Senior volunteers give love & support across Valencia County

The relatively new name, Mid-Rio Grande Senior Volunteer Network (SVN), may not exactly roll off the tongue, but the services the organization provides is easy to understand — not only to people who are being served but to those who are serving, giving a helping hand.

SVN is no longer affiliated with the nationally known Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), but it has similar goals.

“What we do is recruit 55 and older people and place them in organizations” that need assistance, said Christine Vasquez, SVN supervisor.

While SVN is located in Belen, financially supported by the city of Belen and part of Belen Parks and Recreation, its reach is wide. More than two dozen partners, mainly non-profits and public agencies, are spread from one end of Valencia County to the other.

Volunteers give tours, help cook and serve food at the Harvey House in Belen. Some fill roles at the Valencia County Animal Shelter in Los Lunas, staff county senior centers or read to children and tutor at the Belen Public Library.

Those are just a few examples.

“There’s a wide variety of jobs and placements,” Vasquez said. “It just depends on what the organization needs — no job is too small. Every job helps. Every job counts.”

One of the groups that works with SVN is Bits and Pieces, in Jarales, at one of 15 facilities called volunteer stations. The sewing group meets each Wednesday at the Don Jose Dolores Cordova Cultural Center, the former Jarales School, stitching together whatever is needed.

Quilts are popular, says Sylvia Storey during a break in the activity, but that’s just the beginning.

“We’ve done bandana bibs for the Children’s Hospital. We made hospital gowns — premie blankets,” as well as pillow cases for sick children. Parents “need to know that somebody cares about the baby,” Storey said passionately.

Others benefit as well. Dialysis patents might get a comforting blanket. Quilts were sent to families after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

Karen Sutherland, of Bernardo, has made specialty quilts for people in wheelchairs.

“They are made differently because they are narrower and longer,” Sutherland said, making them more convenient for movement and holding a purse or bag. “They love them.”

SVN lists 180 volunteers throughout Valencia County, racking up more than 8,500 hours during the last fiscal year. An SVN fact sheet says this community impact contributed nearly $750,000 in economic value in 2023.

Those numbers jump off the page, but what may be trickier to see is the real impact on people.

“It’s about helping the living and getting them active again, feeling needed and participating,” said Vasquez.

The end result, as shown in an AmeriCorp survey, are tremendous physical and mental health benefits, with less feeling of isolation for seniors.

In Jarales, members of the sewing group have seen the results first hand.

“They just shared and cared. It was a wonderful feeling” was the reaction of Sutherland after her first visit. “I couldn’t wait to come back.”

Sutherland noted that several people stopped by after losing a spouse, saying they just needed a hug. Storey added, “Some days I just come to talk.”

Terri Molina of Jarales, who joined Bits and Pieces 12 months ago, says supplies have been donated but “some (members) use their own. We all have a stash at home.”

Vasquez, who has been SVN coordinator for about a year, immediately saw “the great need in the community, in our county.” That’s why she is pursuing ways to supplement other services, if additional funding can be found.

While transportation services are available in Valencia County, Vasquez envisions partnerships to increase access throughout the day. In addition, SVN is currently working with churches and others to compile a resource guide for seniors, with an easy to follow list for legal help, transportation, food options and other necessities. Vasquez says the challenge is getting information to people who are homebound, unsure of what might be available.

About a year ago, Vasquez received a call from a person living in a “super remote area” of Valencia County. They had money to fix a broken vehicle, but no luck finding a tow truck or mechanic to start the process. For nearly a month, unable to leave the house, they had been living on goats milk and chicken eggs.

When SVN volunteers arrived with emergency groceries and other supplies, it was discovered that the house and property needed additional repairs. SVN then referred the homeowner to other agencies, which were able to help.

Vasquez agrees the “emotional part is a roller coaster because there’s such a great need. Unfortunately, with people losing a lot of their services, I have a feeling there is only going to be a greater need in the future.”

That’s why Vasquez believes it is important to expand what SVN offers. That would mean more volunteers will be needed, and to those like Storey, it brings satisfaction.

“You’re giving time, talent, resources, your love. We have this,” Storey said while glancing around one of the rooms at the Cultural Center in Jarales, packed with fabrics, thread, irons, sewing machines, scissors and needles. “We have this time, so share it.”

The Mid-Rio Grande Senior Volunteer Network is located at 719 S. Main St., Belen. The phone number is 505-916-7198.