by Maja Beckstrom, Twin Cities Pioneer Press
The Twin Cities has slipped to second place in volunteerism, according to the annual “Volunteering and Civic Life in America” report. About one in three adults in the Twin Cities said they gave their unpaid time to an organization in 2014. Salt Lake City, with 37.5 percent, moved into top place.
The report was released Tuesday by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the National Conference on Citizenship (volunteeringinamerica.gov). It draws on data that the Bureau of Labor Statics began gathering annually in 2002 and provides a snapshot of civic engagement and volunteerism in the United States.
Overall, 35.3 percent of Minnesotans said they volunteer, placing the state fourth in the country after Utah, Idaho and Wisconsin. In Minnesota, 1.5 million people volunteered 153 million hours valued at $3.5 billion. The percentage of Minnesota adults who say they volunteer has dropped from just over 40 percent a decade ago, mirroring a national decline.
The survey is designed to capture a wide range of helpful community efforts, ranging from coaching a child’s sports team to ushering at church and collecting used clothing. The most popular form of volunteering was contributing food to food shelves, which nearly 30 percent of Minnesota adults said they had done the previous year, followed closely by participating in a fundraiser.
To read this article in its entirety, please follow this link.