17 / 98
