Kids & Family

Salvation Army Names Plymouth Couple as Family Volunteer of the Year

Greg and Jean Stachura have volunteered with the Salvation Army for the past 13 years.

Greg and Jean Stachura of Plymouth were quite shocked when they were presented with the 2013 Family Volunteer of the Year from the Salvation Army Eastern Michigan Division.

"It was quite a surprise," Jean Stachura said. "We knew they nominated us for local award. We said there were so many people who do so much more. But they apparently submitted to Eastern Conference as well and they chose us. That's wonderful, but we're just small members of a great army of volunteers. I'm not exactly sure why they did (choose us)."

The couple was honored for their work during the annual Red Kettle Christmas campaign, counting donations six days a week for six weeks; the 2012 National Letter Carriers Food Drive, donating the use of a box truck, semi truck and manpower for the collection locations and coordinating friends to volunteer to help sort donations and recruiting family and friends and help box Thanksgiving food baskets for more than 250 families.

The whole Stachura family got involved with the organization in 2000 with their daughter becoming a day camp counselor and their son working in the food pantry, Stachura said. 

"It's a great organization in that it is doing the most good," she said. "It does for the governemnt what the government can't do. The government doesn't love you. The Salvation Army does everything out of love. You just can't beat that. It's a joy to work with all these people who are so dedicated."

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Stachura said that counting the kettles was really rewarding, but so was working on the food drive. 

"Seeing the community response on the food drive, being able to fill two truckloads, is pretty amazing too," she said. "Every time you do something, you get so much more reward than what you're putting in. The payback's fabulous."

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