Eatonia: A heritage of volunteerism

National Volunteer Week occurs every year during the third week of April, and this year those dates fall from April 17 to April 23. Some organizations choose to celebrate National Volunteer Month during April as a time to recognize volunteers and encourage volunteerism.

Without our volunteers, we wouldn’t have some of the programs that many communities rely on today. It’s an excellent opportunity to highlight community programs and remember the heritage of volunteerism passed down to us throughout the past decades.

In 1939, during WWII, many young men in the Eatonia district joined the armed forces. A group of ladies in Eatonia felt compelled to form an organization that would send parcels to the enlisted boys. This was particularly necessary since some families couldn’t afford to send parcels to their sons during the depression. The women’s group formed an executive, all of which held their respective positions until the war was over.

They formed four groups of about ten helpers and a leader and met every second Thursday. Their biggest task was conducting fundraisers to raise money to buy items to put in the parcels. Every month one of the groups sent parcels overseas.

They also send parcels overseas to help people living in bombed-out areas. From January 1941 to June 1941, they sent 23 comforters, 19 crib quilts, three layettes, 42 girls’ dresses, five afghans, eight baby jackets and two boy’s suits.

The above information was obtained from the history book “A Past to Cherish - History of Chesterfield, Newcombe, Eatonia, Laporte, Mantario.”