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Chattanooga nonprofits seeing volunteers slowly return after pandemic

Staff Photo by Olivia Ross / Dominique Brandt and volunteers from New Hope Presbyterian Church make snack packs at the Chattanooga Area Food Bank on Oct. 18. The food bank lost many volunteers during the pandemic but is slowly seeing volunteers return.
Staff Photo by Olivia Ross / Dominique Brandt and volunteers from New Hope Presbyterian Church make snack packs at the Chattanooga Area Food Bank on Oct. 18. The food bank lost many volunteers during the pandemic but is slowly seeing volunteers return.

By Ellen Gerst 3 min read

After many Chattanooga-area nonprofits lost volunteers during the pandemic, organizations said they’re slowly seeing volunteers come back — though not yet to pre-pandemic levels.

Nonprofit organizations around the nation lost many of their volunteers during the pandemic, a recent survey by the U.S. Census Bureau found. Between 2019 and 2021, volunteer participation dropped 7% nationwide, according to the survey.

In Chattanooga, nonprofit workers said the pandemic caused many volunteers to stop donating their time, even as the need for nonprofit services increased.

(READ MORE: Chairman wants Hamilton County Commission to establish new process for nonprofit funding)

At the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, the number of volunteers “fell off a cliff when COVID came,” Community Engagement Manager Kathy Martin said. In 2019, the food bank logged nearly 33,000 volunteer hours. That fell to around 22,000 in 2020 and just over 19,000 in 2021, according to Martin. Last year, hours climbed slightly to nearly 21,000 logged.