League of Volunteers (LOV), a nonprofit organization based in the Bay Area established in 1979, provides resources and support to those in need by connecting with people to foster a community centered around service. Two years ago, Executive Director Jodie Aquino-Sisk joined the board and succeeded founder Shirley Sisk to continue her vision of helping others. Their number of volunteers fluctuates between seasons, usually peaking around 500 hundred during summer break and the holiday season accompanied by LOV’s major events.
“we’ve turned Thanksgiving into not just a LOV event, but a community event, where everybody contributes and…feels appreciated”
Jodie Aquino-Sisk
Throughout the year, LOV organizes food distributions through pantries and works with other organizations like the Salvation Army. Their four-week-long Recreation Program for children from elementary up to high school is hosted during the summer, providing snacks, activities, special guests and more. “[There are also] kids who want to … volunteer their time. We’re instilling in the kids that helping out their community is good,” Aquino-Sisk said, “We have good volunteers who care about the city.” With donations and partnerships, LOV was able to reduce the cost of registration to $10 per week and offer scholarships to those who cannot afford them.
In preparation for LOV’s Thanksgiving Meal, which is one of their largest annual events, volunteers gather at the Newark Pavilion to help. “We’ve turned Thanksgiving into not just a LOV event, but a community event, where everybody contributes and … feels appreciated,” Aquino-Sisk said. Last year, 400 to 500 volunteers joined hands to set up and serve food, preparing 3,500 to 4,000 homebound and in-house meals, and more to give to homeless shelters.
To fund these large-scale events serving the public, other community organizations and members showed their support by providing donations. Newark Rotary and Assemblymember Alex Lee each donated around $1,000 for turkeys. Alameda County Supervisor Elisa Márquez donated around $2,500 for the Thanksgiving efforts and $2,500 each to two other programs. Other sponsors like Cisco and Grocery Outlet donated food directly. “It can’t be done without these donations. We go out there and let people know what our program is all about and who it’s serving,” Aquino-Sisk said. “We ask for support and that’s a big part of how we get our funding for Thanksgiving.”
Also around the holidays LOV holds their toy drive, holiday food drive and Adopt-a-Family Program. Community partners distribute collection barrels, which received around 4,500 toy donations last year. The organization sent them to 25 different agencies such as Viola Blythe, Abode Services, Tri-City Volunteers and Make-a-Wish Foundation. The food drive and Adopt-a-Family Program run hand-in-hand, with the collected food used to prepare meals for anyone who signs up for the program—whether they are adopted by a community member or not. “Our goal is to get them all adopted, but we know it’s hard,” Aquino-Sisk said, “Every year it goes up a little bit as we get more people.” Through their efforts, LOV tries to get as many families and children paired together.
Reflecting on the impact of volunteering and community service, Aquino-Sisk said, “If I had a million dollars, what would I do? I know I can’t save everyone, but I do whatever I can do and trust we’re all trying to do the same.” Through initiatives such as their Holiday Food Drive, Holiday Toy Drive, Adopt-a-Family program, Thanksgiving Day Meal and year-round food pantry, LOV has impacted thousands in the community. Moving forward, the organization hopes to bring back scholarship funds to aid students attending and planning to attend college.
As a part of LOV’s mission to promote volunteerism and enhance the quality of life in the Tri-Cities area of Fremont, Newark and Union City, the organization emphasizes that any actions taken make a difference, whether by volunteering or donating. “There’s so many things that you could focus on,” Aquino-Sisk said, “and your best bet is to find something you’re passionate about and … just keep doing it.”
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