April is volunteer appreciation month and in honor of that, Good Samaritan Ministries celebrated its volunteers with a picnic at Riverside Park.

With more than 300 active volunteers, there is no way the ministry could do the work it does without them, Angelia Bostick Executive Director of Good Samaritan Ministries said.

“Our volunteers are the heartbeat of this ministry,” Bostick said. “They interview clients, pack food, sort, hang and price clothing and so much more.”

And even more than the work they do, Bostick said their volunteers are like family.

“Some of our volunteers have been here for 10 or 15 years,” Bostick said. “And whether they’ve been here for decades or days, we just start to feel like one big family.”

The Good Samaritan family is comprised of unique individuals with incredibly varied backgrounds bonded by compassion and driven by a desire to serve and a heart to help others.

Doing much of the work behind the scenes, many of the volunteers may never see a client, but they work hard sorting clothes, folding bags and other jobs that are an absolute necessity to the work of GSM.

“There is no such thing as an unimportant job or a menial task,” Bostick said. “Everything we do at Good Samaritan is to serve our neighbors who need a hand up and, in doing so, to serve Jesus. Our volunteers understand that.”

To celebrate their volunteers, the staff and board members of Good Samaritan held a picnic on Sunday in honor of the more than 300 volunteers who help the ministry to run smoothly day in and day out. Volunteers in attendance were served pulled pork and potato salad provided by James Cooley and homemade desserts provided by the staff and board members. Island Phil provided live entertainment and volunteers all went home with a small token of the staff and board members’ affection.

“Nothing we do could ever fully repay our volunteers for what they do,” Bostick said. “They are our family and they are priceless.”

While they appreciate all of their volunteers, Good Samaritan can always use more people to lighten the load. Anyone who would like more information about GSM or about volunteering may call Joyce Leidig, Volunteer Coordinator, at 643-2273.