Every day is a busy day at SPUR, the Marblehead-based nonprofit that prioritizes removing barriers in volunteering to serve the North Shore.
SPUR was founded by Jocelyn Cook in 2014 as a way “for young children, families and individuals to dive into giving back through opportunities that embraced busy schedules, varying experiences and interest levels.”
According to SPUR Director of Communications Kim Nothnagel, SPUR has volunteer events nearly 365 days/year that vary widely to allow potential volunteers to find something that works for them. She added that removing barriers “is at the core of what we do.”
“Nine out of 10 people you meet want to make a difference. They want to volunteer. They want to do good,” she said. “But I think most of those people also tell you, ‘I’m too busy,’ (or) ‘I don’t know how.
“What we do is erase all of those concerns. No matter what your schedule is, we have something that works for you because we have weekends; we have evenings; we have mornings. Whatever day of the week you are available, we’re available, too, because we want you to find something that works for your schedule.”
SPUR has volunteer opportunities in Beverly, Lynn, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. Nothnagel emphasized that this is because SPUR wants to meet people where they are rather than tell people in need to go somewhere.
One way SPUR tries to remove barriers in volunteering is by only having community service opportunities that are less than two hours long because “that’s an amount (of time) that people seem to be comfortable giving, and if you love it, come on back for two more hours.”
“Our real goal is to make volunteering as easy as possible for people,” SPUR Executive Director Lynne Krasker Schultz said. “That being said, we want to make it so that you can volunteer once, and there’s no long-term commitment. A lot of people can’t volunteer every Saturday for two hours, but they can volunteer one Saturday for two hours.”
Jackie Mongiello has been volunteering with SPUR for a decade, and she said that being able to make meals to donate at home on her own time, as well as only clocking in for two hours at a time, makes giving back easy. She added that she even makes meals with her daughter for community service and emphasized how easy it is to get kids involved with SPUR.
SPUR has plenty of community service opportunities for people of all ages, from donating meals prepared at home to working in gardens to sewing pillowcases.
“We like to say: Whether you’re 4 or 94, we have a volunteer opportunity for you because whatever your interest is, whatever your schedule is, there’s something,” Nothnagel said.
Lisa Barden, a SPUR volunteer, mentioned that SPUR always goes “above and beyond.” She was sewing pillowcases for SPUR’s annual Holiday Cheer Drive and pointed at her work to prove her point.
“These are French seams, so there’s no exposed seams. You don’t need to do that, but it’s an extra thing that makes it special,” Barden said.
Nothnagel said SPUR works year-round for the Holiday Cheer Drive because these pillowcases that will later be stuffed with meaningful gifts and winter essentials will benefit about 700 children and adults experiencing homelessness.
She added that SPUR also removes barriers in volunteering by teaching volunteers any skills they may need, like sewing or cooking.
SPUR volunteer Lynda Hare joked that she’s volunteering all the time because “I get FOMO if I’m not here.” She added that it really is the human connection aspect of volunteering that engages her.
“I get to meet wonderful people here. It feels so good to be giving in so many different ways, like with these pillowcases, and at the pantry, the same people come on a regular basis, so you get to know them,” Hare said. “Yesterday, I was there and asked somebody how their cataract operation was going. It’s really special.”
The community created within SPUR and out on the North Shore while volunteering is a major selling point for many SPUR volunteers.
“These are people — especially these ladies (who are helping sew pillowcases) — who are my friends and who mean just so much to me that I’m not crying about it, but I could.
“I’m not crying,” Nothnagel said while begrudgingly tearing up, “but these are my friends who I met because of my job — but now are the people I go to for advice and to celebrate life milestones and all the important stuff. This particular group means the world to me.”
Community members who are interested in volunteering can go to the SPUR website — spurnorthshore.org — and scroll through the calendar to find openings. SPUR publishes its volunteer opportunities on the first of every month so that there are 60 days of service opportunities online at all times.
“We are here to SPUR people to do good,” Nothnagel said.
