All Seasons in Kenyon seeks volunteers

Whether it’s helping people put food on the table or giving them a place to socialize, All Seasons Community Services strives to be a little bit of everything for Kenyon and the surrounding area.

According to CEO Mary Frutiger, the agency is experiencing a major challenge as it works to meet those needs.

For years, All Seasons ran smoothly with around 23 volunteers. Lately, it’s had to make do with 17.

Since the early days of the pandemic, Frutiger has found it increasingly difficult to recruit volunteers for All Seasons’ three main services — the thrift store, food shelf and activity center.

At the thrift store, volunteers unpack donations and ensure that items are clean and usable before passing them on to the management team. The funds raised there help keep the food shelf stocked.

Though located in Kenyon, the food shelf also serves people from Wanamingo, Dennison, West Concord and Nerstrand.

Frutiger credited their volunteers and community support for keeping the food shelf open throughout the pandemic. Some of their volunteers have been with the food shelf since it began. Frutiger said long-term volunteers are especially important at the food shelf, as it can take awhile for someone to learn the needs of their clientele and how to best serve them. However, she knows her current volunteers will eventually have to retire, and hopes a new batch will be ready to take the reins when that happens.

Frutiger said food shelves need to operate with the same level of confidentiality as a doctor’s office, and she needs volunteers who understand that.

“The food shelf clientele deserves, and by law they need to have, confidentiality. We always need to make sure our volunteers are people that will not give out names and discuss clientele at the food shelf,” she said.

At the activity center, All Seasons provides a multi-use space for community members. Several seniors groups meet there regularly for coffee, conversation and — in one case — puzzles. It’s typically open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., but Frutiger said she’d stay open later if there were enough volunteers to keep it staffed.

Frutiger said they need volunteers at all three of their services, around 5 in total.

Most volunteers tend to work at a specific service, but Frutiger has one who does it all.

Marilyn Schaper has volunteered for All Seasons for over 20 years, making her their longest serving volunteer. At 94 years old, she continues to work three to four shifts a week. Regular volunteering has allowed the Kenyon native to stay connected to the community.

“She knows everything. She’s a walking encyclopedia,” said Frutiger.

While she’s quick to praise volunteers like Schaper, Frutiger understands why they’re hard to come by. Frutiger said families have less free time than they used to, with more parents in the workforce and daycare in short supply. Some of the shifts they need covered are during the typical work day, mostly limiting those shifts to retirees. Young people are busy with school, with extracurricular activities often taking up their afternoons and weekends.

While she prefers to schedule volunteers for two shifts a month, Frutiger said she’s happy to take someone once a month if that’s all their schedule allows.

Although much of the work is done by volunteers, she does hire some regular employees. Frutiger has worked with a number of high schoolers over the years, giving them job skills and even credits toward their education in some cases. She objects to stereotypes that young people don’t want to work, saying she has a “good track record” with teenage employees.

While volunteers are in short supply, Frutiger noted how supportive the community has been in other ways. Much of the produce at the food shelf comes from local farmers and churches.

“So far this community has taken care of us for 13 years at the food shelf 100%. We have never closed, except for a snow day,” she said.

She also noted her close partnership with Doug and Mary Klatt, owners of SIFT Thrift Store, which often sends them clothes for All Seasons Thrift Shop.

“He says, ‘don’t you ever tell me we’re competitors.’ And we’re not. You could not ask for a better partnership in town,” said Frutiger.

For anyone looking to support All Seasons in other ways, Frutiger said a fundraising mailer will be arriving in people’s mailboxes in the coming weeks. Aside from cash, they also welcome donations of lightly used home goods to the thrift store.

MORE INFO All Seasons Food Shelf is located at the back entrance of 516 2nd St. and is open Monday at 2-5 p.m, Thursday at 12-3 p.m. and Saturday at 9 a.m. to noon. For more information, call 507-789-6162. 72e2176c-d401-446a-bc96-2d3b3df56687